View source for VTK/Configure and Build

=Introduction=

{{Welcome}}

'''<font color="green">This page is applicable for VTK 6.0 and above. For earlier versions, refer to a deprecated version of this document. </font>'''

This page describes how to configure and build VTK, with several popular options turned on.

=Prerequisites=

*The VTK build process requires [http://www.cmake.org CMake] version 2.8.8 or higher and a working compiler. On Unix-like operating systems, it also requires Make, while on Windows it requires Visual Studio (8 or later).

*Building VTK with Qt is a common use case for the creation of nice user interfaces.  Using Qt 4.8.* is recommended, but earlier versions and Qt 5.* are in various stages of support.  Visit the [http://qt-project.org/downloads Qt download page] to get a copy of the source code or installer. Either the LGPL or commercial versions of Qt may be used.

==Download And Install CMake==

CMake is a tool that makes cross-platform building simple. If CMake does not exist on the system, and there are no pre-compiled binaries, use the instructions below on how to build it.  Use the most recent source or binary version of CMake from the CMake web site.

===Using Binaries===

There are several precompiled binaries available at the [http://www.cmake.org/cmake/resources/software.html CMake download page].

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====On Unix-like operating systems====
Let's say on Linux, download the appropriate version and follow these instructions:

* Download: http://www.cmake.org/files/v2.8/cmake-2.8.8-Linux-i386.tar.gz

<pre>
cd $HOME
wget http://www.cmake.org/files/v2.8/cmake-2.8.12.2-Linux-i386.tar.gz
mkdir software
cd software
tar xvfz ../cmake-2.8.12.2-Linux-i386.tar.gz
</pre>

* Now you have the directory '''$HOME/software/cmake-2.8.12.2-Linux-i386/bin''', and inside there are executables '''cmake''' and '''ccmake'''.
* You can also install CMake in the '''/usr/local''' or '''/opt''' by untarring and copying sub-directories. The rest of the instructions will assume the executables are in your '''$PATH'''.

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====On Windows====
* Download the installer: http://www.cmake.org/files/v2.8/cmake-2.8.8-win32-x86.exe
* Follow the installation instructions

====On Windows, if you are not administrator====
* Download: http://www.cmake.org/files/v2.8/cmake-2.8.8-win32-x86.zip
* Uncompress into some directory
* Optional: create a shortcut on the desktop.
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===Build Your Own CMake===

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====On Unix-like operating systems====
Download the source code: http://www.cmake.org/files/v2.8/cmake-2.8.12.2.tar.gz

<pre>
cd $HOME
wget http://www.cmake.org/files/v2.8/cmake-2.8.12.2.tar.gz
tar xzf cmake-2.8.12.2.tar.gz
cd cmake-2.8.12.2
./configure --prefix=$HOME/software
make
make install
</pre>

* Again, you can install it in '''/usr/local''' or '''/opt''' by changing the prefix.
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====On Windows====
To build CMake on windows, a previous version of CMake is required. This can be downloaded from the Cmake download page: [http://www.cmake.org/HTML/Download.html].

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=Download VTK Source code=
==Download a Release==
Download a VTK release from the [http://www.vtk.org/VTK/resources/software.html VTK Downloads page].
==Checkout the VTK Repository with Git==
If you want the nightly updates of VTK, this is  your best bet.  Checking out from source control also greatly facilitates the process of contributing back.  Note that you may need to download and install a git client, here: [http://git-scm.com/]

{{Tip|Check out the [[VTK/Git | VTK Git landing page]].}}

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====On Unix-like operating systems====
<pre>
Prepare directory for download
 # mkdir $HOME/projects
 # cd $HOME/projects

To download the source code 
 # git clone git://vtk.org/VTK.git
 # cd VTK
 
To update the code
 # git fetch origin
 # git rebase origin/master

</pre>
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====On Windows====
We recommend [http://code.google.com/p/msysgit msysgit]. msysgit provides an msys shell that has the appropriate environment set up for using git and its tools.
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=Configure VTK with CMake=
* Always use a <font color="red">'''separate build directory'''</font>. Do not build in the source directory.

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===On Unix-like systems===
* Use ccmake (Curses CMake GUI) from the CMake installed location. CCMake is a Curses based GUI for CMake. To run it go to the build directory and specify the VTK source directory as an argument.

