# python-created render window is blank

**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/python-created-render-window-is-blank/5390
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Tags:** python
**Created:** [September 21, 2020, 3:39pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/python-created-render-window-is-blank/5390 "2020-09-21T15:39:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![jjstickel](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/jjstickel/32/4995_2.png) [@jjstickel](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/jjstickel)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2020, 3:39pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/python-created-render-window-is-blank/5390/1 "2020-09-21T15:39:23Z")

</div>

I am trying to use self-compiled paraview-python (from an iPython shell) on Mac. I was able to build Paraview and link to my preferred python (v-3.8). Using the python shell from the Paraview gui works fine:

```auto
Sphere()
Show()

```

shows the expected sphere in the default render window. However, these commands in my iPython shell:

```auto
from paraview.simple import *
Sphere()
Show()
Render()

```

opens a blank render window. The background is a light gray, not the mid-level gray that is the default background color. This has worked for me in the past on Mac, but it has been long enough that I cannot recall what Paraview and Python versions.