Compiling OpenEB on Windows from sources

This section describes how to compile OpenEB on Windows 11.

Compilation and execution were tested on platforms that meet the following requirements:

  • Windows 11 64-bit

  • Architecture: amd64 (a.k.a. x64)

  • Graphic card with support of OpenGL 3.0 minimum

Compilation on other versions of Windows was not tested. For those, some adjustments to this guide or to the code itself may be required.

Note

OpenEB is the open source version of our code base for the modules Base, Core, Core ML, Stream, UI, and HAL (see Metavision SDK modules organization). If you own the full source code of the SDK (see our SDK offers), OpenEB will also be the basis of your installation, but you should follow the installation guide of SDK from sources.

If you don’t want to go through some compilation steps, you can download pre-built Windows installer of Metavision SDK. To do so, follow our specific installation guide.

Warning

Some steps of this procedure don’t work on FAT32 and exFAT file system. Make sure that you are using a NTFS file system before going further.

Supported Cameras

OpenEB contains the source code of the Prophesee camera plugin, enabling:

  • Streaming live data from Prophesee event-based cameras,

  • Reading recordings of event-based data.

Currently supported cameras are:

If you want to use a Prophesee EVK that is not listed above, it might have been discontinued. Refer to the Prophesee EVKs Support section to find out which previous version of OpenEB is supporting it.

If you own a third-party vendor event-based camera, refer to the Camera Plugin Installation page to see how it can be deployed and configured.

Downloading the Source Code

Retrieve the source code of OpenEB

git clone https://github.com/prophesee-ai/openeb.git --branch 5.2.0

Warning

If you prefer to download an archive of OpenEB from GitHub rather than cloning the repository, make sure to select a Full.Source.Code.* archive. Do not use the automatically generated Source.Code.* archive, as it does not include a required submodule. Once the right archive is downloaded, extract its contents to obtain the OpenEB source code.

In the following sections, the absolute path to this openeb directory is referred to as OPENEB_SRC_DIR.

Upgrading OpenEB

If you are upgrading OpenEB from a previous version, you should carefully read the Release Notes as some changes may impact your usage of our SDK (e.g. API updates) and cameras (e.g. firmware update might be necessary).

Then, if you have previously installed any Prophesee software, you will need to uninstall it first. Remove the folders where you installed Metavision SDK artifacts (check both the build folder of the source code and C:\Program Files\Prophesee which is the default install path of the deployment step).

Prerequisites

System Settings

You must enable the support for long paths:

  • Hit the Windows key, type gpedit.msc and press Enter

  • Navigate to Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Filesystem

  • Double-click the “Enable Win32 long paths” option, select the “Enabled” option and click “OK”

Development tools

To compile OpenEB, you need to install the following tools:

  • Git

  • CMake 3.26 (more recent versions might not be compatible)

  • Microsoft Visual C++ compiler (MSVC, 64-bit version) included in Visual Studio 2022 - version 17.14

  • If you install the Build Tools only, ensure:

    • The Windows 11 SDK is selected,

    • The English Language Pack is added.

Installing Dependencies

Install dependencies using Vcpkg:

  • Download Vcpkg version 2024.11.16

  • Extract the downloaded archive into a folder that will be referred to as VCPKG_SRC_DIR in the following steps

  • Open a command prompt, navigate to VCPKG_SRC_DIR, and run:

    cd vcpkg
set VCPKG_SRC_DIR=%cd%

  • Bootstrap vcpkg:

    bootstrap-vcpkg.bat
vcpkg update

  • Copy the vcpkg-openeb.json file located in the OpenEB source code at utils/windows/11 into``VCPKG_SRC_DIR`` and rename it to vcpkg.json:

    copy %OPENEB_SRC_DIR%\utils\windows\11\vcpkg-openeb.json %VCPKG_SRC_DIR%\vcpkg.json

  • Finally, install dependencies by running the following command:

    vcpkg install --triplet x64-windows --x-install-root installed

Note

If you’re using vcpkg across multiple projects or versions of OpenEB, it’s beneficial to streamline the number of vcpkg installations you manage. To achieve this, you’ll need the specific versions of the libraries required. You can find these versions by cross-referencing our vcpkg.json file with the official vcpkg version 2024.11.16.

For convenience, here are the required libraries based on vcpkg version 2024.11.16:

  • libusb: 1.0.26

  • boost: 1.84.0

  • opencv: 4.8.0

  • dirent: 1.24.0

  • gtest: 1.14.0

  • pybind11: 2.11.1

  • glew: 2.2.0

  • glfw3: 3.3.9

  • hdf5: 1.14.2

  • protobuf: 3.21.12

You should also install FFMPEG library that is required to write videos:

Installing Python and libraries

To execute our Python Samples and use the Python API, you will need Python and some additional libraries.

Install Python if not yet available on your machine:

  • Download the installer for one of the supported Python versions:

  • Run the installer and follow the prompt

  • Add Python install and script directories in your PATH and make sure they are listed before the WindowsApps folder which contains a Python alias launching the Microsoft Store. So, if you installed Python 3.10 in the default path, your user PATH should contain those three lines in that order:

    %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python310
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python310\Scripts
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps

We recommend using Python with virtualenv to avoid conflicts with other installed Python packages.

