Running openFOAM on a Mac: issues with paraFOAM

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around issues encountered while running the CFD program openFOAM on a Mac, specifically related to the paraFOAM application and an error message regarding the Qt platform plugin "xcb". Participants explore installation steps and potential solutions to resolve the error.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant reports an error when trying to launch paraFOAM, indicating a missing Qt platform plugin "xcb".
  • Another participant asks if the original poster clicked on the downloaded .dmg file to install the plugin.
  • The original poster expresses confusion about the installation process and whether simply downloading the .dmg file is sufficient.
  • Some participants suggest that installing ParaView and then reinstalling openFOAM might resolve the issue, while others question if the installation was done correctly.
  • One participant mentions that they have confirmed openFOAM is working by running demos, indicating some level of installation success.
  • Another participant shares that they have found other resources, such as YouTube videos, that might assist with the installation process.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the sufficiency of the installation steps taken. There are multiple viewpoints regarding whether the installation of ParaView was completed correctly and whether further actions are needed to resolve the error.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved questions about the specific installation steps and dependencies required for openFOAM and ParaView to function correctly together on a Mac.

member 428835
Hi PF!

I'm using a mac and am running the CFD program openFOAM. As I'm going through a tutorial on openFOAM, I am instructed to type
Code: 
paraFoam &
into the terminal. When I do so, I receive this error:

This application failed to start because it could not find or load the Qt platform plugin "xcb" in "". Reinstalling the application may fix this problem.

I googled this, and apparently there was the same issue here: https://www.cfd-online.com/Forums/o...942-openfoam-v1706-parafoam-failed-start.html

So I followed the final comment, where I was directed here: https://www.paraview.org/download/ and where I downloaded ParaView-5.5.1-1-Qt5-MPI-OSX10.8-64bit.dmg

But I still receive the same initial error. Any ideas?

Thanks!
 
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Did you click on the dmg file to install the plugin?
 
jedishrfu said:
Did you click on the dmg file to install the plugin?
I'm confused what you mean by "the plugin" (sorry, I'm bad with computers).

From the first link I posted I assumed I did not have ParaView installed, so I thought I was using that .dmg file to install the program.
 
Yes that’s what I meant. When you said you downloaded it I thought you thought that as enough and that you didn’t use it to install something.

Having installed, paraview maybe you can try reinstalling the openFOAM software. Sometimes during an install, the software installer will detect its dependencies in this case paravie and configure them in.
 
jedishrfu said:
Yes that’s what I meant. When you said you downloaded it I thought you thought that as enough and that you didn’t use it to install something.
To be clear, I do think it is sufficient to download the aforementioned .dmg at the link provided to have ParaView working on my machine (and consequently, the error I receive from the command line would not be there and instead ParaView would be opened). Am I wrong? Is there something more I need to install or have I installed ParaView incorrectly?
 
Install paraview and then install openFOAM. Beyond that I don’t know hat else to try. You could look for some openFOAM setup dialog or preferences dialog to see if there’s something there.
 
jedishrfu said:
Install paraview and then install openFOAM. Beyond that I don’t know hat else to try. You could look for some openFOAM setup dialog or preferences dialog to see if there’s something there.
I think I've already installed both (I know I have OpenFOAM working since I can run the demos). Thanks, I'll poke around for more stuff. If you see anything please let me know!
 
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On the off chance that this is helpful I’m posting it. There are other YouTube videos talking about installing openFOAM so if this doesn’t help then you might find one that will.



Google search is getting less and less helpful. There’s just too much similarly sounding words that confuse the search. Oh well.
 
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