# Build an desktop application using vtk

**URL:** https://discourse.vtk.org/t/build-an-desktop-application-using-vtk/8542
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [May 21, 2022, 8:30pm UTC](https://discourse.vtk.org/t/build-an-desktop-application-using-vtk/8542 "2022-05-21T20:30:52Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 3

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### Author: ![toddy](https://discourse.vtk.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@toddy](https://discourse.vtk.org/u/toddy)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2022, 12:34am UTC](https://discourse.vtk.org/t/build-an-desktop-application-using-vtk/8542/3 "2022-05-22T00:34:37Z")

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Hi @FrancoisW  
You haven’t said if your application is to be open source or commercial.

If you go down the C++ route, using QT for commercial purposes requires a license but Paraview provides an example of how to do it. Otherwise you can use wxWidgets and find your own way. Also setting **VTK\_MODULE\_ENABLE\_VTK\_GUISupportMFC=ON** in cmake generates a _vtkMFCWindow_ class in the source, which shows how to wrap _vtkWin32OpenGLRenderWindow_.

AFAIK Activiz licenses cost €500 to €1000 per annum and Activiz doesn’t handle string conversion to/from UTF-8 for VTK, so you’re stuck with ANSI text only.

If you’re already familiar with Java that might be your best bet. You can build VTK with **VTK\_WRAP\_JAVA=ON** and study some of the examples.  
[https://vtk.org/Wiki/VTK/Java\_Wrapping](https://vtk.org/Wiki/VTK/Java_Wrapping)

You have to create/compile the VTK jar manually on Windows. [VTK 9 and Java- vtk.jar not automatically generated. Also location of wrapper dlls - #19 by toddy](https://discourse.vtk.org/t/vtk-9-and-java-vtk-jar-not-automatically-generated-also-location-of-wrapper-dlls/3354/19)

FYI [Fixed VTK Java Wrappers on macOS](https://discourse.vtk.org/t/fixed-vtk-java-wrappers-on-macos/7467)

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