 | Using Linux on Mac desktops to power special effects is new in the film industry. For the production of The Spiderwick Chronicles, Tippett Studio (one of the companies behind the visual effects of the movie) switched to Fedora Linux running on Macintosh desktops. Commercial Linux software vendors worked closely with the film studio. They chose Linux to run on the desktops, because it's easy to virtualize other operating systems, and the systems are extremely fast. It's been a well known fact for some time that Macs have had a firm place in the realm of the movie industry. However, Linux has grown as a great tool for designers, not only for its speed, but also for the great suite of software available to meet their needs. Linux's great hardware support guaranteed that designers would be able to use necessary peripherals, especially tablets. They used Maya (a highend 3D graphics and 3D modeling software package), as well as Apple Shake, SyFlex, cMuscle, RealFlow, Jet, and internally developed software was written in Perl, Python, and C++. The following movie studios are using Linux: Digital Domain, Disney, Double Negative, DreamWorks Animation, Flash Film Works, Hammerhead, Industrial Light & Magic, Moving Picture Company, Pixar, Rhythm & Hues, Sony Pictures, Tippett, and Weta Digital. Some notable movies that Linux helped to create include: Shrek, Lord of the Rings 2, and just about any visual effects movie after 2002. Oh, and Microsoft's new Halo movie is going to be made using Linux. |