Create a virtual environment:

python -m venv C:\tmp\prophesee\py3venv --system-site-packages

When creating the virtual environment, it is necessary to use the --system-site-packages option to ensure that the OpenEB Python packages installed in the system directories are accessible. However, this option also makes your local user site-packages visible by default. To prevent this and maintain a cleaner virtual environment, you should set the environment variable PYTHONNOUSERSITE to true (which you may add to your system configuration to make it permanent):

set PYTHONNOUSERSITE=true

Finally, install the necessary dependencies:

C:\tmp\prophesee\py3venv\Scripts\python -m pip install pip --upgrade
C:\tmp\prophesee\py3venv\Scripts\python -m pip install -r OPENEB_SRC_DIR\utils\python\requirements_openeb.txt -r OPENEB_SRC_DIR\utils\python\requirements_pytorch_cpu.txt

Optionally, you can run the activate command (C:\tmp\prophesee\py3venv\Scripts\activate) to modify your shell’s environment variables, setting the virtual environment’s Python interpreter and scripts as the default for your current session. This allows you to use simple commands like python without needing to specify the full path each time.

For simplicity, throughout the documentation of the Code Samples, we will assume the python command refers to the interpreter within the activated virtual environment.

Note

You can also use anaconda to install Python and conda to manage your Python packages, but be sure to use a Python version that we support. You will need to adapt the library installation steps accordingly and use conda whenever we use pip.

In addition, check that conda PYTHONPATH contains the aforementioned PATH. For example for Python 3.10:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python310
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python310\Scripts
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps

If not, add them. For example with sys.path.append() method of python module sys:

import sys
print(sys.path)
# Add %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python310 to PYTHONPATH if the output of print(sys.path) does not mention it.
sys.path.append("%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python310")

In this documentation, we chose to use pip as a package manager.

Prerequisites for the ML module

If you have some Nvidia hardware with GPUs, you can optionally install CUDA (12.8) and cuDNN to leverage them with PyTorch and LibTorch. Make sure that you install a version of CUDA that is compatible with your GPUs by checking Nvidia compatibility page.

Note

At the moment, we don’t support OpenCL and AMD GPUs.

Compilation

By now, you should have downloaded the source code from the “Downloading the Source Code” section. Let’s proceed with the compilation steps.

Compilation using CMake

Open a command prompt inside the OPENEB_SRC_DIR folder and follow those steps:

  1. Create and open the build directory where temporary files will be created:

mkdir build && cd build

  1. Generate the solution using CMake (note that -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE must be absolute path, not a relative one):

cmake .. -A x64 -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=<OPENEB_SRC_DIR>\cmake\toolchains\vcpkg.cmake -DVCPKG_DIRECTORY=<VCPKG_SRC_DIR> -DBUILD_TESTING=OFF

  1. Compile:

cmake --build . --config Release --parallel 4

Once the compilation is done, you have two options: you can choose to work directly from the build folder or you can deploy the OpenEB files (applications, samples, libraries etc.) in a directory of your choice.

  • Option 1 - working from build folder

    • To use OpenEB directly from the build folder, you need to update some environment variables using this script:

      utils\scripts\setup_env.bat

  • Option 2 - deploying in a directory of your choice

    • To deploy OpenEB in the default folder (C:\Program Files\Prophesee), execute this command (your console should be launched as an administrator):

      cmake --build . --config Release --target install

    • To deploy OpenEB in another folder, you should generate the solution again (step 2 above) with the additional variable CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX having the value of your target folder (OPENEB_INSTALL_DIR).

      Similarly, to specify where the Python packages will be deployed (PYTHON3_PACKAGES_INSTALL_DIR), you should use the PYTHON3_SITE_PACKAGES variable.

      Here is an example of a command customizing those two folders:

      cmake .. -A x64 -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=<OPENEB_SRC_DIR>\cmake\toolchains\vcpkg.cmake -DVCPKG_DIRECTORY=<VCPKG_SRC_DIR> -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=<OPENEB_INSTALL_DIR> -DPYTHON3_SITE_PACKAGES=<PYTHON3_PACKAGES_INSTALL_DIR> -DBUILD_TESTING=OFF

      After this command, you should launch the actual compilation and installation of OpenEB (your console should be launched as an administrator):

      cmake --build . --config Release --parallel 4
cmake --build . --config Release --target install

    • You also need to manually edit some environment variables:

      • append <OPENEB_INSTALL_DIR>\bin to PATH (C:\Program Files\Prophesee\bin if you used default configuration)

      • append <OPENEB_INSTALL_DIR>\lib\metavision\hal\plugins to MV_HAL_PLUGIN_PATH (C:\Program Files\Prophesee\lib\metavision\hal\plugins if you used default configuration)

      • append <OPENEB_INSTALL_DIR>\lib\hdf5\plugin to HDF5_PLUGIN_PATH (C:\Program Files\Prophesee\lib\hdf5\plugin if you used default configuration)

      • append <PYTHON3_PACKAGES_INSTALL_DIR> to PYTHONPATH (not needed if you used default configuration)

Compilation using MS Visual Studio

Open a command prompt inside the openeb folder and follow the steps: (absolute path to this directory is called OPENEB_SRC_DIR in next sections).

