How to install from sources on MacOS X

See download and install page for general requirements and the download of the last stable version of GetFEM.

First, verify that you have installed the following components on your system:

  • Xcode
  • Xquartz
  • Homebrew

(Xquartz is not strictly necessary but more confortable).

Then, if you download the current git version

$ brew install m4

$ brew install automake

$ brew install libtool

For the sequential mumps,

$ brew tap brewsci/num

$ brew install brewsci-mumps –without-mpi

For the parallel one, just forget –without-mpi and install also mpi and metis.

For Qhull

$ brew install qhull

For Python

$ pip install numpy

$ pip install scipy

$ pip install matplotlib

Download sources

There are two ways to get GetFEM, either as a compressed package for the stable release (file getfem-5.4.2.tar.gz downloadable on the page download and install) or via anonymous git access (current unstable version under development).

You can get the last stable version directly with

The current git version is:

  • checkout over GIT protocol:

    $ git clone https://git.savannah.nongnu.org/git/getfem.git

  • go to the root directory of GetFEM:

    $ cd getfem

  • and run autogen.sh script (you need m4, automake and libtool)

    $ bash autogen.sh

Compiling

Configure with:

$ ./configure

then start the compilation with:

$ make

and finally install with:

$ make install

Configure Options

  • If you want to use a different compiler than the one chosen automatically by the ./configure script, just specify its name on the command line:

    $ ./configure CXX=mycompiler

  • If you want to build one of the interfaces, use:

    $ ./configure ``--enable-python``
$ ./configure ``--enable-scilab``
$ ./configure ``--enable-matlab``

    depending on the interface you want to build. Note that the python interface is build by default and for python 3 version.

  • If you want to use a specific BLAS library, you may have to supply the necessary link flags and libs to the configure script with:

    $ ./configure BLAS_LIBS="-L/path/to/lib -lfoo -lbar ....etc"

    for example:

    $ ./configure BLAS_LIBS="-L/usr/lib/sse2/atlas -lblas"

  • If you want to set the prefix directory where to install the library you can use the --prefix option (the default prefix directory is /usr/local):

    $ ./configure --prefix=my_dest_dir

Note that there are other options to the configure script. A ./configure --help will list them.

Octave interface

The compilation of the Octave interface is performed with the --enable-octave option of the configure script.

First, you need octave and mkoctfile commands accessible from your shell prompt (for instance invoking brew install octave).

The last step is to add the path to the toolbox in the octave path:

  • you can put addpath('toolbox_dir', '-begin') to your $HOME/.octaverc file
  • you can simply use the addpath command in the octave command line.

Matlab interface

The compilation of the Matlab interface (with the --enable-matlab option of the configure script) may fail due to a bad configuration of the Matlab compiler mex.

First, you need matlab and mex commands accessible from your shell prompt. If not, add Applications/MATLAB_RXXXX.app/bin on your path (for instance with export PATH=$PATH:Applications/MATLAB_RXXXX.app/bin if your shell is bash and for XXXX your Matlab installed version. Alternatively, you can make symbolic links to matlab and mex executable in /usr/local/bin thanks to the command sudo ln -s Applications/MATLAB_RXXXX.app/bin/matlab matlab and sudo ln -s Applications/MATLAB_RXXXX.app/bin/mex mex.

Then, you will probably have to run

$ mex -setup

To produce the correct mexopts.sh file in the .matlab/ directory of your home directory. If it still does not work, then you can try to modify the .matlab/mexopts.sh or replace it. Some mexopts.sh specially adapted to macOS X/Xcode are available on the internet (See for instance here for MATLAB_R2015).

Caution

  • you should have built the GetFEM static library (i.e. do not use ./configure --disable-static when building GetFEM).
  • you should have use the –enable-matlab option to configure the GetFEM sources (i.e. ./configure –enable-matlab …)

You may also use --with-matlab-toolbox-dir=toolbox_dir to change the default toolbox installation directory (gfdest_dir/getfem_toolbox). Use ./configure --help for more options.

With this, since the Matlab interface is contained into the GetFEM sources (in the directory interface/src) you can compile both the GetFEM library and the Matlab interface by

make

An optional step is make check in order to check the matlab interface (this sets some environment variables and runs the check_all.m script which is the tests/matlab directory of the distribution) and install it (the libraries will be copied in gfdest_dir/lib, while the MEX-File and M-Files will be copied in toolbox_dir):

make install

If you want to use a different compiler than the one chosen automatically by the ./configure script, just specify its name on the command line: ./configure CXX=mycompiler.

When the library is installed, you may have to set the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable to the directory containing the libgetfem.so and libgetfemint.so, which is gfdest_dir/lib:

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=gfdest_dir/lib # if you use bash

The last step is to add the path to the toolbox in the matlab path:

  • you can set the environment variable MATLABPATH to toolbox_dir (export MATLABPATH=toolbox_dir for example).
  • you can put addpath('toolbox_dir') to your $HOME/matlab/startup.m

You can then try to execute one of the demo program in getfem_root_directory/interface/tests/matlab.

A few precompiled versions of the Matlab interface are available on the download and install page of GetFEM.

Scilab interface

The installation of the SciLab GetFEM toolbox can be somewhat tricky, since it combines a C++ compiler, libraries and SciLab interaction. In case of troubles with a non-GNU compiler, gcc/g++ (>= 4.8) should be a safe solution.

Caution

  • The minimal SciLab release is the 5.2.2.
  • you should have built the GetFEM static library (i.e. do not use ./configure --disable-static when building GetFEM).
  • you should have use the --enable-scilab option to configure the GetFEM sources (i.e. ./configure --enable-scilab …)

You may also use --with-scilab-toolbox-dir=toolbox_dir to change the default toolbox installation directory (gfdest_dir/getfem_toolbox). Use ./configure --help for more options.

With this, since the Scilab interface is contained into the GetFEM sources (in the directory interface/src) you can compile both the GetFEM library and the Scilab interface by

make

Optionally, you can install it with

make install

If you want to use a different compiler than the one chosen automatically by the ./configure script, just specify its name on the command line: ./configure CXX=mycompiler.

Once getfem is compiled:

  • Go to the Scilab GetFEM interface install directory (interface/src/scilab if the installation is not done)
  • launch Scilab
  • load the GetFEM toolbox with: exec loader.sce;
  • You can try to launch a demo with: cd demos; exec demo_static_contact.sce;