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Install

Ymir runs on Linux and Windows. Download a released binary, or build it from source.

Download a binary

Take the newest from the releases page.

Linux

Each release attaches a ymir-gui binary for x86_64, alongside the headless ymir-cli and a SHA256SUMS file covering every asset. Make it executable and run it:

chmod +x ymir-gui-linux-x86_64
./ymir-gui-linux-x86_64

Windows

Each release attaches ymir-windows-x86_64.zip, holding ymir-gui.exe, ymir-cli.exe, and a readme. Unzip it anywhere and run ymir-gui.exe.

The binaries are unsigned, so Windows SmartScreen warns the first time you run one. Choose More info and then Run anyway. The warning says that the file carries no code-signing certificate, which is true; it is not a report of anything found in the file. Signing costs a recurring annual fee, and Ymir does not pay it yet.

Ymir keeps its settings in %APPDATA%\Ymir and its build cache in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Ymir. Deleting either is safe: the cache only costs rebuild time.

The requirements below still apply. A released binary does not remove the need for working GPU drivers.

Build from source instead if you are on another architecture, want to follow main, or intend to change something.

Requirements

  • Linux on Wayland or X11, or Windows 10 or later, on x86_64.
  • A GPU with working drivers: Vulkan on Linux, and Vulkan or DX12 on Windows. The 3D viewport runs through wgpu, and the editor will not start without one.
  • git, to fetch the source.
  • rustup, which installs the Rust toolchain. rustup reads the exact compiler version the project pins and fetches it for you, so building Ymir does not call for knowing Rust.

On Windows, building from source also needs the Visual Studio build tools for the MSVC linker. The rustup installer offers to fetch them.

Install the Rust toolchain

Follow the one-line instructions at rustup.rs and accept the defaults. When it finishes, open a new terminal so the cargo command is on your path.

Get the source

git clone https://github.com/liminalfield/ymir
cd ymir

Build

cargo build --release

The first build compiles the whole dependency tree, including the wgpu and egui graphics stack, so it takes several minutes. Later builds recompile only what changed and are much faster.

Run

Start the node editor:

cargo run -p ymir-gui --release

The headless runner builds a saved project. The seed, world size, and build resolution come from the project file, so the result matches what the editor shows:

cargo run -p ymir-cli --release -- render examples/terraced_beach.ymir --out beach.png

See the command line reference for the rest of what it does.

If the build fails

On Linux, the system packages that the Wayland and X11 backends need vary between distributions. If the build stops on a missing library, open an issue with the error, your distribution, and your Vulkan driver.

On Windows, a build that stops at the link step usually means the Visual Studio build tools are missing. Install them and open a new terminal.