Update: We got it going in Blender!

VitalBodies recently bought a 3dConnexions 3D SpacePilot controller to use in Blender to help with the learning curve of the Blender interface. We got the proprietary driver going (in Ubuntu and POSSIBLY in Blender) using the steps below. We have gotten the device going in Blender 2.49 using the Open Source version for this tutorial plus a recompiled (for 64-bit)  plugin. After following a long trail of wreckage (within many many forum threads) of people that did not get the 3dconnexion 3D controller going in Ubuntu or 64-bit Ubuntu, we decided to start this “how to” post to consolidate information and show how to actually get it going.

OPEN SOURCE SPACENAV:

VitalBodies would like to thank the Spacenav project for creating open source drivers! http://spacenav.sourceforge.net/

In order to get the Spacenav driver/daemon going and configure and test it in Ubuntu, you need to install the latest daemon, libspnav and spnavcfg which are different files each with their own readme file. spnavcfg requires GTK+ 2 and Xlib headers to be installed which in Debian and Ubuntu can be satisfied by installing libgtk2.0-dev.

Download and extract the spacenav files to the Downloads folder from here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/spacenav/files/

If you are new to Linux or Ubuntu you might find the instructions in the readme files rather brief so we are attempting to help bring more users to driver heaven – In short, you need to download the files and then install them with ./configure, make, and sudo make install.

All of the installation steps (./configure, make, and sudo make install) are done from the terminal: Applications > Accessories > Terminal.

NOTE: Command Line Reference: https://help.ubuntu.com/9.10/basic-commands/C/

NOTE: In Ubuntu Karmic the default place to download files when using Firefox is: home/user_name/Downloads.

NOTE: When you start the terminal in Ubuntu it usually defaults to your home/user_name directory.

NOTE: Be aware that the version numbers might change…

We started by installing libgtk2.0-dev first using synaptic: System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager > Search “libgtk2.0-dev” > Mark for installation > Apply > etc…

Next we needed to edit the libspnav-0.2.1/configure script using gedit:

cd

cd Downloads/libspnav-0.2.1

gedit configure

We changed this:

if [ "`uname -m`" = 'x86_64' ]; then
   libdir=lib64
fi

To this:

# if [ "`uname -m`" = 'x86_64' ]; then
#    libdir=lib64
# fi

libspnav Installation Commands:

cd Downloads
cp -R libspnav-0.2.1 /tmp/libspnav-0.2.1
cd
cd /tmp/libspnav-0.2.1
./configure
make
sudo make install

spnavcfg Installation Commands: (Requires GTK+ 2 and Xlib headers so install libgtk2.0-dev first using synaptic (see above))

cd
cd Downloads
cp -R spnavcfg-0.2.1 /tmp/spnavcfg-0.2.1
cd
cd /tmp/spnavcfg-0.2.1
./configure
make
sudo make install

spacenavd Installation Commands:

cd
cd Downloads
cp -R spacenavd-0.4 /tmp/spacenavd-0.4
cd
cd /tmp/spacenavd-0.4
./configure
make
sudo make install
sudo ./setup_init

Useful commands:

For starting, stopping and reading the log file: (Be sure not to start multiple instances of the driver)

gedit /var/log/spnavd.log
sudo /etc/init.d/spacenavd start
sudo /etc/init.d/spacenavd stop
spnavcfg

Running the spnavcfg command from the terminal brought up this:

Blender: In Blender you will need to copy the 3DxNdofBlender.plug file into the /home/user_name/.blender/plugins directory or wherever your plugs directory is located. If the plugin works for version you should be able to move the puck see the movement (like being able to fly around the cube). We had to be in the USER view port and the cursor needed to over that window. Top, side and front works also but once we moved we were automatically in user mode. Additionally the device has to be enabled and you can “check” that it is using the spnavcfg command from the terminal.

64-bit Plug File: For us to get the device to work using 64-bit Ubuntu and Blender we needed the proprietary plug file recompiled using 64-bit Ubuntu.  This was the final key that enabled us to get this working.

We want to thank RoboticGolem in the forums for helping us get this going! Thank you, thank you, thank you – it has been a long haul.

How do you recompile the driver?

