New to blender (or 3D moddeling in general)

[GiGaBaNE]

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[GiGaBaNE]

i just downloaded blender and the first thing it tells me when i click on the help files is 'python not installed'
i went to blender home page which sent me to http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Scripts for python.
i cant find 'it' there, or does that whole selection of scipts = python !?

i know this isnt exactly the place to start asking, but if you need more manpower on moddeling/fmv's then we nead to be nOOb friendly

[kage]

python is the language that the scripts are written in. if you are running windows, then i don't know what to tell you since i don't use windows, and python should be bundled with the blender-on-windows installer anyways, iirc. if not, go to python.org and grab your os-specific installer/package.

[GiGaBaNE]

thanks much! thats what i need i think..downloading now...
next question(s): x86 or amd 64 version??

this computer is amd64....butat least half of my computers are not, im getting the standard version, does that mean it wont work properly on a 64 chip? i assume the amd64 version wont work on non amd64 machines.

what is the difference? if i get the amd64 version, does it do stuff that wont work on non64 machines??

[Ryo]

x86 works on every amd64, amd64 dont work on a x86.

to use amd64 you need an amd64-CPU and an amd64 OS (Win XP 64 or Win Vista 64 or Win Server 64 in the MS-World)
Without such an OS your amd64 will work as an x86.

I think using amd64 Blender/python would not affekt the Models you do just the Scriptengine/Blender-Software.
Advantage: Python/Blender should work faster in amd64-version.

[GiGaBaNE]

does it make a difference to the end product? thats really the main worry.

[kage]

it also depends on the operating system... in the windows realm, 64-bit still is almost exclusively a 32-bit environment (the kernel, solitaire, and ut2004 are about your only 64-bit programs), whereas various other operating systems may mix evenly between the two, and there are those out there that are *wholly* 64-bit, and may or may not be able to run 32-bit programs without a lot of work.

[Giel]

...
Advantage: Python/Blender should work faster in amd64-version.

Nope; those few bits extra (64-32=32 bits extra) don't gain you any speed. They only allow the CPU to map/access larger portions of memory at the same time.

[Kamaze]

Nope; those few bits extra (64-32=32 bits extra) don't gain you any speed. They only allow the CPU to map/access larger portions of memory at the same time.

Semi correct
Try to imagine a street. With 32 bits you have 32 parallel streets. With 64 bits 64 parallel streets.
Means, more data (cars) can cross the street at the same time, but the larger street doesn't make the cars faster.

Fact is, the old 32 bit applications only send 32 cars at the same time. So they don't benefit from the larger street.

[Giel]

Yes; well and now express those 32bits in amounts of data that can be accessed with that address space: 4GB; usually this means 1GB for the kernel, and 3GB for each application (yes, *each* application, since virtual memory can swap stuff out to disk and back in). So unless you're ever going to exceed those 3GB you won't notice any speedgain compared to a 64bit CPU.

Btw a 32 bit CPU can address 2^32 bytes = 4294967296 bytes = 2^2 GB = 4 GB
Now a 64 bit CPU on the other hand can address 2^64 bytes (that's not double the amount of memory; that's a quadratic increase) = 18446744073709551616 bytes = 2^34 GB = 17179869184 GB = 2^24 TB = 16777216 TB = 2^4 EB (ExaByte) = 16 EB.

[Kamaze]

Which each additional bit, the possible address room gets doubled.
With 65 Bit we would have 32 EB aso...

Well, i don't know how Blender renders. But if there are large numbers/data thats need to be processed and if the 64bit implementation is good, it may gets a performance gain. And in the front, if an AMD64 is turned into the x86_64 mode, the CPU registers are switched to 64bit too. So, that nobody comes and says: "Wohoo, if i work with 64 bits, one 64bit value fills 2 register".

[GiGaBaNE]

so to summarise then, the amd64 version of python, refers purely to hardware 64bit then and does not refer to outputing 64 bit apps right?.

ok just to throw a spanner in the works...what about dual core technology, any special info on that e.g does it use 'both' proccessers e.t.c

(lol not that it matters too much cos the only dual core in my house is a Dell pre build (grandma's machine) i hate pre builds)

[kage]

so to summarise then, the amd64 version of python, refers purely to hardware 64bit then and does not refer to outputing 64 bit apps right?.

python is an interpereted language -- with a few exceptions it'll never output standalone programs that can run without the interpereter. arbitrary length arithmatic in python (or any other language) should theoretically be a lot faster since fewer transformations would need to occur, but that kind of stuff isn't used much.

64-bit procs of any arch should support true 64-bit ints, and most seem to support 128-bit floats. specifically in x86-64, the number of general use registers is doubled, so while "64-bit" rarely makes things faster, things on x86-64 processors can go a lot faster, but only if specifically compiled to take advantage of the extras.  there are also some extensions that make interrupt handling (the biggest slowdown in pc-compatible processors) a lot faster.

there are downsides as well: x86-64 processors use more memory to store even the same data.

all of these benefits and disadvantages only apply to running the processor in 64-bit mode (on a 64-bit operating system, and with 64-bit software).