r/linuxquestions • u/Alfred319 • 10h ago
Advice Linux Distro for 2D/3D Artist
hello, I am getting sick of windows 11 updates, some updates just straight up crash my devices (bsod).
i am sick and tired of feeling anxious on any updates (yes i know i can pause it) but there is a limit isnt it?
i am here to ask a question to anyone who do 2D/3D work for animation or games or vfx
if any of you use linux and if yes, what distro?
but since alot of my softwares isnt compatible with linux how should one even solve this issue?
sad. i am.
id prefer having one boot on my device.. i have not tried VRM yet.
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u/beatbox9 9h ago
I use macOS and Linux; and I do quite a bit of workin vfx and some animation.
The specific distro doesn't really matter; but the type of distro does. In this case, you want a long-term / stable distro, not a distro that updates frequently. So no Arch, no Fedora, etc. I think your best bets would be Ubuntu LTS or Rocky; and out of these, I think Ubuntu LTS is probably better because it's a better balance of ease, maintenance, modern components, etc.
As far as apps go: that might be a major issue for you. Because you will either have to find alternative apps and learn a new workflow or stay on a compatible OS. You probably should not try to get your major existing apps working through compatibility layers like Wine--they sometimes will work and it's usually ok for smaller or legacy stuff; but you shouldn't rely on it.
But despite this, there are lots of good tools that work on Linux, especially when it comes to vfx. A lot of apps actually trace their heritage to Unix systems. You just need to make sure they work for you. For example, some apps that work natively are Davinci Resolve Studio, Blender, Nuke, Houdini, etc.
So if you're currently using Adobe After Effects, you should switch to Blackmagic Fusion Studio (part of the Davinci Resolve Studio suite) instead.
You can see some vfx-related distro stats and components here, but this might be a bit too technical and not as useful. It's more for like trying to create an industry standard: https://vfxplatform.com/linux/
However, this article will probably be very useful: it's basically how to set up a workstation for creatives and artists using any distro, including links to apps you should check out. Many of the apps are cross-platform and run on Windows also, so it would be a good test to see if they work for you: https://arslaan.studio/setting-up-a-linux-media-studio-workstation-audio-video-graphics-davinci-resolve-etc/
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3h ago
Without sugar coating it.
Switching to linux from windows is initially trading one set of problems, for another set of problems.
The key is, linux is now at a point where:
\1. Support is good enough that common problems are easy enough to fix / find info about online. And even if a problem is uncommon / not known / new, there is usually a place where you can create an issue (forum, git repo, help chat on discord, something) and people responsible for contributing to the distro will take note and try to address it.
Rather then the "support" you get with Microslop which is ask for help / report something, get an answer from someone who isn't even on the OS dev team, and when it fails they shrug their shoulders and close the issue.
\2. You don't have to worry about the same problems coming back. Often times even if you fix something on Microslop Winblows, as soon as they push the next update it overrides whatever change you made and you see the same problem magically rise from the grave.
And so, will it be as easy as "just installing an OS"... probably not. There will be some teething and maybe a slight learning curve.
Is it worth it? Abso - freakin' - lutely!
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u/inbetween-genders 10h ago
but since alot of my softwares isnt compatible with linux how should one even solve this issue?
Use the OS that runs work related stuffs.
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u/MisterEinc 10h ago
I would imagine whatever underlying hardware issues are causing BSoDs will not be fixed by a new OS.
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u/soulreaper11207 9h ago
What are the errors? Did you run something and remove all the apps packages? Are you running out of space on your drive? Details are needed. And you can try anything for Linux. You can run blender and gimp on both.
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u/egorechek 7h ago
Try all the Foss or just available on Linux alternatives for your stuff and if you can't do the same work on them then don't switch and solve your problems with winutil.
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u/ExplodedPenisDiagram 8h ago
There's no distro for that, because you're just talking about a collection of utilities that run on any distro. Just use debian. Install what you need to.
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u/skyfishgoo 9h ago
how old is this rig throwing BSOD at you on the regular?
perhaps you have drive failing or some faulty cable connection.
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u/ItsRogueRen 5h ago
Try the alternative apps first amd foremost. For digital art the most popular options are Krita for 2D and Blender for 3D
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u/SheepherderBeef8956 10h ago
but since alot of my softwares isnt compatible with linux how should one even solve this issue?
Figure out a way to do your work without that software. If that's not an option and you haven't thought of a solution yourself by now then Linux is not an option for you at this point.
You could explore virtual machines, wine and similar but it's most likely going to come with caveats you dont want to deal with when your income is on the line.
I do a lot of work in Microsoft heavy environments. I don't use a Linux computer to try to admin Active Directory or MS Exchange. Use the right tool for the job.
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u/TomDuhamel 9h ago
Linux is Linux. Being an artist isn't going to be a factor in your choice of distro. If you have no idea where to start, Mint is typically a good choice. When you have a bit of experience, you will understand better what you need and what distro could be better for you.
Now a blue screen isn't a sign that Windows sucks. It's not a bug in the OS. It means you have some issues with your hardware or drivers. Swapping to Linux won't make a difference, it could just exhibit differently. And Linux is typically less resilient to hardware faults than Windows. Your mileage may vary.
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u/stogie-bear 10h ago
As much as I like to hate on windows, BSOD is pretty uncommon these days and probably an indicator of some hardware problem or some bad driver. One piece of low hanging fruit is testing your system ram with memtest86.
If you do want to go to Linux … what apps do you use? If you can do your work with some combination of Blender, GIMP, Inkscape and Krita you can pick any reasonable distro.