In the blender plugin zip from 3dconnexion (3DxBlender2_47-Linux-i386.zip) there is a file called 3dcnxplug-lin.c

It says to use the command cc 3dcnxplug-lin.c -Iintern/ghost -Wall -lc -shared -fPIC -fvisibility=hidden -o 3DxNdofBlender.plug to compile it (more or less). It’ll fail unless you have the GHOST_Types.h file from the blender source (I just put it in the same directory).

cc 3dcnxplug-lin.c -Iintern/ghost -Wall -lc -shared -fPIC -fvisibility=hidden -o 3DxNdofBlender.plug

http://www.blender.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=78503

http://www.3dconnexion.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=18401

http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=182325

(From the Daemon Readme)

1. About
Spacenavd, is a free software replacement user-space driver (daemon), for
3Dconnexion’s space-something 6dof input devices. It’s compatible with the
original 3dxsrv proprietary daemon provided by 3Dconnexion, and works
perfectly with any program that was written for the 3Dconnexion driver.

For more info on the spacenav project, visit: http://spacenav.sourceforge.net

2. Dependencies
In order to compile the spacenavd daemon, you’ll need the following:
* GNU C Compiler
* GNU make
* Xlib headers (optional)

You can compile the daemon without Xlib, but it won’t be compatible with
applications that where written for the original proprietary 3Dconnexion
driver (e.g. blender, maya, etc). The 3dxsrv compatibility interface needs to
go through the X window system.

3. Installation
If you have the dependencies installed, just run “./configure” and then
“make” to compile the daemon, and “make install”, to install it. The
default installation prefix is “/usr/local”. If you wish to install
somewhere else, you may pass –prefix=/whatever to the configure script.

4. Running spacenavd
If your system uses SysV init, then you may run the supplied “setup_init”
script, and everything should be set up to have spacenavd start automatically
during system startup. However, for now, you won’t have to reboot, just type
“/etc/init.d/spacenavd start” as root, to start the daemon immediately.

If your system uses BSD init (you can tell if you *don’t* have a series of
directories called rc0.d, rc1.d, and so on, in /etc), then you’ll have to
follow your init documentation and set this up yourself. You may be able to
use the provided init_script file as a starting point.

5. Configuration
The spacenavd daemon reads a number of options from the /etc/spnavrc file. If
that file doesn’t exist, then it uses default values for everything. You may
use the graphical spnavcfg program to interactively set any of these options.
The daemon should respond immediately to your changes, and also the
configuration file should be updated automatically.

6. Troubleshooting
If you’re having trouble running spacenavd, read the up to date FAQ on the
spacenav website: http://spacenav.sourceforge.net/faq.html

If you’re still having trouble, send a description of your problem to the
spacenav-users mailing list: spacenav-users@lists.sourceforge.net
along with a copy of your /var/log/spnavd.log and any other relevant
information.

7. License
This program is released under the terms of the GNU GPLv3, see COPYING for
details.

PROPRIETARY DRIVER: (We never did get the driver to work in Blender (but we think we know why – you have to recompile the plug file in a 64-bit Ubuntu – steps shown below) but we did get the driver working in Ubuntu see below – we ended up switching the open source version above but might just try to commercial driver again soon. Did you get it going?)

UBUNTU:

We downloaded and installed the proprietary driver 3dconnexion site: (As stated in their instructions)

The Blender page on 3dConnexion: http://www.3dconnexion.com/index.php?id=108

Plugin: http://www.3dconnexion.com/index.php?eID=sdl&ext=tx_iccsoftware&oid=27237638-d168-4cc6-bc67-4b1fe78de7c4&filename=3DxBlender2_47-Linux-i386.zip&ap1=PleaseSelect&ap2=&ap3=

We ran each of these commands using sudo:

sudo nautilus

Copy the 3dxware-linux-v1-2-11.tgz to /tmp

Copy and extract the install-3dxunix.sh file into /tmp using the terminal.

sudo tar xfz 3dxware-linux-v1-4-3.x86_64.tar.gz install-3dxunix.sh

Run the install script:

sudo ./install-3dxunix.sh

Then we had to install libmotif because the driver complained about not having the library libXm.so.3.

We used System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager > search ” libmotif” to find and install the libraries.

START THE DRIVER:

Run the driver from the command line:

sudo /etc/3DxWare/daemon/3dxsrv -d usb

Here is what we saw:

UN-INSTALL THE DRIVER: (If you need to un-install here is how)

sudo aptitude remove 3dxunix

Since the driver was installed with a script rather than as a package, the above command will NOT remove the driver. Anyone know how to remove it?

