New Linux Foundation Video Highlights Role of Open Source in 3D Movies

A world without Linux would be a world without good 3D animations. That's the message in the Linux Foundation's latest "World without Linux" short film, which debuted this weekend.

The clip is the fourth in a series that is designed "to illustrate in an entertaining fashion just how pervasive Linux is today," according to the Linux Foundation. Previous episodes explored how the Internet, GPS systems and social media depend on Linux to function.

Here's the latest episode, titled "Avatar Reimagined":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsZjZVmFklQ

The clip focuses on the role of Linux and open source software more broadly in creating 3D animations. That's not a new trope; fans of open source have been calling attention to this connection since at least 2001. But there is certainly less general awareness today of Linux's importance in the film world than elsewhere.

In fact, in the popular mind, thanks to Apple's reality-bending marketing, Macs are probably the place where 3D rendering is presumed to occur. While the Linux Foundation's video provides no concrete or quantitative evidence of just often filmmakers use Linux (or other open source tools, like Blender) as opposed to closed platforms, we're betting it's more frequently than most people think.