# Adding VTK filter

**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/adding-vtk-filter/3690
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Created:** [February 28, 2020, 9:21am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/adding-vtk-filter/3690 "2020-02-28T09:21:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![rcarneiro](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/f14d63/32.png) [@rcarneiro](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/rcarneiro)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2020, 9:21am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/adding-vtk-filter/3690/1 "2020-02-28T09:21:38Z")

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Dear all,

I would appreciate if somebody can clarify if there is a clear procedure how to add a new VTK filter in Paraview GUI for Windows?

I’m using the last release of Paraview v5.8 and I would like to add new VTK filters but I don’t find a clear way of doing it (for instance: [https://vtk.org/Wiki/VTK/Examples/Cxx/Visualization/LabelContours#Download\_and\_Build\_LabelContours](https://vtk.org/Wiki/VTK/Examples/Cxx/Visualization/LabelContours#Download_and_Build_LabelContours))

I tried something similar to what is described here ([https://kitware.github.io/paraview-docs/latest/cxx/PluginHowto.html](https://kitware.github.io/paraview-docs/latest/cxx/PluginHowto.html)) but without success.

Can somebody help?

Kind Regards,

Rui

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### Author: ![mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/mwestphal/32/17_2.png) [@mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2020, 9:25am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/adding-vtk-filter/3690/2 "2020-02-28T09:25:43Z")

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C++ : Examples/Plugins/ElevationFilter  
Python : Examples/Plugins/PythonAlgorithm

Let us know what is working or not working and we will gladly help.

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### Author: ![rcarneiro](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/f14d63/32.png) [@rcarneiro](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/rcarneiro)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2020, 9:51am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/adding-vtk-filter/3690/3 "2020-02-28T09:51:21Z")

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The current Paraview version that I have installed in my laptop was directly installed from the executable. But now I am in doubt if first I need to build the Paraview according this procedure([https://github.com/Kitware/ParaView/blob/master/Documentation/dev/build.md#windows](https://github.com/Kitware/ParaView/blob/master/Documentation/dev/build.md#windows))?

Thank you for your help.

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### Author: ![mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/mwestphal/32/17_2.png) [@mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2020, 10:07am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/adding-vtk-filter/3690/4 "2020-02-28T10:07:14Z")

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For C++ Filter plugin, yes.  
For python only filter plugin no.

" To create a plugin, one must have their own build of ParaView. Binaries downloaded from [www.paraview.org](http://www.paraview.org) do not include necessary header files or import libraries (where applicable) for compiling plugins."

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### Author: ![cory.quammen](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/cory.quammen/32/11193_2.png) [@cory.quammen](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/cory.quammen)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2020, 3:33pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/adding-vtk-filter/3690/5 "2020-02-28T15:33:46Z")

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If the VTK class is compiled into the ParaView binary (i.e., if it exists in the modules of VTK that ParaView requires), then you can simply create the XML for the plugin, and load the .xml plugin through the Plugin Manager. See how under the “XML Plugins” heading of [https://kitware.github.io/paraview-docs/latest/cxx/PluginHowto.html](https://kitware.github.io/paraview-docs/latest/cxx/PluginHowto.html) on how to do this.

If you want to create an entirely new VTK class and expose that in ParaView, then you need to do what @mwestphal says.