We have an answer from the comments related to this post:

“Delete it.
And delete the corresponding line in the /etc/inittab.”

We take that to mean delete the directory

/etc/3DxWare

And this lines of code (at least for us):

3d:2345:respawn:/etc/3DxWare/daemon/3dxsrv -d usb </dev/null >/dev/null 2>&1

One can use sudo nautilus to navigate the files and delete them and then gedit to edit the inittab.

You will also need to delete the plugin in the .blend/plugins folder also and un-install libmotif using synaptic.

BLENDER: (We did not get our SpacePilot going in Blender using the Proprietary driver and switched to the open source version)

The next step is to get the proprietary driver going with blender:

Download the blender build from http://www.blenderbuilds.com/

Unzip the build.

Copy the 3DxNdofBlender.plugin folder to the plugin directory which is usually in home/user_name/.blend/plugins if you are using the Blender install from the Ubuntu (can require View > Show Hidden Files).

Double-clicked blender and you should be set to go…

64-bit Plug File: For us to get the device to work using 64-bit Ubuntu and Blender we needed the proprietary plug file recompiled using 64-bit Ubuntu.  This was the final key that enabled us to get this working with the open source driver and now we just need to try it on the proprietary version.

We want to thank RoboticGolem in the forums for helping us learn about the need for a 64-bit driver! Thank you, thank you, thank you – it has been a long haul.

How do you recompile the driver?

In the blender plugin zip from 3dconnexion (3DxBlender2_47-Linux-i386.zip) there is a file called 3dcnxplug-lin.c

it says to use the command cc 3dcnxplug-lin.c -Iintern/ghost -Wall -lc -shared -fPIC -fvisibility=hidden -o 3DxNdofBlender.plug to compile it (more or less). It’ll fail unless you have the GHOST_Types.h file from the blender source (I just put it in the same directory).

cc 3dcnxplug-lin.c -Iintern/ghost -Wall -lc -shared -fPIC -fvisibility=hidden -o 3DxNdofBlender.plug

http://www.blender.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=78503

http://www.3dconnexion.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=18401

http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=182325

BlenderBuilds.com: (Are they shutting down or is the 3Dconnexion taking over -shutting down is our best guess?)

http://www.blenderbuilds.com/2007/08/05/august-build-3dconnexion-with-a-prize/

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

http://www.arakhne.org/3dxware/index.html

Forum Article with readme files and other info: http://www.3dconnexion.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=18109#18109

Interesting insights on getting the Open Source version going: http://www.3dconnexion.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=13877#13877

POLL UPDATE: (Apparently they shut down our poll)

Add your vote to the poll we started: http://www.3dconnexion.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=18109

TERMINAL:

If you need to find your device this command is suggested:

lshal | less

Followed by the “/” and the first few letters of the name of the device.

 /Space

Then:

Enter

That gave us this:

usb_device.product = '3Dconnexion Space Pilot 3D Mouse'  (string)

This HOW TO is for those who want to run the newest version of Blender In Ubuntu.

Your best bet is to simply Update Ubuntu to Ibex. If you can not do that for some reason here is a possible work around.

Builds:
amd64

i386

lpia

Or at least version 2.46 depending on when you read this…

Because the W Grant repos do not contain the 64 bit blender anymore we have added this new post.

This is an advanced technique for adding the latest Blender to Hardy Heron Ubuntu.

Essentially the technique uses the APT-GET command to add the Intrepid Ibex Blender Package to Hardy Heron.

NOTE: You would definitely want to use this trick at your own risk.

According to rickyrockrat: “You are mixing repositories, so you can get into dependency hell. I’ve not personally had it happen, but never want it to.

You’ll try to update one thing, and apt will grab the latest version, then it will start down the dependency tree. If you start to ‘fix’ this tree, you could wind up down a dark hole fast.

Bottom line is this is a major hack, and I’m lucky it worked in the first place! It’s kinda like using a screwdriver for a prybar. Does it work? Is it designed to be used that way? No. Don’t tempt Murpy!”

Temporarily add (to /etc/apt/sources.list):

System > Administration > Software Sources > Third Party Software

Copy this:

deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid universe

Click the Add button and paste then click the Add Source button.

Copy this:

deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid main

Click the Add button and paste then click the Add Source button.