  1. Create and open the build directory where temporary file will be created:

mkdir build && cd build

  1. Generate the Visual Studio files using CMake (adapt the command to your Visual Studio version and note that the value passed to the parameter -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE must be an absolute path, not a relative one):

cmake .. -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64 -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=<OPENEB_SRC_DIR>\cmake\toolchains\vcpkg.cmake -DVCPKG_DIRECTORY=<VCPKG_SRC_DIR> -DBUILD_TESTING=OFF

  1. Open the solution file metavision.sln, select the Release configuration and build the ALL_BUILD project.

Once the compilation is done, you have two options: you can choose to work directly from the build folder or you can deploy the OpenEB files (applications, samples, libraries etc.) in a directory of your choice.

  • Option 1 - working from build folder

    • To use OpenEB directly from the build folder, you need to update the environment variables as done in this script:

      utils\scripts\setup_env.bat

  • Option 2 - deploying OpenEB

    • To deploy OpenEB, you need to build the INSTALL project. By default, files will be deployed in C:\Program Files\Prophesee

    • You also need to manually edit some environment variables:

      • append <OPENEB_INSTALL_DIR>\bin to PATH (C:\Program Files\Prophesee\bin if you used default configuration)

      • append <OPENEB_INSTALL_DIR>\lib\metavision\hal\plugins to MV_HAL_PLUGIN_PATH (C:\Program Files\Prophesee\lib\metavision\hal\plugins if you used default configuration)

      • append <OPENEB_INSTALL_DIR>\lib\hdf5\plugin to HDF5_PLUGIN_PATH (C:\Program Files\Prophesee\lib\hdf5\plugin if you used default configuration)

      • append <PYTHON3_PACKAGES_INSTALL_DIR> to PYTHONPATH (not needed if you used default configuration)

Camera Plugins

Prophesee camera plugin is included in OpenEB, but you need to install the drivers for the cameras to be available on Windows. To do so, follow this procedure:

  • download wdi-simple.exe from our file server

  • execute the following commands in a Command Prompt launched as an administrator:

    wdi-simple.exe -n "EVK" -m "Prophesee" -v 0x04b4 -p 0x00f4
wdi-simple.exe -n "EVK" -m "Prophesee" -v 0x04b4 -p 0x00f5
wdi-simple.exe -n "EVK" -m "Prophesee" -v 0x04b4 -p 0x00f3

Note

In some cases, the installation of the drivers fails with a message similar to libwdi:warning [wdi_prepare_driver] could not sign cat file. This is generally a consequence of the security policies applied by your IT department. If you are in that situation, check our FAQ entry covering that topic.

Note

If your EVK is listed in the Device Manager, but the Properties tab shows a message similar to No drivers are installed for this device, check the FAQ entry about this driver issue.

Third-Party Cameras Plugins

If you are using a third-party camera, you need to follow the instructions provided by the camera vendor to install the driver and the camera plugin. Make sure that you reference the location of the plugin in the MV_HAL_PLUGIN_PATH environment variable.

Running tests

Running the test suite is a sure-fire way to ensure you did everything well with your compilation and installation process.

  • Download OpenEB test data by clicking on the Download All button to retrieve an archive of all the files necessary to run the tests. Please be aware that the archive you’ll receive is approximately 1.5 Gb in size.

  • Extract and put the contents of this archive into <OPENEB_SRC_DIR>/datasets. For instance, the correct path of sequence gen31_timer.raw should be <OPENEB_SRC_DIR>/datasets/openeb/gen31_timer.raw.

  • To run the test suite you need to reconfigure your build environment using CMake and to recompile.

  • Compilation using only CMake

    1. Regenerate the build using CMake (note that -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE must be absolute path, not a relative one):

    cd <OPENEB_SRC_DIR>/build
cmake .. -A x64 -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=<OPENEB_SRC_DIR>\cmake\toolchains\vcpkg.cmake -DVCPKG_DIRECTORY=<VCPKG_SRC_DIR> -DBUILD_TESTING=ON

    1. Compile:

    cmake --build . --config Release --parallel 4

  • Compilation using CMake and MS Visual Studio

    1. Generate the Visual Studio files using CMake (adapt the command to your Visual Studio version and note that the value passed to the parameter -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE must be an absolute path, not a relative one):

    cmake .. -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64 -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=<OPENEB_SRC_DIR>\cmake\toolchains\vcpkg.cmake -DVCPKG_DIRECTORY=<VCPKG_SRC_DIR> -DBUILD_TESTING=ON

    1. Open the solution file metavision.sln, select the Release configuration and build the ALL_BUILD project.

  • Running the test suite (after making sure you launched the script utils\scripts\setup_env.bat mentioned before):

    ctest -C Release

Get started!

You are now ready to use OpenEB. The best way to start getting familiar with the event-based technology is to open an event-based camera with Metavision Viewer to begin data collection and visualization. You can choose to dive directly in the SDK by following a getting started guide or looking at a Code Sample.