Supported Platforms

The name OpenSim refers to two distinct entities, the OpenSim API (which is a C++ library of classes used for modeling and simulation of biological structures in Biomechanics) and the OpenSim application (GUI) which builds on the OpenSim API.

As of version 2.4, the only distribution of the GUI is on Windows (32Bit). Although there has been experimental builds of the GUI on Mac/Linux there has been no public distribution. Mac users, who want to use the GUI, have successfully run OpenSim using Bootcamp, Virtual Machines or other environments that simulate Windows on Mac. Linux users have used (Wine).

The API (headers, libraries and Doxygen documentation) is available for both Windows (32Bit), Mac & Linux (32Bit) and is available on the downloads page. To use the API, users will need to write a main program or a plugin or use the various tools provided as command line executables to perform modeling/simulation.

Mac and Linux users will need to add the installation-folder/bin to their environment (LD_LIBRARY_PATH on linux, DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH on mac) and can use the command line utilities or build main programs using the API following instructions similar to those given in the developer's guide for Windows.

If you're interested in helping to build a GUI distribution on Mac, Linux or any other platform, please contact the development team using the forum at https://simtk.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=91