Click the Close button.

Click the Reload button.

Note: Be sure to un-check these two lines when you are done.

Run apt-get update:

Open the terminal: Applications > Accessories > Terminal.

We had un-installed Blender so we ran this command in the Terminal:

sudo apt-get install blender

Follow the on screen instructions (we had to click “y” and then the “Enter” key).

If you did not remove Blender you might try this command:

sudo apt-get upgrade blender

If you have blender 2.45 installed:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install blender

Once the program is installed and you should un-check the two Intrepid Ibex entries.

If you do not, you could run into complications for your Ubuntu system.

System > Administration > Software Sources > Password > Third Party Software >

Un-check the two Intrepid Ibex entries…

Then in the Terminal:

sudo apt-get update.

-

VitalBodies would like to thank rickyrockrat for sharing this technique!

And Blender.org

SEE THE LATEST POSTS ABOUT BLENDER FOR AN UPDATE: CLICK > BLENDER

If you are used to Windows or Mac or you just suddenly start using Ubuntu, there are few things that you will want to know sooner or later.

Usually sooner…

VitalBodies recently switched all of our computers over to Ubuntu and upgraded from Hardy Heron to Intrepid Ibex to Jaunty Jackalope to Karmic Koala.

Glad we did, but there was a learning curve.

Below is a list of posts originally done for Hardy Heron but work equally well for Intrepid Ibex, Jaunty Jackalope and Karmic Koala.

The list of How Tos below is intended to reduce the incline of your learning curve…

Having the right help is like having the right chocolate…

TOP OF THE LIST TO YA:

Installing Applications / Programs / Software In Ubuntu:

• How To Install Programs In Ubuntu

• How To Install A Windows Program In Ubuntu

Installing Fonts:

• Installing Fonts Using Synaptic In Ubuntu
  
• Installing Fonts In Ubuntu
  
• How To Find Fun New Fonts For Ubuntu
• Configuring Fonts and Enabling Bitmapped Fonts In Ubuntu
• Where Are Fonts Stored / Located In Ubuntu?
• How To Create Or Edit Fonts In Ubuntu
• Installing Microsoft MS Core Fonts In Ubuntu
• Advanced Font Information And Settings In Ubuntu
• Installing Fonts In Wine On Ubuntu

Wireless That Works Out Of The Box:

• Wireless In Ubuntu

Wireless Range:

• Improving Wireless Range In Ubuntu

Shockwave Or Flash:

• How To Install Flash In Ubuntu

Java:

• How To Install Open Source Java In Ubuntu

FTP:

• FTP In Ubuntu - FileZilla

Firewall:

• Installing And Using A Firewall In Ubuntu

Resource Monitor:

• HTOP Resource Monitor In Ubuntu

Terminal Commands:

• COMMANDS that can be used in Ubuntu

Web Building or Development:

• XAMPP: Apache, PHP, MySQL Webalizer, OpenSSL etc

LightScribe:

• Getting LightScribe To Work In Ubuntu

What Version Are You Running?:

• Finding Version Information On Ubuntu

64-Bit Ubuntu:

• How To Tell If An Application Is 64-bit In Ubuntu

Blender 3D:

• How To Install Blender 2.46 In Ubuntu

Wireless Monitor:

• Applications > Add/Remove… > Show: All Open Source Applications > Search: Wireless
  

Screen Capture:

• Press the PrtSc button on your keyboard…

Where Are My Documents?:

• Places > Home Folder or home/username

VitalBodies would like to thank the countless Ubuntu teams and free software teams that make Ubuntu possible!

For our example we will use the 3D program Blender.

Open the Terminal:
Applications > Accessories > Terminal
Copy this code:
file /usr/bin/blender-bin
Paste: (Edit > Paste) the code into the Terminal.
Execute The Code: Press the Enter key on the keyboard.
You should see something like this:

/usr/bin/blender-bin: ELF 64-bit LSB executable, 

x86-64, version 1 (SYSV), 

for GNU/Linux 2.6.8, dynamically linked (uses shared libs), stripped

What about other programs?

file /usr/bin/ADD PROGRAM NAME HERE

Example: (inkscape)

file /usr/bin/inkscape

/usr/bin/inkscape: ELF 64-bit LSB executable, 

x86-64, version 1 (SYSV), 

for GNU/Linux 2.6.8, dynamically linked (uses shared libs), stripped

What if this does not work?

