Unable to build PCL on windows10

[jsemeda]

I am not sure if this is the right place to post this issue. I have been unable to build PCL from source although I tried several times. I end up with an empty visual studio solution that has no libraries or examples to be built.

Here is what it looks like. I also added my cmake image there.
Thanks

[larshg]

How have you installed PCLs dependencies?

It seems some core dependency haven't been found, since neither IO or geometry modules is set to build, which don't have many requirements.

Do you use VCPKG?
If you do, you need to remember to add the toolchain file path, so it can pick up the dependencies correctly.

[mvieth]

This tutorial may also be helpful: https://pcl.readthedocs.io/projects/tutorials/en/master/pcl_vcpkg_windows.html#install-pcl-dependencies-for-contributions

[jsemeda]

Yes I use vcpkg, image attached. I also made sure that all required dependencies are present, except for boost since there is no entry in cmake to set the path to the boost libs, but it is available in vcpkg

I ended up downloading the libs from vcpkg to be able to use it, but I would rather build it so I can have access to the examples.

[larshg]

You sure you installed the correct platform ie x64 for your dependencies? Not sure if vcpkg still defaults to x86?

And in cmake selected the matching platform as well?

[larshg]

What does it show for boost libraries?

[jsemeda]

nothing. In the file "pcl_find_boost.cmake" line # 28-29 it is looking for a specific boost version, 17.0, could this be the reason why it is failing to find it with vcpkg?

[larshg]

Can you try clear the folder and redo a configure from scratch and post the entire thing so we can see where it fails.

[larshg]

Its the minimum version that has to be 1.71. VCPKG has newer versions that should be compatible.

[jsemeda]

Selecting Windows SDK version 10.0.26100.0 to target Windows 10.0.19045.
Could NOT find ClangFormat (missing: ClangFormat_EXECUTABLE ClangFormat_VERSION) (Required is at least version "14")
Found CUDA Toolkit v13.1.115
CMAKE_CUDA_ARCHITECTURES: 86
Found OpenMP, spec date 200203
Found flann version 1.9.2
Found nanoflann
Checking for module 'libusb-1.0'
Package 'libusb-1.0' not found
Could NOT find libusb (missing: libusb_LIBRARIES libusb_INCLUDE_DIR)
Could NOT find libusb (missing: LIBUSB_LIBRARIES LIBUSB_INCLUDE_DIRS)
Found Qhull version 8.0.2
VTK version: 9.5.20250905
VTK rendering backend: OpenGL2
VTK Qt support: NOTFOUND
VTK libs: VTK::DICOM;VTK::zlib;VTK::WrappingTools;VTK::ViewsContext2D;VTK::loguru;VTK::TestingRendering;VTK::TestingCore;VTK::vtksys;VTK::ViewsInfovis;VTK::CommonColor;VTK::ViewsCore;VTK::RenderingLabel;VTK::octree;VTK::RenderingLOD;VTK::RenderingLICOpenGL2;VTK::glad;VTK::RenderingImage;VTK::RenderingGridAxes;VTK::RenderingContextOpenGL2;VTK::RenderingCellGrid;VTK::fmt;VTK::nlohmannjson;VTK::RenderingVolumeOpenGL2;VTK::IOVeraOut;VTK::hdf5;VTK::IOTecplotTable;VTK::utf8;VTK::IOSegY;VTK::IOParallelXML;VTK::IOParallel;VTK::jsoncpp;VTK::IOPLY;VTK::IOOggTheora;VTK::theora;VTK::ogg;VTK::IONetCDF;VTK::netcdf;VTK::IOMotionFX;VTK::pegtl;VTK::IOMINC;VTK::IOLSDyna;VTK::IOLANLX3D;VTK::IOImport;VTK::IOIOSS;VTK::ioss;VTK::cgns;VTK::exodusII;VTK::IOHDF;VTK::IOFLUENTCFF;VTK::IOVideo;VTK::IOMovie;VTK::IOFDS;VTK::IOInfovis;VTK::libxml2;VTK::IOExportPDF;VTK::libharu;VTK::png;VTK::IOExportGL2PS;VTK::RenderingGL2PSOpenGL2;VTK::gl2ps;VTK::IOExodus;VTK::IOEngys;VTK::IOEnSight;VTK::IOERF;VTK::IOCityGML;VTK::pugixml;VTK::IOChemistry;VTK::IOCesium3DTiles;VTK::libproj;VTK::IOCONVERGECFD;VTK::IOHDFTools;VTK::IOCGNSReader;VTK::IOAvmesh;VTK::IOAsynchronous;VTK::IOExport;VTK::RenderingVtkJS;VTK::IOGeometry;VTK::RenderingSceneGraph;VTK::IOAMR;VTK::InteractionImage;VTK::InfovisLayout;VTK::ImagingStencil;VTK::ImagingStatistics;VTK::ImagingMorphological;VTK::ImagingMath;VTK::ImagingFourier;VTK::IOSQL;VTK::sqlite;VTK::InteractionWidgets;VTK::RenderingVolume;VTK::RenderingAnnotation;VTK::InteractionStyle;VTK::ImagingHybrid;VTK::ImagingColor;VTK::GeovisCore;VTK::FiltersTopology;VTK::FiltersTensor;VTK::FiltersSelection;VTK::FiltersSMP;VTK::FiltersProgrammable;VTK::FiltersPoints;VTK::FiltersParallelImaging;VTK::FiltersTemporal;VTK::FiltersImaging;VTK::ImagingGeneral;VTK::FiltersGeometryPreview;VTK::FiltersGeneric;VTK::FiltersFlowPaths;VTK::eigen;VTK::FiltersAMR;VTK::FiltersParallel;VTK::FiltersTexture;VTK::FiltersModeling;VTK::DomainsChemistryOpenGL2;VTK::RenderingOpenGL2;VTK::RenderingHyperTreeGrid;VTK::RenderingUI;VTK::FiltersHybrid;VTK::DomainsChemistry;VTK::ChartsCore;VTK::InfovisCore;VTK::FiltersExtraction;VTK::ParallelDIY;VTK::diy2;VTK::IOXML;VTK::IOXMLParser;VTK::expat;VTK::ParallelCore;VTK::IOLegacy;VTK::IOCellGrid;VTK::FiltersCellGrid;VTK::token;VTK::IOCore;VTK::lz4;VTK::lzma;VTK::fast_float;VTK::FiltersStatistics;VTK::FiltersHyperTree;VTK::ImagingSources;VTK::IOImage;VTK::jpeg;VTK::metaio;VTK::tiff;VTK::DICOMParser;VTK::RenderingContext2D;VTK::RenderingFreeType;VTK::freetype;VTK::kwiml;VTK::RenderingCore;VTK::FiltersSources;VTK::ImagingCore;VTK::FiltersGeneral;VTK::FiltersVerdict;VTK::verdict;VTK::FiltersGeometry;VTK::CommonComputationalGeometry;VTK::FiltersCore;VTK::FiltersReduction;VTK::CommonExecutionModel;VTK::CommonDataModel;VTK::CommonSystem;VTK::CommonMisc;VTK::exprtk;VTK::CommonTransforms;VTK::CommonMath;VTK::kissfft;VTK::CommonCore;VTK::scn
Qt is not found.
Could NOT find Pcap (missing: PCAP_LIBRARIES PCAP_INCLUDE_DIRS)
CMake Warning at D:/vcpkg/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake:908 (_find_package):
By not providing "FindcJSON.cmake" in CMAKE_MODULE_PATH this project has
asked CMake to find a package configuration file provided by "cJSON", but
CMake did not find one.

