Install OxiPhys

Windows, macOS and Linux: what you need, how to install step by step, and how to update or remove it.

Download OxiPhys 0.9.0

One bundle per system, with the compiled program and the setup program. Free to use under the OxiPhys licence. Linux comes first; the Windows and macOS bundles follow.

LinuxOxiPhys-0.9.0-linux.zipx86_64 (64-bit Intel and AMD), glibc 2.17 or newer
WindowsComing soonWindows 10 and 11, 64-bit (x64). The bundle is not out yet; this page will link it when it is.
macOSComing soonIntel and Apple silicon, one universal bundle. The bundle is not out yet; this page will link it when it is.

What you need

Needed
Python3.9 or newer, with Tk (on macOS, Tk 8.6 or newer). OxiPhys installs into its own Python environment, so nothing else on the computer changes.
InternetDuring setup only: NumPy, Matplotlib, PyOpenGL (Windows and Linux) and Gmsh come from the Python Package Index.
RightsNo administrator rights: setup installs for your user account only.
GmshOptional, ticked by default: the mesher for built and imported geometry, installed as a separate program under its own GPL licence.

System requirements

Requirement
WindowsWindows 10 or 11, 64-bit (x64).
macOSIntel or Apple silicon. OxiPhys is built for macOS 10.12 and later on Intel and 11 and later on Apple silicon; the Python and NumPy builds you install can need a newer macOS.
Linuxx86_64 (64-bit Intel and AMD) with glibc 2.17 or newer, and a graphical desktop for the app (scripts and the console also run without one). An aarch64 (ARM) bundle is to follow.
Memory4 GB is enough. The app itself uses 250 to 300 MB; each solve runs in its own process and sizes its solver to the memory free at the time. A 3D model of 400,000 unknowns took 0.6 GB.
DiskAbout 345 MB, of which about 90 MB is Gmsh (measured: an install by the setup program on Linux with Python 3.12, including NumPy, Matplotlib and PyOpenGL).
ScreenA window at least 1000 pixels wide; the layout folds its side panels and toolbar on smaller windows.
GraphicsOn Windows and Linux the 3D view is drawn by the graphics card through OpenGL, and by Matplotlib where OpenGL is missing or fails. macOS uses the Matplotlib view.
ProcessorAny 64-bit processor of the kinds above. The solvers run on one core. python -m oxiphys.benchmark measures your computer.

Step by step

  1. Install Python with Tk

    Debian and Ubuntu: sudo apt install python3 python3-venv python3-tk. Fedora: sudo dnf install python3 python3-tkinter. For the 3D view, also sudo apt install libglu1-mesa (Fedora: mesa-libGLU).

  2. Download and unzip

    Download OxiPhys-0.9.0-linux.zip and unzip it: unzip OxiPhys-0.9.0-linux.zip.

  3. Start the setup program

    In a terminal: cd OxiPhys-0.9.0-linux and sh install-oxiphys-linux.sh. It finds a Python 3.9 or newer and opens the setup window.

  4. Choose the options

    Every option is on the first page. The install folder is ~/.local/share/oxiphys unless you change it. Leave Gmsh ticked to mesh built and imported geometry. Pick the shortcuts, the language, the units and the theme.

  5. Install

    Press Install. Setup downloads NumPy, Matplotlib, PyOpenGL and, if ticked, Gmsh from the Python Package Index, so the computer must be online. The self-test solves a steel cantilever and checks it against beam theory (0.403 mm).

  6. Start OxiPhys

    Use the applications-menu entry or the desktop icon. On GNOME, right-click the desktop icon once and choose Allow Launching.

Without a window

For servers, scripts or a Python without Tk, run the setup program as text from the unzipped folder:

python oxiphys_setup.py --cli          # the same questions, as text
python oxiphys_setup.py --cli --yes    # every default, no questions
python oxiphys_setup.py --help         # every option

The options include --location, --no-gmsh, --no-desktop, --no-menu, --path (adds oxiphys-gui and oxiphys-console to the PATH), --no-selftest, --no-launch, --language, --units (si, mm, us) and --theme (light, dark, contrast).

Update or remove

Update: download the new bundle and run setup again with the same install folder. It updates in place and keeps your preferences.

Remove: on Windows, Settings, Apps, OxiPhys, Uninstall (or Uninstall OxiPhys.cmd in the install folder). On macOS and Linux, run uninstall.sh in the install folder. You can keep or remove your preferences (~/.oxiphys); projects you saved elsewhere are never touched.

If something goes wrong

Message or symptomSystemFix
Setup says Python 3.9 or newer, with Tcl/Tk, was not foundWindowsInstall Python from python.org with "tcl/tk and IDLE" ticked, or winget install --id Python.Python.3.12 -e
python opens the Microsoft StoreWindowsSettings, Apps, Advanced app settings, App execution aliases: switch off python.exe and python3.exe
"Install-OxiPhys-macOS.command cannot be opened"macOSOpen it as in step 3, or run bash Install-OxiPhys-macOS.command in Terminal
No module named 'tkinter'Linux, macOS (Homebrew)sudo apt install python3-tk (Fedora: python3-tkinter; Homebrew: brew install python-tk), then run setup again
libGLU.so.1: cannot open shared object fileLinuxsudo apt install libglu1-mesa (Fedora: mesa-libGLU)
Hindi, Kannada, Chinese or Japanese text shows as boxesLinuxsudo apt install fonts-noto-core fonts-noto-cjk (Fedora: the matching google-noto-sans-...-fonts packages)
The desktop icon does nothingLinux (GNOME)Right-click it and choose "Allow Launching"
Setup stops while downloadingallCheck the internet connection and run setup again; the log names the step and is kept as oxiphys_setup.log in the temporary folder
the gmsh program was not foundallRun setup again with Gmsh ticked

Tested so far: the setup program, update and removal on Linux. The Windows and macOS paths follow each system's documented conventions and are built and tested by the release workflow on all three systems, but have not yet been tried by hand on every version of each.