For example, blender does not work but blender-bin does work.

Navigate to the /usr/bin folder.

Places > Computer > File System > usr > bin

And see if you can figure out what the correct name of the program might be.

UPDATE:

Example: What about Firefox?

For Firefox you might only see an icon or what is called a symbolic link as the terminal will confirm.

file /usr/bin/firefox
/usr/bin/firefox: symbolic link to `firefox-3.0'

So if we try right clicking on the icon and we look at the properties we can see the target is../lib/firefox-3.0.6.

So if we try that in the terminal we will see that the file in question is a directory:

file /usr/lib/firefox-3.0.6
/usr/lib/firefox-3.0.6: directory

In the directory we can see that there is an icon for Firefox. So let’s try that in the terminal.

file /usr/lib/firefox-3.0.6/firefox
/usr/lib/firefox-3.0.6/firefox: ELF 64-bit LSB executable,
x86-64, version 1 (SYSV), for GNU/Linux 2.6.8,
dynamically linked (uses shared libs), stripped

And so we have our answer!

]]> http://www.vitalbodies.com/blog/2008/07/26/how-to-tell-if-an-application-is-64-bit-in-ubuntu-hardy-heron/feed/ 6 http://www.vitalbodies.com/blog/2008/07/25/how-to-install-blender-246-in-ubuntu-hardy-heron/ http://www.vitalbodies.com/blog/2008/07/25/how-to-install-blender-246-in-ubuntu-hardy-heron/#comments Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:42:19 +0000 vitalbodies http://vitalbodies.wordpress.com/?p=580 How To Install Blender 2.46 In Ubuntu Hardy Heron

UPDATE: THIS METHOD NO LONGER WORKS AS THE DEB IS NO LONGER IN W GRANTS REPOS…

SEE THE LATEST POSTS ABOUT BLENDER FOR AN UPDATE: CLICK > BLENDER

This HOW TO is for those who want to run the newest version of Blender In Ubuntu.

Builds:
amd64
i386
lpia

Or at least version 2.46 depending on when you read this…

System > Administration > Software Sources > Password > Third Party Software > Add >

Copy the command below and paste the command (Ctrl V) into the Add form.

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/wgrant/ubuntu hardy main

Click Add Source.

Click the Add button again.

Copy the command below and paste the command (Ctrl V) into the Add form.

deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/wgrant/ubuntu hardy main

Click Add Source.

Click Close > Reload

Next Applications > Add/Remove… >Show: Installed Applications > Search Blender >

(You may need to uninstall Blender and then reinstall)

Enable (install) Blender by putting a check in the Check Box and then click Apply Changes.

You may get a warning that the Software Can Not Be Authenticated.

If you wish to install click Apply.

-

VitalBodies would like to thank W Grant for making this possible!

https://launchpad.net/~wgrant/+archive

And Blender.org

How does one install fonts in Wine? The answer is simpler than you think!

Applications > Wine > Browse C:\ Drive.

Navigate to: Windows > Fonts.

VitalBodies ended up here: /home/username/.wine/drive_c/windows/Fonts

Copy and paste your fonts in into the Fonts folder.

See, that was easy.

Font Stuff From the Wine User Guide: http://winehq.org/site/docs/wineusr-guide/index

Font Stuff From the Wine Wiki: http://wiki.winehq.org/

2.7. What is this “winetricks” thing? Where do I get it?

winetricks is a shell script that downloads missing DLLs and fonts for you from the best known source. It was written to help Wine developers, but it turned out to be useful for end users, too. See the wiki page about winetricks for more info.

2.31. Using wine over remote X11 sessions and No text or damaged text displayed

Please make sure not have added any fonts to wine. Font conflicts can sometimes cause a similar issue. If a fresh wine prefix.(A copy of wine that nothing has been done to yet) Is having this problem. Try setting following in registry

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Wine\X11 Driver]
"ClientSideWithRender"="N"

Place above in text file and it can be inserted into registry by “regedit settings.txt”.

This was report as been required of OS X on the 1 Dec 2007. This may change. Please apply only as required.

2.32. How can I make Wine fonts anti-aliased?

^TODO

2.33. How do I change font size / DPI ?

First, you should try editing with winecfg. Go to the Graphics tab, and slide the “Screen Resolution” slider accordingly. Changes will not effect the winecfg window until you restart it.