Could not find a package configuration file provided by "cJSON" with any of
the following names:

cJSONConfig.cmake
cjson-config.cmake

Add the installation prefix of "cJSON" to CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH or set
"cJSON_DIR" to a directory containing one of the above files. If "cJSON"
provides a separate development package or SDK, be sure it has been
installed.
Call Stack (most recent call first):
CMakeLists.txt:463 (find_package)

CMake Warning at CMakeLists.txt:467 (message):
It is recommended to install an up-to-date version of cJSON on your system.
CMake did not find one, and will instead use a cJSON version bundled with
the PCL source code. However, that is an older version which may pose a
risk and may be removed in a future PCL release.

DOXYGEN_FOUND
HTML_HELP_COMPILER
Found CPack generators: NSIS
PCL build with following flags:
/DWIN32 /D_WINDOWS /GR /EHsc /fp:precise /arch:AVX2 /wd4800 /wd4521 /wd4251 /wd4275 /wd4305 /wd4355 /w34265 /bigobj -openmp
The following subsystems will be built:
cuda_common
The following subsystems will not be built:
common: Requires external library boost.
kdtree: Requires common.
octree: Requires common.
search: Requires octree.
sample_consensus: Requires search.
filters: Requires octree.
2d: Requires filters.
geometry: Requires common.
io: Requires external library boost.
features: Requires 2d.
ml: Requires common.
segmentation: Requires ml.
visualization: Requires octree.
surface: Requires octree.
registration: Requires filters.
keypoints: Requires filters.
tracking: Requires octree.
recognition: Requires ml.
stereo: Requires io.
apps: Disabled by default.
benchmarks: Disabled by default.
cuda_io: Disabled by default.
cuda_features: Requires common.
cuda_segmentation: Requires common.
cuda_sample_consensus: Requires common.
cuda_apps: Disabled: cuda_io missing.
outofcore: Boost filesystem is not available.
examples: Disabled: outofcore missing.
gpu_utils: Requires common.
gpu_containers: Requires gpu_utils.
gpu_octree: Requires gpu_utils.
gpu_features: Requires geometry.
gpu_kinfu: Kinfu uses textures which was removed in CUDA 12
gpu_kinfu_large_scale: Kinfu_large_scale uses textures which was removed in CUDA 12
gpu_people: gpu_people uses textures which was removed in CUDA 12
gpu_segmentation: Requires gpu_octree.
gpu_surface: Disabled by default.
gpu_tracking: Disabled by default.
people: Requires octree.
simulation: Disabled by default.
global_tests: Disabled by default.
tools: Requires io.
Configuring done (24.0s)

[larshg]

common: Requires external library boost.

So it somehow doesn't find boost correctly. Have you installed some or all boost libraries from vcpkg?

[jsemeda]

I have them in vcpkg. Maybe I need to check my env variable for boost. How come it is not adding an entry for boost so one can point it to the location?

[larshg]

No, you shouldn't use any env variables - you need to supply the cmaketoolchain path when you select what to do in cmake gui. Take a lool at the tutorial that mvieth linked to.

[jsemeda]

I followed the tutorial, downloaded boost and flann using vcpkg, cmake is still unable to find boost for some reason that I can figure out.