Setup¶

STARK is written in C++ and comes with optional Python bindings (pystark). STARK bundles its main third-party dependencies, which includes SymX, Eigen, fmt, TriangleMeshCollisionDetection, vtkio, par_shapes, and tinyobjloader. For SymX-specific build options such as compiler selection, code-generation folders, and Hessian storage precision, see the SymX setup page.

Requirements¶

Requirement	Notes
CMake	3.18 or newer
C++ compiler	C++20-capable compiler
OpenMP	Required by the STARK C++ library
Python	Optional; Python 3.8+ with development-module support for `pystark`
NumPy	Optional; required when using `pystark`

Project structure¶

Folder	Contents
`stark/`	Core C++ library
`examples/`	C++ example scenes
`tests/`	C++ unit tests
`pystark/`	Python package and nanobind bindings
`docs/`	Documentation source

Building the C++ library and examples¶

From the repository root:

cmake -S . -B build
cmake --build build --parallel

The examples are built by default:

./build/examples/examples

STARK defaults to a Release build when no build type is specified. To choose explicitly:

cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release

Optional tests¶

Tests are disabled by default. Enable them at configure time:

cmake -S . -B build -DSTARK_BUILD_TESTS=ON
cmake --build build --parallel --target stark_tests
./build/tests/stark_tests

Optional Python bindings¶

The Python bindings are disabled by default. Enable them with:

cmake -S . -B build -DSTARK_BUILD_PYTHON_BINDINGS=ON
cmake --build build --parallel --target pystark

When using Conda, Miniforge, virtualenv, or multiple Python installations, explicitly select the Python executable:

cmake -S . -B build \
  -DSTARK_BUILD_PYTHON_BINDINGS=ON \
  -DSTARK_PYTHON_EXECUTABLE=$HOME/miniforge3/envs/ENVNAME/bin/python

cmake --build build --parallel --target pystark

pystark uses nanobind, which is fetched automatically by CMake. The compiled extension module is written directly into the source-tree Python package:

pystark/pystark/

To import it from the source tree, add the package folder to PYTHONPATH:

export PYTHONPATH=/path/to/stark/pystark:$PYTHONPATH

You can also add the path to the built pystark manually from python by

import sys
sys.path.append("path/to/stark/pystark")

Then verify:

import pystark

CMake options¶

Option	Default	Description
`STARK_BUILD_TESTS`	`OFF`	Build the C++ test executable
`STARK_BUILD_EXAMPLES`	`ON`	Build the C++ examples
`STARK_BUILD_PYTHON_BINDINGS`	`OFF`	Build the `pystark` Python extension module
`STARK_PYTHON_EXECUTABLE`	unset	Explicit Python executable used when building `pystark`
`STARK_ENABLE_AVX2`	AUTO	Use AVX2 instructions. AUTO tries to infer local support

STARK also forwards or inherits relevant SymX options, including SIMD/JIT/compiler-related settings. For those, use the SymX setup page as the reference.