Installation overview

Strictly speaking, EGSnrc is not a software, but a software toolkit: a collection of source code files that must be compiled in order to create a working software that models the passage of ionizing radiation in materials. EGSnrc is free software, the whole point of which is to provide users with the freedom to inspect the code and, perhaps more importantly, modify it to suit their specific needs. Distributing the software as source code meets these free software objectives, but it makes installing a little more complicated, because the source files must be compiled to configure and build the software.

EGSnrc provides source code and utilities to help you write, compile and run your own radiation transport simulations. Some standard applications are provided as part of EGSnrc (e.g., the dosxyznrc application to calculate radiation dose in a voxel grid) but you still have to compile these applications using common software development tools, which must be installed on your system before you install EGSnrc.

Installing EGSnrc

One fail-safe way to quickly install EGSnrc without worrying about your specific hardware or operating system is to install it inside a Linux virtual machine running on your physical computer:

• Install EGSnrc on VirtualBox

To install on directly on your computer, read the installation instructions specific to your operating system:

• Install EGSnrc on Linux
• Install EGSnrc on macOS
• Install EGSnrc on Windows

Upgrading EGSnrc

If you plan on upgrading your EGSnrc installation regularly to new releases (yearly), consider the Upgrading instructions which propose a few additional steps in the installation procedure to manage upgrades more easily with the git version control software.