WebGPU setup (macOS)

[Seun]

Hello everyone, I would appreciate it if someone could help with this. I have been trying to follow the following tutorial to no avail. https://docs.vtk.org/en/latest/modules/vtk-modules/Rendering/WebGPU/README.html#configuring-and-building-vtk

here’s what I have done thus far.

• git clone https://github.com/google/dawn dawn && cd dawn
  

• git checkout v20250621.085109
  

  whilst in the folder dawn

• cmake -S . -B install_output/bin -GNinja -DDAWN_FETCH_DEPENDENCIES=ON -DDAWN_ENABLE_INSTALL=ON
  

• cmake --build install_output/bin
  

• I created a folder in dawn --> `install_output/install` for installation

• cmake --install install_output/bin --prefix install_output/install
  

thus far I have this

and the content after successful installation is as follow

– so I guess everything when well.

next I decide to go the route `When building on desktop (x86_64/aarch64), configure with`

• /path/to/vtk/src is pointing to a checkout of vtk
• /path/to/vtk/build points to a folder where I want to build called vtk-debug-webgpu-bin
• DDawn_DIR= points to the installation folder in the screenshot below

– then I execute the following from the folder vtk-debug-webgpu-bin I created, mentioned earlier.

note .. below is used to shorten the path description.

cmake -S ../vtk 
-B . 
-GNinja 
-DVTK_ENABLE_WEBGPU=ON 
-DDawn_DIR=../dawn/install_output/install/lib/cmake/Dawn
-DVTK_BUILD_TESTING=ON 

cmake --build .

I get the following error.

Has anyone encountered this? if so, what’s the workaround / solution?

[jaswantp (Jaswant Panchumarti (Kitware))]

Hi @Seun

Please try git checkout v20251002.162335 instead. The docs are being updated in https://gitlab.kitware.com/vtk/vtk/-/merge_requests/13067.

@Quinn_Powell can you please review that MR. Let’s aim to get it in soon so users can follow updated instructions.

@Seun, apologies for the inconvenience.

[Seun]

Hi Jaswant,

No worries. I’ll try the version you suggested. Do you think the current instructions available will be sufficient to at least get something going?

[Seun]

I think that version is problematic. v20251002.16233

[jaswantp (Jaswant Panchumarti (Kitware))]

you have a typo. try v20251002.162335

[Seun]

Sorry, this is the actual error I get. Ignore the initial post. I tried it twice and accidentally left out the last digit.

[jaswantp (Jaswant Panchumarti (Kitware))]

The tag definitely exists on github GitHub - google/dawn at v20251002.162335 · GitHub.

Maybe try git fetch --tags first?

[Seun]

Perhaps there is a difference between https://dawn.googlesource.com/dawn which is what the build was based on and https://github.com/google/dawn you are referring to. I’ll try that, hopefully all goes well. Thanks.

[Seun]

Hi Jaswant, I was able to get everything up and running following your suggestion. Looking forward to the MR. Thanks a lot.