If windows and fonts are so big you can’t get to the controls in winecfg, see the next question

2.34. Wine’s windows and fonts are extremely large, and the whole window can’t fit on the screen

Sometimes you can use the ALT key and the mouse to move the window so you can run winecfg and fix this as described in the previous question

If that doesn’t work, you can shut down your windows applications and change the registry value the hard way:

wineserver -k
sed -i 's@"LogPixels"=.*@"LogPixels"=dword:00000060@g' ~/.wine/system.reg

Alternately, you could remove your ~/.wine directory and reinstall your Windows applications.

Visit WineHQ.org

-

VitalBodies Guides – The How Tos Of Fonts In Ubuntu

LightScribe:

VitalBodies installed a DVD burner in our new Lenovo D10 Workstation but had not attempted to setup LightScribe in Ubuntu. LightScribe allows you to burn a label on your disk rather than using a pen or label. Why burn a label? Some pens, over time, can eat right through the disk and damage your data. Some labels will throw the disk (spinning at high RPM) off balance.

Vitalbodies did some research and testing and here is what worked for us.

Linux Downloads For LightScribe:

• 4L: LaCie LightScribe Labeler RPM and Host Software:
  • http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=10803
• 4L: LaCie LightScribe Labeler DEB:
  
  • http://uploads.mitechie.com/lightscribe/4l_1.0-r6_i386.deb
    
• LaCie LightScribe Labeler Manual:
  • http://www.lacie.com/download/manual/LightScribeLabelerLinux_en.pdf
• Portal To All Of The LightScribe.com Linux Downloads:
  • LightScribe System Software (Required)
  • LightScribeSimple labeler
  • LightScribe Linux Public SDK
  • Template Label Gallery
  • Label Gallery
    
  • Portal: http://www.lightscribe.com/downloadSection/linux/index.aspx

Download The Required System Software:

Download the LightScribe SYSTEM software from http://lightscribe.com/downloadSection/linux/index.aspx?id=814

There are RPM and DEB files to choose from and for Ubuntu choose the DEB files.

NOTE: This SYSTEM package MUST be installed BEFORE your LightScribe labeling applications to maintain the necessary dependencies.

Installing The SYSTEM Software:

Change Directory to the location where you downloaded the DEB file.

cd Desktop

Change <<filename>> to the match the file you downloaded.

For 32-bit Ubuntu:

sudo dpkg -i «filename»

Thus:

sudo dpkg -i lightscribe-1.14.17.1-linux-2.6-intel.deb

For 64-bit Ubuntu:

dpkg -i --force-architecture «filename».deb

Thus:

sudo dpkg -i --force-architecture lightscribe-1.14.17.1-linux-2.6-intel.deb

Check the status of the installation:

dpkg -s lightscribe

Download The Labeler Program or Programs:

• 4L: LaCie LightScribe Labeler for Linux DEB:
  
  • http://uploads.mitechie.com/lightscribe/4l_1.0-r6_i386.deb
• Simple Labeler:
  • http://www.lightscribe.com/downloadSection/linux/index.aspx?id=815

Install The LABELER Programs:

For 32-bit Ubuntu:

sudo dpkg -i «filename»

Thus:

sudo dpkg -i 4l_1.0-r6_i386.deb

For 64-bit Ubuntu:

sudo dpkg -i --force-architecture «filename».deb

Thus:

sudo dpkg --force-architecture -i 4l_1.0-r6_i386.deb

Simple Labeler:

sudo dpkg -i --force-architecture lightscribeApplications-1.10.19.1-linux-2.6-intel.deb

Create A Menu Item For Lacie Labeler:

Right click your menu (IE Applications Places System) and click “Edit Menus.”

Click the Category in Menus on the left you want to place the menu item in (like Graphics or Sound and Video).

Click the “New Item” button on the left.

Create Launcher Properties:

Type: “Application”

Name: “4L LightSribe Labeler”

Command: “sudo 4L-gui”

Comment: “Burn label LABEL SIDE DOWN”.

Icon or description: Up to you, but here is a suggestion. “Burn gray scale text and images on to LightScribe disks”.

Click the Ok button to save your changes.

LightScribe Simple Labeler

Create A Menu Item LightScribe Simple Labeler:

Right click your menu (Applications) and click “Edit Menus.”

