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DE / PLATFORM SYSTEM

Your first survey starts here.

Set up the Windows toolchain, build Dolphin Explorer from source, and run the verification suite with the same reproducible steps used by the project.

PLATFORMWindows 10 / 11

64-bit desktop deployment

TOOLCHAINMSVC + Ninja

Qt 6.7 with CMake

VERIFICATIONCTest suite

Readers, processing, geodesy, and UI smoke checks

Build from source

Choose your next step.

Setting up for the first time? Start with the requirements. Already have the toolchain? Jump straight to the build.

01 / PREPARESet up your machineDependencies and supported kits →02 / BUILDGet Dolphin runningClone, compile, and launch →03 / RESOLVEFind a fixCommon setup issues →

Requirements

The primary build is tested around the following Windows toolchain:

  • Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit
  • Visual Studio 2022 or newer with Desktop development with C++
  • CMake 3.20 or newer
  • Ninja, supplied by Visual Studio or Qt
  • Qt 6.7.2 or 6.7.3, msvc2019_64 kit
  • vcpkg with 64-bit GDAL and its PROJ dependency
  • Git

Qt components used: Core, Gui, Widgets, OpenGL, OpenGLWidgets, Concurrent, Svg, and Network.

The build_mingw/ directory name is historical. The primary build invokes Microsoft cl.exe; do not configure that directory with MinGW or GCC.

1. Install Qt

Use the Qt online installer and install one of the MSVC kits the build script recognizes:

Supported installation paths
C:\Qt\6.7.3\msvc2019_64
C:\Qt\6.7.2\msvc2019_64

The script looks for Ninja in Visual Studio first, then at C:\Qt\Tools\Ninja\ninja.exe.

2. Install GDAL with vcpkg

The build expects vcpkg under %USERPROFILE%\vcpkg and the x64-windows triplet:

Command Prompt
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg %USERPROFILE%\vcpkg
%USERPROFILE%\vcpkg\bootstrap-vcpkg.bat
%USERPROFILE%\vcpkg\vcpkg install "gdal[core,png,jpeg]:x64-windows"

GDAL supplies raster drivers; PROJ and supporting libraries install as dependencies. The launch workflow copies the required DLLs and data beside the executable.

3. Build

Clone the repository, then run the primary MSVC and Ninja build from Command Prompt at the repository root:

Command Prompt
git clone https://github.com/felixoyeleke10/Dolphin-Explorer.git
cd Dolphin-Explorer
build_mingw.bat

What happens during the build

  1. Refuses to build while DolphinExplorer.exe is running.
  2. Locates a supported Visual Studio installation.
  3. Locates Qt 6.7.x and Ninja.
  4. Initializes the 64-bit MSVC environment with vcvars64.bat.
  5. Configures a Debug build with CMake.
  6. Builds into build_mingw/.
  7. Runs windeployqt for the executable.

After the first configure, use the faster incremental build:

Command Prompt
build_quick.bat

An alternative Visual Studio and MSBuild configuration is available through build.bat, which builds into build\Debug\.

4. Run

Command Prompt
launch.bat

The script deploys the GDAL and PROJ runtime files into build_mingw/ and starts DolphinExplorer.exe. Create or open a .dlp project, then import survey data through the import workflow or by dragging a file onto the map view.

5. Test

Build first, then run every CTest-registered test, or a focused test by name:

Command Prompt
cd build_mingw
ctest --output-on-failure

REM Run a single test
ctest -R ParsedCache --output-on-failure

The suite covers the XTF, JSF, and SEG-Y readers, parsed artifacts and raster I/O, project storage, node graphs and processing, georeferencing, waterfall and sub-bottom algorithms, map geometry, task cancellation, and OpenGL smoke checks.

Ready to explore

Bring your first dataset.

Check the supported formats and their current limitations before importing a survey.

Browse supported formats

Troubleshooting

Visual Studio is not found

Install the C++ workload and confirm that vcvars64.bat exists under a Visual Studio 2022 or compatible installation. The scripts search Community, Professional, and Build Tools editions in their standard locations.

Qt is not found

Install the msvc2019_64 Qt 6.7.2 or 6.7.3 kit under C:\Qt, or update the local build configuration if you use a different compatible Qt layout.

CMake cannot find GDAL or PROJ

Confirm that %USERPROFILE%\vcpkg\installed\x64-windows exists, rerun the vcpkg install command, and reconfigure the build directory.

The executable is locked during build

Close Dolphin Explorer before compiling. The build includes a pre-link safety check, and the helper scripts also detect a running DolphinExplorer.exe.

The application starts but raster CRS or drivers fail

Launch through launch.bat so the GDAL and PROJ DLLs and their data directories are placed beside the executable. Check the vcpkg Debug binaries and the share\gdal and share\proj data.

Clangd cannot resolve includes

The root .clangd uses build_mingw/compile_commands.json. Run build_mingw.bat at least once; CMake exports compile commands by default.