Trying to get blender 2.49 working in linux

[xander2077]

I have been down this road before, when i was using a version of linux mint and tried installing 2.49. it took a lot of hunting for the correct package dependencies to even install, but eventually it didnt work because for some reason python is very retarded when it comes to recognizing which version it needs to run a program. even with all the different version in their own folders on linux, it refuses to see them when it needs them.

 

so im curious if anyone else out there has been able to get it working with the correct version of python, and how they went about doing it. i tried to get someone to help me before, but they didnt go into details about how to exactly do it. if i understand correctly, it has to be installed by compiling it in linux under a different directory than default, and the python version has to be in the same directory somehow. but im really not sure how to go about this. compiling it usually forces it into a directory i dont want it in and then because the version of default python rejects instead of redirects it to the right version im stuck with a useless install.

 

anyway, this would be my only alternative for a 3d modeling program, because 3ds max, maya, milkshape, or even gmax wont work in wine on my system. i can load the programs sometimes, but instead of being able to model, the controls are all stunted. cant change the size of anything or extrude or anything, just make a simple shape and sit there and look at it. it is rather frustrating.

 

the latest version of blender doesnt work with nifscripts because they got ahead of themselves and jumped to developing a python 3 based plugin, when they shouldhave just stuck with python 2.7 because most other programs are still dependent on 2.7... and any attempts to use that not only messed up my system default python for other python dependent programs (like metamorphose for renaming all morrowind data files to lower case (which is ESSENTAIL for keeping a clean directory when adding mods or making them in linux) so i dont want to repeat that debacle i really dont need to get blender working just to lose another program.

 

and not only could i not install the plugin to blender, but it was like a wild goose chase through github, with a really restrictive installation method over fpt through the command terminal in linux, requiring encryption and a special personal key, forking the git repository and then finally not being able to download all the dependencies just for the remote download method to install nifscripts for the current version of blender, so it was convoluted and the repository was broken (purposely dead links to files, or instead of downloading a python script it downloads a bunch of html4), and it took me a better part of two weeks to figure out that nifscripts pthon 3.0 version was shut down and wont work yet, they released it too soon so they had to break links for things on purpose to stop people from downloading it for the latest version of blender, but instead of telling people that they let people go on a wild goose chase. not cool... or could python developers just do one added step and make python either backard compatible or able to redirect to the correct version of python which is already in its own folder? instead of doing a hostile takeover and basically leaving a bunch of older useless versions still installed on the sytem in their own folders that somehow now programs cant see any more even though they are still there? python still leaves a lot to be desired as far as im concerned.

 

so im forced to try again with blender 2.49, and i really need a comprehensive set of instructions on how to install it correctly in linux its own NOT DEFAULT directory with python 2.6 i believe where only blender 2.49 can find it (so it doesnt mess up my python installation on the system) so i can finally import nifs and work on them and then export them back as nifs for my mods. im kind of tired of trying to either use the crappy vanilla models to retexture, or terribly unwrapped user models to retexture. im pretty good at texturing, but some things are better done the right way than trying to work around the bad UVs of others. plus i really want to update some models without the uber high poly count of some modders who clearly dont undrestand gaming modeling, or dont understand the workflow of gaming models very well.period. but game models do not have to be high poly to look good. they just need good texturing, bump mapping, normal mapping, and reflection maps and all those other goodies that make the textures pop and look delicious, even on a simple box model. high poly models and greebles are for people making a static scene for 3d art or rendering a video for sci fi movies, not for video games.

 

so anyway, besides my rant here, is there anyone out there who is using linux, does modding for morrowind, and has gotten this to work without destroying other programs?

[xander2077]

never mind. i found a portable version of blender for windows, with nifscripts already installed, that worked simply by dropping it into my old playonlinux morrowind directory that i no longer use. i was able to edit an existing model and do a proper unwrap (i hope) on the model.