Click the group on the left you’d like to place the menu item in (like Graphics or Sound and Video).

Click “New Item” on the left.

Create Simple Launcher Properties:

Type: “Application”

Name: “LightScribe Simple Labeler”

Command: “gksudo /opt/lightscribeApplications/SimpleLabeler/SimpleLabeler”

Comment: “Burn label LABEL SIDE DOWN”.

Icon or description: Up to you, but here is a suggestion. “Burn gray scale text and images on to LightScribe disks”.

Click the Ok button to save your changes.

Odd Anomalies:

VitalBodies got disks to burn and everything works. There were a few Anomalies along the way. Like trying to start the software using the menus did not work until we rebooted.

EDIT: I had just burned a label with LightScribe for this blog article. I did not need to add data to the disk as I was just checking the label burner. I flipped the disk to the data side for whenever the next data burn might be and thus BROKE Nautilus. Turns out you could get a SEGMENT FAULT error from this command:

sudo nautilus
Initializing nautilus-share extension
Segmentation fault

Removed the blank disk and that FIXED Nautilus.

Just a side note: This error does not happen with the disk label side down but only data side down.

In other words, only when the data side is towards the laser.

I wondered if this only happens with blank disks?

Answer, yes…

Suggestions:

VitalBodies burned a disk and it came out light (low contrast) so we burned the same disk again to increase the contrast. Looks great. The original image was low contrast. Consider higher contrast text and imagery for better results. VitalBodies made a new GIMP and Inkscape template for burning. The image at the top is from the new template.

Other Alien Possibilities If All Else Fails:

http://help.ubuntu.com/community/LightScribe

VitalBodies wants to thanks the helpful folks on the Ubuntu forums and everyone that made LightScribe on Linux possible.

Most of the time, the very best solution is to use software written to run in Linux, when you are in Ubuntu. But when you just have to have that special program that is only available for Windows and no other will do… here is How To Install A Windows Program In Ubuntu Hardy Heron or Intrepid Ibex.

Applications > Add/Remove… > All Open Source Applications > Search Wine > Enable (check in check box) > Wine Windows Emulator > Apply Changes… etc – follow through until Wine is installed.

Wine will allow many programs to run in Ubuntu, that otherwise would not.

About Wine Windows Emulator:
“Microsoft Windows Compatibility Layer (Binary Emulator and Library)
Wine is a compatibility layer for running Windows applications on Linux. Applications are run at full speed without the need of cpu emulation. Wine does not require Microsoft Windows, however it can use native system dll files in place of its own if they are available.
This package includes a program loader for running unmodified Windows executables as well as the Wine project’s free version of the Windows API for running programs ported from Windows.”
Homepage: http://www.winehq.org/

Installing a Non-Linux Windows Program In Ubuntu:

For our example we will use Sigma Photo Pro which is a program that allows one to edit RAW Camera Files from Sigma Cameras like the Sigma SD14.

You can use most any Windows program and follow along. Be aware that not all programs run under Wine but many do quite easily and others do with some tweaking.

Getting Setup:

VitalBodies downloaded the Sigma Photo Pro program and placed the program in a folder.

Navigate: Navigate to the folder where your program is located.

Places > Desktop (for example if your program in on the desktop)

Installation:

Right Click (Use the right button rather than left) on the Setup.exe or the file you would normally use to install the program if you were in Windows. In VitalBodies example case, for the Sigma program, the file is called Setup.exe.

Choose Open With Other Application or Wine Windows Program Loader.

Scroll down until you see Wine Windows Program Loader.

Left Click the Open button.

After A Short Pause:

With any luck, your software’s installation program should start, and you can default on through the installation.

VitalBodies recommends the defaults (in most cases) unless you know to choose otherwise.

VitalBodies Sigma Photo Pro program installed flawlessly!

Reboot: For what ever reason we did need to a reboot for the Sigma Photo Pro program to show up in the Wine menu. This is most likely because we had just installed Wine without doing a reboot after installing.

Starting The Program You Just Installed:

Applications > Wine > Programs >

For Vitalbodies we found our Sigma program here:

Applications > Wine > Programs > SIGMA > Photo Pro > Sigma Photo Pro

We also found a Sigma icon on the desktop to start the program.

The Sigma program started right up and ran great! If yours did not, visit Winehq: http://www.winehq.org/ and check out the FAQ, forums, wiki or the Application Database (AppDB) for more information.

