Running openFOAM on a Mac: issues with paraFOAM

AI Thread Summary
A user is experiencing an error when trying to run the CFD program openFOAM on a Mac, specifically when executing the command "paraFoam &" in the terminal. The error indicates that the Qt platform plugin "xcb" cannot be found. The user followed a previous forum discussion and downloaded a ParaView version, but the error persists. There is confusion about whether simply downloading the .dmg file is sufficient for installation. Suggestions include ensuring that ParaView is properly installed before reinstalling openFOAM, as the installer may configure necessary dependencies. The user confirms that openFOAM is operational since they can run demos, but they are still seeking solutions and resources, including YouTube tutorials, to resolve the issue. The user expresses frustration with the effectiveness of Google searches for troubleshooting.
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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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