Run BobSim Without Docker

Use this page to run the BobSim app directly on your machine, from a source checkout or from the released desktop app. Both need a local OpenModelica to simulate. The Docker path does not.

Path	Python	OpenModelica	Files go to
Source checkout with RUN=	Your Python 3.11 environment	Local install	The repository checkout
Released desktop app	Bundled	Local install	A per-user runtime root

Run The App From A Source Checkout

RUN= empties the Docker prefix, so a target runs directly on your machine.

1. Create a Python 3.11 environment with the BobSim dependencies:

   python -m venv .venv
   source .venv/bin/activate
   python -m pip install --upgrade pip
   python -m pip install -r requirements.txt

   On Windows PowerShell, activate with .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 instead.

2. Install OpenModelica and the libraries.

3. Start the app:

   make app RUN=

Without a local OpenModelica, the Simulation view stays locked. The rest of the app works.

RUN= works the same way for the simulation targets, for example make standard-eval-all RUN=. They then need a local omc with the exact library versions. GitHub Actions uses RUN= for its fast gate (make lint RUN=, make typecheck RUN=, make test RUN=).

Run The Released Desktop App

The GitHub Release has a desktop build of the app. It bundles its own Python and does not use Docker. To simulate, it needs a local OpenModelica. See Install OpenModelica.

1. Download the asset for your operating system.
2. Extract it.
3. Run BobSim.exe on Windows, BobSim.app on macOS, or BobSim on Linux.

Asset detail	Value
Name	BobSim-<version>-<os>-<arch>, for example BobSim-<version>-windows-x86_64.zip
Archive format	.zip on Windows and macOS, .tar.gz on Linux
Checksum	A .sha256 file next to each asset
macOS architecture	Apple Silicon (arm64)

The desktop app starts the same local server as make app, picks a free port, and opens it in an embedded window. If that window is not available, it opens your default browser. On Linux the embedded window needs GTK (gi) or PyQt6-WebEngine.

The desktop app keeps its files in a per-user runtime root, not in a repository:

Platform	Runtime root
Windows	%LOCALAPPDATA%\BobDyn\BobSim
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/BobDyn/BobSim
Linux	${XDG_DATA_HOME:-~/.local/share}/BobDyn/BobSim

Set BOBSIM_HOME to put it somewhere else.

Install OpenModelica

Install OpenModelica, then install the exact library versions in the OpenModelica shell:

installPackage(Modelica, "4.1.0", exactMatch=true);
installPackage(VehicleInterfaces, "2.0.2", exactMatch=true);

Point The App At OpenModelica

The app looks for OpenModelica every time it checks status. It searches the usual install locations and these environment variables:

Variable	Sets
BOBSIM_OMC, or OMC	The omc executable
BOBSIM_OPENMODELICA_HOME, or OPENMODELICAHOME	The OpenModelica install directory
BOBSIM_OPENMODELICA_LIBRARY	The library directory

If detection finds nothing, set the paths by hand:

1. Click OpenModelica in the top bar to open the Toolchain dialog. The dialog lists the candidate paths it found.
2. Set omc executable: omc.exe on Windows, omc elsewhere.
3. Set Library directory: the folder where installPackage put Modelica and VehicleInterfaces.
4. Click Save.

Platform	Typical library directory
Windows	%APPDATA%\.openmodelica\libraries
macOS	~/.openmodelica/libraries
Linux	~/.openmodelica/libraries

On Save, BobSim checks that the executable runs and that both required libraries are present. If a library is missing, it names it. Auto clears your manual paths and goes back to automatic detection.

The check does not compare versions

The toolchain check only looks for the library folders. A wrong version passes the check and then fails at build time.

Next Pages

• BobSim Startup Problems if the app or the toolchain check fails
• BobSim Use Guide for the daily workflow
• Development for local Python and desktop release builds