<pre>
mkdir $HOME/projects/VTK-build
cd $HOME/projects/VTK-build

ccmake $HOME/projects/VTK
</pre>
[[Image:Vtk-ccmake.png|400px]]

===About CCMake (Curses CMake GUI)===

* Iterative process.
** Select values, run configure (c key).
** Set the settings, run configure, set the settings, run configure, etc.
* Repeat until all values are set and the generate option is available (g key).
* Some variables (advanced variables) are not visible right away.
* To see advanced varables, toggle to advanced mode (t key).
* To set a variable, move the cursor to the variable and press enter.
** If it is a boolean (ON/OFF) it will flip the value.
** If it is string or file, it will allow editing of the string.
** For file and directories, the <nowiki><tab></nowiki> key can be used to complete.
* To search for a variable press '/' key; to repeat the search, press the 'n' key.
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===On Windows===
* Use CMakeSetup from the CMake install location.
* Make sure to select the appropriate source and the build directory.
* Also, make sure to pick the appropriate generator. Some CMake versions will ask you to select the generator the first time you press Configure instead of having a drop-down menu in the main dialog.
[[Image:Vtk-cmake-gui.png|400px]]

===About CMake GUI===

* Iterative process.
** Select values, press the Configure button.
** Set the settings, run configure, set the settings, run configure, etc.
* Repeat until all values are set and the OK button becomes available.
* Some variables (advanced variables) are not visible right away.
* To see advanced varables, toggle to advanced mode ("Show Advanced Values" toggle).
* To set the value of a variable, click on that value.
** If it is boolean (ON/OFF), a drop-down menu will appear for changing the value.
** If it is file or directory, an ellipsis button will appear ("...") on the far right of the entry. Clicking this button will bring up the file or directory selection dialog.
** If it is a string, it will become an editable string.
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===VTK Settings===

{| border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4"
|- 
| bgcolor="#abcdef" height="8" |  '''Variable'''
| bgcolor="#abcdef" height="8" |  '''Description'''
|-
| BUILD_SHARED_LIBS || If ON, use shared libraries. This way executables are smaller, but you have to make sure the shared libraries are on every system on the cluster. This option should be set to ON if you plan on using plugins for ParaView (there ways to use plugins in static builds of ParaView for advanced users).
|-
| BUILD_DOCUMENTATION || If ON, build the documentation target, DoxygenDoc
|-
| BUILD_TESTING || If ON, build the tests for submission to dashboards, or just run them locally with ctest -A
|-
| CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE || Should be Release or Debug. If Debug, build with debug symbols.  This will run more slowly, but will be more useful if you plan to use a debugger.
|-
| CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX || Specifies where make should put the libraries when the make install command is run.
|-
| TODO || Put the rest of the prominent variables here
|-
| QT_QMAKE_EXECUTABLE || Path to Qt's qmake executable (such as /usr/local/bin/qmake). CMake uses this to locate the rest of the required Qt executables, headers and libraries.
|}
=Configure with Qt=
{{Note|This step is not absolutely necessary, but useful for anyone hoping to integrate VTK with Qt for a pretty graphical user interface.  Depending on your platform and the desired Qt version, this can be a somewhat arduous process, especially if you need to build Qt from source.  We recommend using Qt installers along the way whenever possible.}}


==Qt 4.8.*==
These notes should also work for 4.7.*, but we recommend using the latest 4.8.* release.

{{Unix|
The latest patch release (Qt4.8.6) does not appear to have an installer for linux on the [http://qt-project.org/downloads Qt Downloads page] so the code must be built from source.
 mkdir qt-4.8.6-build && cd qt-4.8.6-build
 wget http://download.qt-project.org/official_releases/qt/4.8/4.8.6/qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.8.6.tar.gz
 tar xzf qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.8.6.tar.gz
 cd qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.8.6
 ./configure # go through the dialogue 
 make -j<# of cores>
* Then in the VTK build directory, configure VTK with the path to the Qt build
 cmake -DQT_QMAKE_EXECUTABLE:PATH&#x3d;/path/to/qt-4.8.6-build/qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.8.6/bin/qmake \
       -DVTK_Group_Qt:BOOL&#x3d;ON \
       -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBRARIES:BOOL&#x3d;ON \
       /path/to/VTK
}}

{{Windows|
There is an installer for Qt4.8.6 on Windows.
* [http://download.qt-project.org/official_releases/qt/4.8/4.8.6/qt-opensource-windows-x86-vs2010-4.8.6.exe Qt libraries 4.8.6 for Windows (VS2010 236MB)]
* [http://download.qt-project.org/official_releases/qt/4.8/4.8.6/qt-opensource-windows-x86-vs2008-4.8.6.exe Qt libraries 4.8.6 for Windows (VS2008 235MB)]
* Others from the [http://qt-project.org/downloads Qt Downloads page]
Download whichever installer you need, and install into a directory.  When configuring, set the following variables
 VTK_Group_Qt:BOOL&#x3d;ON (or checked)
 QT_QMAKE_EXECUTABLE:FILEPATH&#x3d;C:\path\to\qt-4.8.6-install\bin\qmake.exe
Configure and generate like normal, and then open up Visual Studio and build the VTK.sln project.}}

==Qt5.*==
{{Warning| This has only been tested on Qt5.2.1, and only on a few systems.  Please consider updating this document or emailing the maintainer with issues and fixes.}}

Qt 5 comes with a few enhancements, among these the modularization of the code base, and the movement of all QWidget functionality into its own library.  Qt5 also significantly improves the ease with which one can develop a custom interface.  Users of Mac OS X will find better compiler support for the newer SDK's as well.

