Ensure the following software is installed and available in the PATH:
- Git
- Git LFS
- Python 3
- CMake
Get the source code:
git clone https://projects.blender.org/blender/cycles.git
cd cycles
Download precompiled libraries and build:
make update
make
The resulting binary will be at:
./install/cycles
This will make the render delegate work with usdview and other applications built using the USD repository. USD version 24.03 or newer is required.
USD includes a script to build itself and all required dependencies and then install the result a specified directory.
git clone https://github.com/PixarAnimationStudios/USD.git
cd USD
python3 build_scripts/build_usd.py "<path to USD install>"
Get the Cycles source code:
git clone https://projects.blender.org/blender/cycles.git
cd cycles
By default older precompiled libraries need to be used, for compatibility with older VFX platforms and TBB. Download the libraries and build pointing to the USD directory like this.
make update_legacy
cmake -B ./build -DPXR_ROOT="<path to USD install>" -DWITH_LEGACY_LIBRARIES=ON
make
When using a newer VFX platform and USD was built with --onetbb
, do this instead:
make update
cmake -B ./build -DPXR_ROOT="<path to USD install>"
make
Test in usdview.
PYTHONPATH=<path to USD install>/lib/python PXR_PLUGINPATH_NAME=<path to cycles>/install/hydra <path to USD install>/bin/usdview
For use in Houdini, Cycles must be built using Houdini's USD libraries. Houdini version 20 or newer is required. Currently older libraries must be used for compatibility. Future Houdini versions will not need the legacy options.
Get the source code:
git clone https://projects.blender.org/blender/cycles.git
cd cycles
Download precompiled libraries and build.
make update_legacy
cmake -B ./build -DHOUDINI_ROOT="<path to Houdini>" -DWITH_LEGACY_LIBRARIES=ON
make
The path to Houdini depends on the operating system, typically:
- Linux:
/opt/hfsX.Y
- macOS:
/Applications/Houdini/HoudiniX.Y.ZZZ
- Windows:
C:/Program Files/Side Effects Software/Houdini X.Y.ZZZ
Test in Houdini using an environment variable.
PXR_PLUGINPATH_NAME=<path to cycles>/install/houdini/dso/usd_plugins houdini
Or copy install/houdini/packages/cycles.json
to the Houdini packages directory to make it always available.
Cycles uses the CMake build system. As an alternative to the make
wrapper, CMake can be manually configured.
See the CMake configuration to enable and disable various features.
The precompiled libraries are shared with Blender, and will be automatically downloaded from the Blender repository with make update
. This will populate a submodule in the lib/
folder, matching the platform.
Core Cycles has the following required and optional library dependencies. These are all included in precompiled libraries.
Required:
- OpenImageIO
- TBB
Optional:
- Alembic
- Embree
- OpenColorIO
- OpenVDB / NanoVDB
- OpenShadingLanguage
- OpenImageDenoise
- USD
For GUI support, the following libraries are required. The SDL library must be manually provided, it's not part of the precompiled libraries.
- OpenGL
- GLEW
- SDL
For GPU rendering support on NVIDIA cards, these need to be downloaded and installed from the NVIDIA website.
- CUDA Toolkit 11 or newer
- OptiX 7.3 SDK or newer