VTK

The Visualization ToolKit (VTK) is an open source, freely available software system for 3D computer graphics, image processing, and visualization used by thousands of researchers and developers around the world. VTK consists of a C++ class library, and several interpreted interface layers including Python, Tcl/Tk and Java. Professional support and products for VTK are provided by Kitware, Inc. (www.kitware.com) VTK supports a wide variety of visualization algorithms including scalar, vector, tensor, texture, and volumetric methods; and advanced modeling techniques such as implicit modelling, polygon reduction, mesh smoothing, cutting, contouring, and Delaunay triangulation. In addition, dozens of imaging algorithms have been directly integrated to allow the user to mix 2D imaging / 3D graphics algorithms and data.

Learning VTK

If you want to learn how to use or develop VTK, please see Learning VTK

Building VTK

• Where can I download VTK?

• Where can I download a tarball of the nightly HTML documentation?

• How do I build the Doxygen documentation?

• Using Git for VTK development

• Using Git and MSBuild to build VTK

• Setting up a Python Development Environment using Eclipse/Pydev

• Build parameters

• Making Development Environment without compiling source distribution

• Building VTK with Visual Studio

Extending VTK

• Where can I get VTK Datasets?

• User-Contributed Classes

• VTK Coding Standards

• VTK Commit Guidelines

• Contribute to VTK / Patch Procedure

• Extending VTK with Scripts

Projects/ Tools that use VTK

• VTK-Based Tools and Applications

• What are some projects using VTK?

Troubleshooting

• Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Miscellaneous

• VTK Related Job Opportunities

• VTK 3rd Party Library Patrol

• Meeting Minutes

• VTK License
• VTK Third-Party Licenses

Summary of Changes

VTK 6.2 (git master)

• Under Cocoa, removed "-fobjc-gc" as a default compiler flag. VTK still supports Cocoa garbage collection, but you must specify it yourself now.
• Added a reader/writer for NIFTI image files.

VTK 6.1

• Move to use CMake's external data support over VTKData
• OpenGL error detection and reporting macros and error cleanup
• API for dealing with OpenGL driver bugs
• Enable rendering with OSMesa where possible
• Surface LIC parallelization and features for interactive tuning
• SMP framework introduced to make shared memory parallel development
• Fixed compiler/linker errors when building against OS X 10.9 SDK. Fixed other errors building against llvm's libc++.
• Support for unicode text when a suitable font file is used in vtkTextProperty.
• Wrapper support for header files with C++11 syntax.
• Better Java support and install rules
• Depth peeling support for ATI devices
• Ctests generate a stacktrace on POSIX systems in response to catastrophic failure such as abort or segfault.
• Qt5 support
• API Diff Report

VTK 6.0

• VTK 6 API Migration Guide
• VTK 6 (build system) Migration Guide
• VTK 6 Module Development
• Remove VTK 4 compatibility layer from pipeline
• Modularization
• Temporal support changes
• Composite data structure changes
• API Diff Report

VTK 5.10

• Change unicode readers/writers to register as codecs (finished Oct 29 2010)
• New image rendering classes (start Dec 15 2010, finish Mar 15 2011)
• Image interpolators (start Jun 20 2011, finish Aug 31 2011)
• Projects from Google Summer of Code 2011
• List of new classes in 5.10
• API Diff Report

VTK 5.8

• Polyhedron cells and MVC Interpolation
• Reeb Graphs
• Clipping of closed surfaces (start Mar 26, 2010, finish Apr 22, 2010)
• New wrappers (start Apr 28, 2010)
• Improved image stencil support (start Nov 3, 2010)
• MNI file formats
• List of New Classes

VTK 5.6

• VTK Multi-Pass Rendering
• Multicore and Streaming
• Statistics
• Array Refactoring
• 3DConnexion Devices Support
• New Charts API
• New Cell Picker and Volume Picking (start Nov 2010, finish Feb 2010)

VTK 5.4

• VTK 5.4 Release Planning
• Cray XT3 Compilation
• Geospatial and vision visualization support

VTK 5.2

• VTK Java Wrapping
• Composite Data Redesign
• VTK Shaders
• Shaders in VTK
• VTK with Matlab
• VTK Time support
• VTK Graph Layout
• VTK Depth Peeling
• Using VTK with JRuby
• Painters

VTK 5.0

• New Pipeline
• VTK Widget Redesign

News

Development Process

The VTK Community is upgrading its development process. The current process using Git can be found at the VTK Git page. We are doing this in response to the continuing and rapid growth of the toolkit. A VTK Architecture Review Board VTK ARB is being put in place to provide strategic guidance to the community, and individuals are being identified as leaders in various VTK subsystems.

Have a question or topic for the ARB to discuss about the future of VTK? First, please bring the topic to the VTK developers mailing list. If the issue is not resolved there or needs further planning or direction, you may enter a suggested topic for discussion.

• Proposed Changes to VTK
• VTK ARB Notes

VTK NextGen

We have started collecting works in progress as well as future ideas at NextGen. Please add anything you are working on, would like to collaborate on, or would like to see in the future of VTK!

Wrapping

• Wrapping Tools

• Java
  • Java code samples
• Python
  • Python wrapper enhancements
• CSharp/ActiViz.NET
  • CSharp/ActiViz.NET code samples
• CSharp/ComingSoon

Developers Corner

Development process with Git

Developers Corner

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