OrcaSlicer/doc/developer-reference/How-to-build.md

How to Build

This wiki page provides detailed instructions for building OrcaSlicer from source on different operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.
It includes tool requirements, setup commands, and build steps for each platform.

Whether you're a contributor or just want a custom build, this guide will help you compile OrcaSlicer successfully.

• Windows 64-bit
  • Windows Tools Required
  • Windows Instructions
• MacOS 64-bit
  • MacOS Tools Required
  • MacOS Instructions
  • Debugging in Xcode
• Linux
  • Using Docker (Recommended)
    • Docker Dependencies
    • Docker Instructions
  • Troubleshooting
• Ubuntu
  • Ubuntu Dependencies
  • Ubuntu Instructions
• Portable User Configuration
  • Example folder structure

Windows 64-bit

How to building with Visual Studio 2022 on Windows 64-bit.

Windows Tools Required

• Visual Studio 2022 or Visual Studio 2019

  winget install --id=Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.Professional -e
  

• CMake (version 3.31) — ⚠️ version 3.31.x is mandatory

  winget install --id=Kitware.CMake -v "3.31.6" -e
  

• Strawberry Perl

  winget install --id=StrawberryPerl.StrawberryPerl -e
  

• Git

  winget install --id=Git.Git -e
  

• git-lfs

  winget install --id=GitHub.GitLFS -e
  

Tip

GitHub Desktop (optional): A GUI for Git and Git LFS, which already includes both tools.

winget install --id=GitHub.GitHubDesktop -e

Windows Instructions

1. Clone the repository:
   • If using GitHub Desktop clone the repository from the GUI.
   • If using the command line:
     1. Clone the repository:

     git clone https://github.com/SoftFever/OrcaSlicer
     

     2. Run lfs to download tools on Windows:

     git lfs pull
     

2. Open the appropriate command prompt:
   • For Visual Studio 2019:
     Open x64 Native Tools Command Prompt for VS 2019 and run:

     build_release.bat
     

   • For Visual Studio 2022:
     Open x64 Native Tools Command Prompt for VS 2022 and run:

     build_release_vs2022.bat
     

Note

If you encounter issues, you can try to uninstall ZLIB from your Vcpkg library.

3. If successful, you will find the VS 2022 solution file in:

   build\OrcaSlicer.sln
   

Important

Make sure that CMake version 3.31.x is actually being used. Run cmake --version and verify it returns a 3.31.x version. If you see an older version (e.g. 3.29), it's likely due to another copy in your system's PATH (e.g. from Strawberry Perl). You can run where cmake to check the active paths and rearrange your System Environment Variables > PATH, ensuring the correct CMake (e.g. C:\Program Files\CMake\bin) appears before others like C:\Strawberry\c\bin.

Note

If the build fails, try deleting the build/ and deps/build/ directories to clear any cached build data. Rebuilding after a clean-up is usually sufficient to resolve most issues.

MacOS 64-bit

How to building with Xcode on MacOS 64-bit.

MacOS Tools Required

• Xcode
• CMake (version 3.31.x is mandatory)
• Git
• gettext
• libtool
• automake
• autoconf
• texinfo

Tip

You can install most of them by running:

brew install gettext libtool automake autoconf texinfo

Homebrew currently only offers the latest version of CMake (e.g. 4.X), which is not compatible. To install the required version 3.31.X, follow these steps:

1. Download CMake 3.31.7 from: https://cmake.org/download/
2. Install the application (drag it to /Applications).
3. Add the following line to your shell configuration file (~/.zshrc or ~/.bash_profile):

export PATH="/Applications/CMake.app/Contents/bin:$PATH"

4. Restart the terminal and check the version:

cmake --version

5. Make sure it reports a 3.31.x version.

Important

If you've recently upgraded Xcode, be sure to open Xcode at least once and install the required macOS build support.

MacOS Instructions

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/SoftFever/OrcaSlicer
   cd OrcaSlicer
   

2. Build the application:

   ./build_release_macos.sh
   

3. Open the application:

   open build/arm64/OrcaSlicer/OrcaSlicer.app
   

Debugging in Xcode

To build and debug directly in Xcode:

1. Open the Xcode project:

   open build/arm64/OrcaSlicer.xcodeproj
   

2. In the menu bar:
   • Product > Scheme > OrcaSlicer
   • Product > Scheme > Edit Scheme...
     • Under Run > Info, set Build Configuration to RelWithDebInfo
     • Under Run > Options, uncheck Allow debugging when browsing versions
   • Product > Run

Linux

Linux instructions are available in two formats: using Docker (recommended) or building directly on your system.

Using Docker (Recommended)

How to build and run OrcaSlicer using Docker.

Docker Dependencies

• Docker
• Git

Docker Instructions

git clone https://github.com/SoftFever/OrcaSlicer && cd OrcaSlicer && ./DockerBuild.sh && ./DockerRun.sh

Troubleshooting

The DockerRun.sh script includes several commented-out options that can help resolve common issues. Here's a breakdown of what they do:

• xhost +local:docker: If you encounter an "Authorization required, but no authorization protocol specified" error, run this command in your terminal before executing DockerRun.sh. This grants Docker containers permission to interact with your X display server.
• -h $HOSTNAME: Forces the container's hostname to match your workstation's hostname. This can be useful in certain network configurations.
• -v /tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix: Helps resolve problems with the X display by mounting the X11 Unix socket into the container.
• --net=host: Uses the host's network stack, which is beneficial for printer Wi-Fi connectivity and D-Bus communication.
• --ipc host: Addresses potential permission issues with X installations that prevent communication with shared memory sockets.
• -u $USER: Runs the container as your workstation's username, helping to maintain consistent file permissions.
• -v $HOME:/home/$USER: Mounts your home directory into the container, allowing you to easily load and save files.
• -e DISPLAY=$DISPLAY: Passes your X display number to the container, enabling the graphical interface.
• --privileged=true: Grants the container elevated privileges, which may be necessary for libGL and D-Bus functionalities.
• -ti: Attaches a TTY to the container, enabling command-line interaction with OrcaSlicer.
• --rm: Automatically removes the container once it exits, keeping your system clean.
• orcaslicer $*: Passes any additional parameters from the DockerRun.sh script directly to the OrcaSlicer executable within the container. By uncommenting and using these options as needed, you can often resolve issues related to display authorization, networking, and file permissions.

Ubuntu

How to build OrcaSlicer on Ubuntu.

Ubuntu Dependencies

All required dependencies will be installed automatically by the provided shell script, including:

• libmspack-dev
• libgstreamerd-3-dev
• libsecret-1-dev
• libwebkit2gtk-4.0-dev
• libssl-dev
• libcurl4-openssl-dev
• eglexternalplatform-dev
• libudev-dev
• libdbus-1-dev
• extra-cmake-modules
• libgtk2.0-dev
• libglew-dev
• cmake
• git
• texinfo

Ubuntu Instructions

`./build_linux.sh -u`      # install dependencies
`./build_linux.sh -disr`    # build OrcaSlicer

Portable User Configuration

If you want OrcaSlicer to use a custom user configuration folder (e.g., for a portable installation), you can simply place a folder named data_dir next to the OrcaSlicer executable. OrcaSlicer will automatically use this folder as its configuration directory.

This allows for multiple self-contained installations with separate user data.

Tip

This feature is especially useful if you want to run OrcaSlicer from a USB stick or keep different profiles isolated.

Example folder structure

OrcaSlicer.exe
data_dir/

You don’t need to recompile or modify any settings — this works out of the box as long as data_dir exists in the same folder as the executable.