{{Unix|
There is an installer for Qt5.2.1 on Linux
* [http://download.qt-project.org/official_releases/qt/5.2/5.2.1/qt-opensource-linux-x64-5.2.1.run Qt 5.2.1 Offline Installer for Linux 64-bit]
* [http://download.qt-project.org/official_releases/qt/5.2/5.2.1/qt-opensource-linux-x86-android-5.2.1.run Qt 5.2.1 Offline Installer for Linux 32-bit]
* Others from the [http://qt-project.org/downloads Qt Downloads page]

 mkdir qt5.2.1-install && cd qt5.2.1-install
 wget http://download.qt-project.org/official_releases/qt/5.2/5.2.1/qt-opensource-linux-x64-5.2.1.run
 chmod +x qt-opensource-linux-x64-5.2.1.run
 ./qt-opensource-linux-x64-5.2.1.run

* Install to a separate directory
* Configure VTK with the following variables set:
{{Note| Every time you see cmake commands given as a single command like this, you can set them using the ccmake curses interface as well}}

 cd /path/to/VTK-Release-qt5.2.1-build
 cmake -DVTK_QT_VERSION:STRING&#x3d;5 \
      -DQT_QMAKE_EXECUTABLE:PATH&#x3d;/path/to/qt5.2.1-install/5.2.1/gcc_64/bin/qmake \
      -DVTK_Group_Qt:BOOL&#x3d;ON \
      -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH:PATH&#x3d;/path/to/qt.5.2.1-install/5.2.1/gcc_64/lib/cmake  \
      -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS:BOOL&#x3d;ON
      /path/to/VTK
}}

{{Windows|
Choose an appropriate installer:
=====VS2012=====
* [http://download.qt-project.org/official_releases/qt/5.2/5.2.1/qt-opensource-windows-x86-msvc2012_64_opengl-5.2.1.exe Qt 5.2.1 VS2012 64-bit OpenGL]
* [http://download.qt-project.org/official_releases/qt/5.2/5.2.1/qt-opensource-windows-x86-msvc2012_64-5.2.1.exe Qt 5.2.1 VS2012 64-bit]
* [http://download.qt-project.org/official_releases/qt/5.2/5.2.1/qt-opensource-windows-x86-msvc2012-5.2.1.exe Qt 5.2.1 VS2012 32-bit]
=====VS2010=====
* [http://download.qt-project.org/official_releases/qt/5.2/5.2.1/qt-opensource-windows-x86-msvc2010_opengl-5.2.1.exe Qt 5.2.1 VS2010 32-bit OpenGL]
* [http://download.qt-project.org/official_releases/qt/5.2/5.2.1/qt-opensource-windows-x86-msvc2010-5.2.1.exe Qt 5.2.1 VS2010 32-bit]
=====MinGW=====
* [http://download.qt-project.org/official_releases/qt/5.2/5.2.1/qt-opensource-windows-x86-mingw48_opengl-5.2.1.exe Qt 5.2.1 MinGW4.8 OpenGL]

Run through the installer, and install into a separate directory from where you plan to build VTK.
{{Warning|We strongly recommend not using spaces in the directory names of source, build, or install directories}}
Configure with cmake as before with cmake-gui.  After the first configuration, set the following variables:
 VTK_Group_Qt:BOOL&#x3d;ON
 QT_QMAKE_EXECUTABLE:PATH&#x3d;C:/path/to/qt-5.2.1-install/5.2.1/msvc2010/bin/qmake.exe

Next, use the "Add Entry" button to create the CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH variable, and set it to the C:/path/to/qt-5.2.1-install/5.2.1/<your_compiler> directory

[[Image:Cmake-add-cache-entry-arrow.png|400px]]

{{Note|Try to make path lengths as short as possible.  Windows [http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa365247%28VS.85%29.aspx#maxpath doesn't support path lengths longer than 260 characters].}}

}}

=Build VTK=
After a successful configuration, it's time to build VTK.  
{{Tip|CMake generates the build files in a manner which makes it easy to use all processing cores on your machine.  See the Kitware blog [http://www.kitware.com/blog/home/post/434 CMake: Building with all your cores].}}

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====On Unix-like operating systems====
Change into your designated build directory.  There should be a file named Makefile. These make files have all dependencies and all rules to build VTK on this system. 
{{Warning|Do not try to move the build directory to another location on this system or to another system.  The relevant paths are now hardcoded into the makefiles.}}
Once you have Makefiles, you should be able to just type make in the build directory
  cd /path/to/VTK-build
  make
* If you are on multi-processor system (let's say four processor), you can type:
  make -j4

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====On Windows====
CMake will now create Visual Studio project files. You should now be able to open the VTK project (or workspace) file. Make sure to select the appropriate build type (Debug, Release, ...). To build VTK, simply build the ALL_BUILD target.
[[Image:Vtk-msvc2010-annotation.png|400px]]
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