WINE Basics:

Remember, Wine Is Not an Emulator (WINE)! Wine is a compatibility layer for running Windows applications on Linux. Applications are run at full speed without the need of cpu emulation.

Wine creates it’s own environment in which to work. An example of this is the Browse C:/ Drive within the Wine menus.

Applications > Wine > Browse C:/ Drive

Here your windows programs will find their more familiar home. Like C: drive and the Programs Files folder.

Also check out Applications > Wine > Configure Wine.

Configuring Wine can help if your program has special needs or was written to run under a particular version of Windows. Many people use Wine to run programs like ACAD, Photoshop and many of the games, so called, gamers play.

-

VitalBodies would like to thank the WINE team for making things work!

- Free As In Freedom -

- Visit Winehq: http://www.winehq.org/ -

This post is part of a series on How To Install Programs In Ubuntu.

If you are used to Windows or Mac or you just suddenly start using Ubuntu, there are few things that you will want to know sooner or later.

Usually sooner…

VitalBodies recently switched all of our computers over to Ubuntu.

Glad we did, but there was a learning curve.

The list of How Tos below is intended to reduce the incline of your learning curve…

Having the right help is like having the right chocolate…

TOP OF THE LIST TO YA:

Installing Applications / Programs / Software In Ubuntu:

• How To Install Programs In Ubuntu Hardy Heron

• How To Install A Windows Program In Ubuntu Hardy Heron

Installing Fonts:

• Installing Fonts Using Synaptic In Ubuntu Hardy Heron
  
• Installing Fonts In Ubuntu Hardy Heron
  
• How To Find Fun New Fonts For Ubuntu Hardy Heron
• Configuring Fonts and Enabling Bitmapped Fonts In Ubuntu Hardy Heron
• Where Are Fonts Stored / Located In Ubuntu Hardy Heron?
• How To Create Or Edit Fonts In Ubuntu Hardy Heron
• Installing Microsoft MS Core Fonts In Ubuntu Hardy Heron
• Advanced Font Information And Settings In Ubuntu Hardy Heron
• Installing Fonts In Wine On Ubuntu Hardy Heron

Wireless That Works Out Of The Box:

• Wireless In Ubuntu

Wireless Range:

• Improving Wireless Range In Ubuntu

Shockwave Or Flash:

• How To Install Flash In Ubuntu Hardy Heron

Java:

• How To Install Open Source Java In Ubuntu Hardy Heron

FTP:

• FTP In Ubuntu Hardy Heron - FileZilla

Firewall:

• Installing And Using A Firewall In Ubuntu Hardy Heron

Resource Monitor:

• HTOP Resource Monitor In Ubuntu Hardy Heron

Terminal Commands:

• COMMANDS that can be used in Ubuntu

Web Building or Development:

• XAMPP: Apache, PHP, MySQL Webalizer, OpenSSL etc

LightScribe:

• Getting LightScribe To Work In Ubuntu Hardy Heron

What Version Are You Running?:

• Finding Version Information On Ubuntu Hardy Heron

64-Bit Ubuntu:

• How To Tell If An Application Is 64-bit In Ubuntu Hardy Heron

Blender 3D:

• How To Install Blender 2.46 In Ubuntu Hardy Heron

Wireless Monitor:

• Applications > Add/Remove… > Show: All Open Source Applications > Search: Wireless
  

Screen Capture:

• Press the PrtSc button on your keyboard…

Where Are My Documents?:

• Places > Home Folder or home/username

VitalBodies would like to thank the countless Ubuntu teams and free software teams that make Ubuntu possible!

So Ubuntu seems to be hogging WAY to much resources? Or at least something is.

How to find out who is the culprit.

Click image for larger image

HTOP helped VitalBodies solve a problem with resources.

Can you guess who was the culprit?

In Short: The simple copy and paste code (below) installs a resource monitor.

Simple Installation:

Copy the code below:

sudo apt-get install htop

Open the terminal:

Applications > Accessories > Terminal

Paste this code below into the Terminal: Edit > Paste.

Start the resource monitor by typing the command below into the terminal and then pushing the Enter key on your keyboard.

htop

The resource monitor runs right inside the terminal and can help you track down what programs are running or using to much memory etc…

VitalBodies extends a warm thanks to the teams that makes such a great program free, and available for everyone to use!