Mac Setup

This document provides a guide on setting up your Mac for working within the Materials Virtual Lab.

Preparing your Mac

You will first need to download and install basic compilers:

  1. Xcode – This provides the gcc compiler. Install it from the App Store.
  2. Xcode command line tools - After installing XCode, type the following in a terminal:
xcode-select --install

Install homebrew

Install homebrew. This will make life a lot easier.

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh>)"

Use homebrew to install a few key utilities.

brew install git coreutils gcc

It is recommended you reboot your computer after this step.

Git and Github

Create a Github account if you do not have one. Then add your ssh key (in $HOME/.ssh/id_rsa.pub. If it does not exist, create one using the ssh-keygen command) to your Github account under settings.

Follow the instructions on this page.

Install Miniconda

Conda is a package manager that makes it a lot easier to work with different python versions and packages. Download the correct version of Miniconda here, making sure you determine whether you have an Apple Silicon or Intel Mac. After downloading the miniconda installer, run the following in a terminal in the directory where you downloaded the installer:

bash Miniconda3-latest-MacOSX-<x86_64|arm64>.sh -b