[ksmithgall]

I just upgraded to the lastest openfoam version 6 distribution which includes an update to paraview 5.6.0 and when I run paraview I get a black screen. If I click around I can get some of the windows to show. Anyone else had this issue? Thanks

[wyldckat]

Greetings ksmithgall,

Happy new year!

Onto the problem: It's probable that it's because of the switch from legacy OpenGL mode to OpenGL2 3.3 and newer, which forcefully started with ParaView 5.5.

In situations like yours, the trick now is to use the command line argument "--mesa", as instructed... what the... it's not instructed on the release page: https://openfoam.org/news/paraview-5-6/

Shoot... they implemented an automatic fallback method that isn't working, because your ParaView opens without crashing.

A question, so that this can be reported to them at https://bugs.openfoam.org/ - What do the following commands give you?

lspci | grep VGA
glxinfo | grep OpenGL

If the second command tells you that "glxinfo" is not installed then please install it as instructed:

sudo apt install mesa-utils

Then run again:

lspci | grep VGA
glxinfo | grep OpenGL

This will tell us the necessary information to diagnose better when the "--mesa" option should be used.


In the meantime, try to use the following command to workaround the problem:

sudo sed -i -e 's=\(paraview "\)=#\1=' /opt/openfoam6/bin/paraFoam

which will disable the first attempt to run ParaView and let's then the script got straight to the option with "--mesa".

Best regards,
Bruno

[artymk4]

I had the same problem as ksmithgall. All I did is this:

Originally Posted by wyldckat

sudo sed -i -e 's=\(paraview "\)=#\1=' /opt/openfoam6/bin/paraFoam

and now it's working - command paraFoam opens the new ParaView 5.6.0

[ksmithgall]

Hello wyldckat and happy new year to you!


Running

lspci | grep VGA

results in:

22:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ASPEED Technology, Inc. ASPEED Graphics Family (rev 41)
61:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GP106 [GeForce GTX 1060 6GB] (rev a1)

and running

glxinfo | grep OpenGL

results in:

OpenGL vendor string: VMware, Inc.
OpenGL renderer string: llvmpipe (LLVM 6.0, 128 bits)
OpenGL core profile version string: 3.3 (Core Profile) Mesa 18.0.5
OpenGL core profile shading language version string: 3.30
OpenGL core profile context flags: (none)
OpenGL core profile profile mask: core profile
OpenGL core profile extensions:
OpenGL version string: 3.0 Mesa 18.0.5
OpenGL shading language version string: 1.30
OpenGL context flags: (none)
OpenGL extensions:
OpenGL ES profile version string: OpenGL ES 3.0 Mesa 18.0.5
OpenGL ES profile shading language version string: OpenGL ES GLSL ES 3.00
OpenGL ES profile extensions:

Your code did allow paraFoam to function. When I launch it i get this message, but it functions:

**********************************************************
ParaView failed to open using available graphics hardware.
Trying fallback to software rendering using MESA.
**********************************************************
I/O    : uncollated

I built this machine a few months ago and have had some issues getting the graphics card to work. Based on what you see, would you say this is a system configuration problem or a paraview problem?
Thanks

[wyldckat]

Quick answers @ksmithgall:

• 2 graphics cards usually make it harder to ensure that the correct one is used.
• The NVidia GTX 1060 should be very well able and capable of running with OpenGL 3.3 or higher.
• Ubuntu uses an intermediate rendering driver which allows more easily to switch between drivers... but in this case, it seems to have hard-locked itself to enforce the lowest denominator, namely got stuck to the limitations on the weaker integrated graphics card.
• Please try running the following commands:
  

  export MESA_GL_VERSION_OVERRIDE=3.3
  paraview

  Then use the menu "Sources -> Cone" and click the "Apply" button. This should create a 3D cone that is more like a pyramid-cone with 6 sides.
  • If you're able to see the cone, then it's working as intended with the NVidia card.
  • If not, you might need to look into how to disable the ASPEED graphics chip... which is probably embedded into the motherboard and therefore can only be turned off in the BIOS/UEFI during boot up.

[mariaard]

Hello and happy new year! I have the same problem; Up until 2019, I typed paraFoam and it loaded nicely. However, maybe because of the OpenGL switch @wyldckat mentioned, when I type ParaFoam or paraview on the console I only get a black window, nothing loads.


I followed the steps from @wyldckat and the command

sudo sed -i -e 's=\(paraview "\)=#\1=' /opt/openfoam6/bin/paraFoam

now runs it, but with the following message:

**********************************************************
ParaView failed to open using available graphics hardware.
Trying fallback to software rendering using MESA.
**********************************************************
I/O    : uncollated

I have also noticed that it is now slower.


