Quick Start

Installing Ascent and Third Party Dependencies

The quickest path to install Ascent and its dependencies is via uberenv:

git clone --recursive https://github.com/alpine-dav/ascent.git
cd ascent
python scripts/uberenv/uberenv.py --install --prefix="build"

After this completes, build/ascent-install will contain an Ascent install.

We also provide spack settings for several well known HPC clusters, here is an example of how to use our settings for NERSC’s Cori System:

python scripts/uberenv/uberenv.py --install --prefix="build" --spack-config-dir="scripts/uberenv/spack_configs/nersc/cori/"

For more details about building and installing Ascent see Building Ascent. This page provides detailed info about Ascent’s CMake options, uberenv and Spack support. We also provide info about building for known HPC clusters using uberenv and a Docker example that leverages Spack.

Public Installs of Ascent

NERSC Cori Install

We have a public ascent install for use on NERSC’s Cori System. This install was built using the default gnu compiler (8.2.0) with OpenMP and MPI support. You need to use module load gcc to use this install.

The install is located at /project/projectdirs/alpine/software/ascent/current/cori/gnu/ascent-install.

OLCF Summit Install

We have a public ascent install for use on OLCF’s Summit System. This install was built using the default gnu compiler (6.4.0) with OpenMP and MPI support. You need to use module load gcc to use this install.

Warning

This install exists on a file system that is occasionally purged. We are looking for a better place to put our world accessable installs.

The install is located at /gpfs/alpine/world-shared/csc340/software/ascent/current/summit/openmp/gnu/ascent-install/.

Using Ascent in Your Project

The install includes examples that demonstrate how to use Ascent in a CMake-based build system and via a Makefile.

CMake-based build system example (see: examples/ascent/using-with-cmake):

Example that shows how to use an installed instance of Ascent in another
CMake-based build system.

To build:
 mkdir build
 cd build
 cmake \
  -DASCENT_DIR={ascent install path}   \
  -DCONDUIT_DIR={conduit install path} \
  -DVTKH_DIR={vtkh install path}          
  ../
make
./ascent_render_example

If run in sub directory below using-with-cmake in an ascent install, 
ASCENT_DIR will be defaulted to ../../..

 mkdir build
 cd build
 cmake ..
 make
 ./ascent_render_example

Makefile-based build system example (see: examples/ascent/using-with-make):

Example that shows how to use an installed instance of Ascent in Makefile
based build system.

To build:
 env ASCENT_DIR={ascent install path} make
 ./ascent_render_example

From within an ascent install:
 make 
 ./example

Which corresponds to:

 make ASCENT_DIR=../../../ 
 ./example