How to run ParaView (including the binary release) using Mesa on Windows

Tips and Tricks
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Mesa is an alternative OpenGL implementation that let you run graphic application while not using your GPU driver.

It can be very useful for a number of cases :

ParaView has been shipped with Mesa on Linux and MacOS for a long time, but building it on Windows is not something we have been trying to do so far.

Thankfully, a github project is providing release of Mesa for Windows that can be used directly.
https://github.com/pal1000/mesa-dist-win
Disclaimer : This code is not supported by Kitware and the binary are not built by Kitware, use as your own risk.

Here is a steps by steps guide to use this with ParaView (tested with 5.8.0) on an up-to-date Windows 10.

You can check that it is actually working in Help → About

2 Likes
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@cbourcier @Michael : FYI

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Thanks so much for this step by step procedure, got it working for my use. I experienced this problem with Paraview crashing when I use it with windows RDP.

I am a beginner on these things, can I ask how do I actually turn MESA off? When I try to launch now without RDP, i.e. on the actual computer, paraview only shows a black render screen. I want to use mesa when using RDP and the original display driver when running locally. My idea is to have separate environment variables for this, but is there a better way to easily do this?

thanks!

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You need to remove the .dll files you copied into the bin directory.

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I have paraview 5.6.0 and mesa 21.0.2. I’ve followed your procedure but when I start paraview I get the error message:
The application was unable to start correctly (0cx0000142). Any idea what I’m doing wrong?

image

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No idea at this point, please open your own topic.

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If someone is unlucky and found themselves struggling to debug or develop ParaView with VS2019 on a Windows 10 Azure VM/Remote Desktop like me, you’d probably come here. So, here’s an update for you (Relax, it just got better. Windows doesn’t have to be a pain always…)

The original repo link by @mwestphal is much convenient and better now. It provides scripts for per-app or system-wide deployment. I prefer system-wide deployment so that it’s centralized.

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Select option 1 or 2 or 4 in the cmdlet and deploy. By default, it installs mesa 21.1.0. This supports up to a 4.6 context should you want that.
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The 5.9 release binary for ParaView seems to pick up a 3.1 compat context.
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1 Like
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For those who mesa-dist-win did not work as expected, you could also possibly grab the OpenGL3d.dll from Mesa3D For Windows - Federico Dossena and follow the same instructions as the one given in the OP.

This has worked for me in Virtual Machines instances of Windows 10.

1 Like
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Hi @vbolea, I also met this problem, after using your solution it worked. Thanks!

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Hello!
Should one copy pdb files from the latest development pack? What should one to in order to develop paraview if he faces such issues?

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no need for .pdb files. Please open your own thread if you have issues.