Installation#

Supported Python versions: 3.12, 3.13, and 3.14 on Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Recommended Setup#

We strongly recommend using a virtual environment to keep dependencies clean and avoid conflicts with other Python projects.

1. Create a project directory#

mkdir my_openvcad_project
cd my_openvcad_project

2. Create and activate a virtual environment#

# macOS / Linux
python3 -m venv openvcad-venv
source openvcad-venv/bin/activate

# Windows
python -m venv openvcad-venv
openvcad-venv\Scripts\activate

You should see (openvcad-venv) at the beginning of your prompt.

3. Install OpenVCAD#

Once your virtual environment is active, install OpenVCAD using pip:

python -m pip install --upgrade pip
python -m pip install OpenVCAD

This installs everything you need, including:

pyvcad
pyvcad_compilers
pyvcad_attribute_resolver
pyvcad_rendering
pyvcad_medical

4. Verify the installation#

import pyvcad as pv
print(pv.version())

Updating OpenVCAD#

To update to a newer version of OpenVCAD:

Activate your dedicated OpenVCAD virtual environment.
Run pip install with the --upgrade flag:

python -m pip install --upgrade OpenVCAD

Getting the Examples#

Clone the public repository to get started with runnable examples:

git clone https://github.com/MacCurdyLab/OpenVCAD-Public.git
cd OpenVCAD-Public/examples

See the Getting Started guide for a walkthrough of the example scripts.

Deactivating the Virtual Environment#

When you are done working, deactivate the environment with:

deactivate

Reactivate later with source openvcad-venv/bin/activate (macOS/Linux) or openvcad-venv\Scripts\activate (Windows).