Installation on Linux

CaraVR is distributed as a software download from our website. To install CaraVR 2.1 on a computer running Linux, follow these instructions:

1.   Download the correct installation file from our website at www.foundry.com/products/cara-vr
2.   Extract CaraVR from the .run archive with the following terminal command, replacing <version> with the current version:

sudo ./caravr-<version>-linux-x86-64-installer.run

Tip:  You can display a list of install options using the --help command:
caravr-<version>-linux-x86-64-installer --help

The installer displays the End User Licensing Agreement (EULA) and prompts you to accept it.

3.   If you agree with the EULA, enter y and press Return to continue. If you don’t agree with the EULA and press N instead, the installation is canceled.

Tip:  If you've already read and agreed to the terms of the EULA, you can skip to the end of the text by pressing Q.

You can skip the EULA step using the --accept-foundry-eula option, which means you agree to the terms of the EULA:
sudo ./caravr-<version>-linux-x86-64-installer.run --accept-foundry-eula
To see the EULA, please refer to End User License Agreement.

This creates the /usr/local/Nuke/<version>/plugins/caravr/<caravr_version> sub-directory (if it doesn’t already exist), and installs CaraVR in that directory.

4.   Proceed to Licensing.

Installing Oculus Rift

Linux support for Oculus Rift DK2 requires the OpenHMD third-party library, which is installed as part of the CaraVR toolset.

Support for the Oculus Rift CV1 is also included, but there are some additional installation steps required:

Warning:  Do not plug the CV1 headset in or start Nuke before performing these steps.

Note:  Lens undistortion is unsupported on Linux.

1.   Ensure there are no legacy Oculus drivers installed. If there are, uninstall them.
2.   Make sure your user ID belongs to the group plugdev. Review your Linux distribution's documentation for information on how to add user IDs to groups.
3.   As root, create a udev system rule using the following commands, supplied by OpenHMD:

echo 'SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="2833", MODE="0666", GROUP="plugdev"' > /etc/udev/rules.d/83-hmd.rules

udevadm control --reload-rules

This rule allows user IDs belonging to the plugdev group access to the Oculus device.

4.   Restart your machine.
5.   Plug in the CV1 headset and start Nuke.

Note:  If you're using the CV1 headset on Linux, be aware that:
Unlike the Oculus DK2, the CV1 displays black until you turn it on inside Nuke's Viewer settings.
The CV1 does not appear in the list of available screens in Gnome/Kde, it is displayed with the supported devices in Monitor Output.
When you initially turn on Monitor Output, all available monitors display black for a few seconds as the OS adjusts to the new configuration.
The CV1 remains on until you close Nuke, which causes all available monitors to display black for a few seconds as the OS adjusts to the new configuration.

The headset appears in the monitor out device list. See Reviewing Your Work for more information on using headsets.

Installing HTC Vive

Linux support for HTC Vive requires the OpenHMD third-party library, which is installed as part of the CaraVR toolset.

Warning:  Do not plug the headset in or start Nuke before performing these steps.

Note:  HTC Vive support on Linux is experimental, you may encounter performance issues or other unexpected behavior. Additionally, lens undistortion is unsupported.

1.   Ensure that your NVIDIA drivers are up-to-date.
2.   As sudo or root, open the following file:

/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/nvidia.conf

3.   Locate the Device section and add the following line:

Option "AllowHMD" "yes"

4.   Save and close the file and then restart your machine.
5.   Plug in the headset and start Nuke as sudo or root.

The headset appears in the monitor out device list. See Reviewing Your Work for more information on using headsets.

Note:  Installing a newer version of OpenHMD may clash with the one shipped with CaraVR. If you encounter problems with the HTC Vive, try uninstalling the newer version of OpenHMD. See the CaraVR 2.1 Release Notes for other headset Known Issues when running on Linux machines.