Graphical streaks in visualization

Recording, Visualizing and Persisting Data
1

Dear Community,

I have a Win10 laptop with a Windows Subsytem for Linux WSL1 installation.
I have compiled Geant4 with visualization drivers.
I can compile examples and run them.
I am running the compiled executable from a window manager xfce4 terminal which opens a ‘‘linux world’’ inside a VcXsrv.

It opens alright (for example B1) but I get graphical streaks when scrolling through the interactive command line, or when playing with the Left-Hand side menu (whenever I expand the options and then collapse them). This gets annoying and hinders visualization of the output messages. Say I write in the command prompt of Geant4: /set/smth/to/0MeV/or/so and then press enter, Geant4 produces warnings or other messages. If I scroll a little bit up to visualize the start of the output, whenever I scroll down there’s some sort of a memory of what was on the screen at earlier times and I cannot visualize more of the output anymore… I don’t know how clear is this but I attach some pictures.

gean4_streaks
gean4_streaks1897×1038 227 KB

If I start VcXsrv with its default openGL, the output of glxinfo -B is:
name of display: :0
libGL error: No matching fbConfigs or visuals found
libGL error: failed to load driver: swrast
display: :0 screen: 0
direct rendering: No (If you want to find out why, try setting LIBGL_DEBUG=verbose)
OpenGL vendor string: Intel
OpenGL renderer string: Intel(R) HD Graphics 620
OpenGL version string: 1.4 (4.4.0 - Build 21.20.16.4821)

If I start VcXsrv with the box setting the usage of its default OpenGL untick, the output of glxinfo -B is:
name of display: :0
display: :0 screen: 0
direct rendering: Yes
Extended renderer info (GLX_MESA_query_renderer):
Vendor: Mesa/X.org (0xffffffff)
Device: llvmpipe (LLVM 11.0.0, 256 bits) (0xffffffff)
Version: 20.2.6
Accelerated: no
Video memory: 16276MB
Unified memory: no
Preferred profile: core (0x1)
Max core profile version: 4.5
Max compat profile version: 3.1
Max GLES1 profile version: 1.1
Max GLES[23] profile version: 3.2
OpenGL vendor string: Mesa/X.org
OpenGL renderer string: llvmpipe (LLVM 11.0.0, 256 bits)
OpenGL core profile version string: 4.5 (Core Profile) Mesa 20.2.6
OpenGL core profile shading language version string: 4.50
OpenGL core profile context flags: (none)
OpenGL core profile profile mask: core profile
OpenGL version string: 3.1 Mesa 20.2.6
OpenGL shading language version string: 1.40
OpenGL context flags: (none)
OpenGL ES profile version string: OpenGL ES 3.2 Mesa 20.2.6
OpenGL ES profile shading language version string: OpenGL ES GLSL ES 3.20

Which is from what I know the best WSL1 can offer.
I specify that inside the terminal of xfce4 session, the commands appear smoothly on the screen and I scan scroll up and down, so I believe my problem is due to G4.

Please can you help me solve this? I haven’t found anything online related to this and SO and Ubuntu forums seem not to know how to answer my q.

Thanks a lot!
Iustin

2

Hi Iustin

I personally have not had any experience running Geant4 on a Windows machine, but I do know someeon who struggled with WSL. It sounds like you are experiencing some complex interaction with the computer’s graphics.

There are other ways of running Linux on Windows - maybe that’s the way to go. This from https://www.howtogeek.com/170870/5-ways-to-run-linux-software-on-windows/. My friend used one of the virtual machines (can’t remember which).

Sorry not to be more helpful. Others might have more pertinent advice.

John

Virtual Machines

Virtual machines allow you to run any operating system in a window on your desktop. You can install the free VirtualBox or VMware Player, download an ISO file for a Linux distribution such as Ubuntu, and install that Linux distribution inside the virtual machine like you would install it on a standard computer.

When you need to boot up your Linux system, you can do it in a window on your desktop — no need for rebooting and leaving all your Windows programs behind. Everything but demanding games and advanced 3D effects should work just fine, but you likely won’t want to use those, anyway.

If you’re installing Ubuntu in a virtual machine, you may want to try installing an Ubuntu derivative like Xubuntu instead. Ubuntu’s default Unity desktop uses 3D effects and the desktop interface doesn’t perform as smoothly in a virtual machine as past desktops did. Xubuntu uses Xfce, which is much more lightweight.

1 Like
3

Thanks for your reply.
I compiled many codes in my WSL1 and I have much data stored in the WSL1 default storage locations.
I will try running a VM to use Geant4 inside it. Probably the installation of Geant4 is more straightforward than what I had to do for it to run inside WSL1.
Indeed, I remember running an Ubuntu 20.04 VM and it ran pretty horrible in terms of performance, even if my laptop works just fine on Windows10. I will try with Xubuntu