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Getting Started with C++ ​

Build VTK applications in C++ for maximum performance.

Prerequisites ​

  • A C++17-compatible compiler (GCC, Clang, or MSVC)
  • CMake 3.12 or later
  • VTK installed or built from source (see Building from Source)

CMakeLists.txt ​

cmake
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.12)
project(MyVTKApp)

find_package(VTK REQUIRED COMPONENTS
  CommonCore
  FiltersSources
  InteractionStyle
  RenderingCore
  RenderingOpenGL2
)

add_executable(MyVTKApp main.cpp)
target_link_libraries(MyVTKApp PRIVATE ${VTK_LIBRARIES})
vtk_module_autoinit(TARGETS MyVTKApp MODULES ${VTK_LIBRARIES})

Your First Program (main.cpp) ​

cpp
#include <vtkActor.h>
#include <vtkPolyDataMapper.h>
#include <vtkRenderer.h>
#include <vtkRenderWindow.h>
#include <vtkRenderWindowInteractor.h>
#include <vtkSphereSource.h>
#include <vtkNew.h>

int main() {
    vtkNew<vtkSphereSource> sphere;
    sphere->SetRadius(1.0);
    sphere->SetThetaResolution(32);
    sphere->SetPhiResolution(32);

    vtkNew<vtkPolyDataMapper> mapper;
    mapper->SetInputConnection(sphere->GetOutputPort());

    vtkNew<vtkActor> actor;
    actor->SetMapper(mapper);

    vtkNew<vtkRenderer> renderer;
    renderer->AddActor(actor);
    renderer->SetBackground(0.1, 0.2, 0.4);

    vtkNew<vtkRenderWindow> window;
    window->AddRenderer(renderer);
    window->SetSize(800, 600);

    vtkNew<vtkRenderWindowInteractor> interactor;
    interactor->SetRenderWindow(window);

    window->Render();
    interactor->Start();

    return 0;
}

Build and Run ​

bash
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
cmake --build .
./MyVTKApp

Next Steps ​