I run OpenFoam on a VirtualMachine that runs ubuntu 18.04 so I do not have a GPU to choose from, everything is virtual.


Any help is appreciated!

[ksmithgall]

@wyldckat
I finally have the issue resolved. Ultimately it was coming an incorrect installation of the nvidia driver in ubuntu (man that was a pain), not related to the paraview update with openfoam. Thanks for the help diagnosing it. Though through this process I think it showed that the MESA fallback software rendering isn't functioning as intended.

@mariaard
For a virtual machine you're going to be limited to software rendering. The only other option you have would be to remove the current version and install the version just prior to the update with paraview 5.6.0 http://dl.openfoam.org/

[wyldckat]

Originally Posted by ksmithgall

@mariaard
For a virtual machine you're going to be limited to software rendering. The only other option you have would be to remove the current version and install the version just prior to the update with paraview 5.6.0 http://dl.openfoam.org/

Quick answer: I've written the steps to downgrade here: paraview 5.6 on Ubuntu 18.04 (Windows 10 WSL) - post #2.

[mariaard]

Originally Posted by wyldckat

Quick answer: I've written the steps to downgrade here: paraview 5.6 on Ubuntu 18.04 (Windows 10 WSL) - post #2.

Thank you, I did this last week and it worked. However, my issue is now solved by doing 2 things:
1. Update my host's graphic drivers
2. In the nvidia control panel, in the 3D settings, in the Global Settings, I set the OpenGL rendering GPU to my GeForce GTX and also in the Program Settings, I set for my virtualBox the setting of OpenGL rendering GPU to GeForce GTX.



I do not know if one of these things was the problem, but for now, it works!

Thank you for your answers!

[zanis]

Hi Bruno,


I have problem running paraFoam. First it doesn't work and I have to use "paraFoam -builtin".


Second, when I run paraview, cell array is empty! While, as you know better, it should shows U, P, Alpha, etc...
What's the problem?


I use openFoam-7 and olaFlow.


Regards
Zahra

[sphani4391]

I was facing black screen error when I open ParaView 5.6.0 in Ubuntu 18.04. The issue is NOT WITH PARAVIEW at all. It's an issue with the graphics card. Basically what's happening is that paraview is loading correctly but is not getting rendered on the screen.

For me, it was resolved by updating the graphics driver. The procedure is as discussed below:

I'm using a HP Z2 PC with NVIDIA Graphics card. Just needed to install the latest NVIDIA graphics driver and the paraview started working like a charm:

1. Open "Softwares and Updates" window from the Applications
2. Go to "Additional Drivers" tab. It will show a list of drivers
3. Choose the latest driver for NVIDIA and click on "Apply Changes". For me, it was nvidia-driver-430.
4. It will show a prompt for a secure boot password. Basically, this is an additional layer of security to allow proprietary software (such as this driver) to load everytime you logon.
5. After installation, reboot the system. It will take you to MOK Manager.
6. Click on "Change Secure Boot State" and then "Enroll key" and enter the secure boot password you've set while installing the driver. This step needs to be done only the first time you reboot after driver installation.
7. After the reboot, check the current driver: Settings> Details> About. The graphics information should now be updated.
For more info on updating the graphics, check the page: https://www.linuxbabe.com/ubuntu/ins...r-ubuntu-18-04

[wyldckat]

Quick answers:

Originally Posted by zanis

I have problem running paraFoam. First it doesn't work and I have to use "paraFoam -builtin".

@zanis: Without knowing which installation instructions you've followed and which operating system you are using, it's not possible to properly diagnose why it's not working.

Originally Posted by sphani4391

The issue is NOT WITH PARAVIEW at all. It's an issue with the graphics card. Basically what's happening is that paraview is loading correctly but is not getting rendered on the screen.

For me, it was resolved by updating the graphics driver.

@sphani4391: Many thanks for sharing your solution!

[tecmul]

Hello everyone, I'm having a somewhat similar issue with Paraview 5.6, bundled with OpenFOAM 6. Installation from the repository on Ubuntu 18.04 goes well and OpenFOAM works fine. Paraview however, starts up OK but is slow to respond. For example zooming in on an object or moving around happens with a little delay, almost as if the system is struggling to render a simple box on the screen. Rolling back to 5.4 fixes the problem, but that version has issues with GUI scaling on high def screens so it would be nice if I could use the newer version. I updated my graphics driver to nvidia-430 without effect.
Can anyone suggest a solution?