Installation

The following instructions cover dependency installation on Linux with apt-get and on macOS with Homebrew or MacPorts. Package managers such as Anaconda, Miniforge, and Mamba might work, but they are not tested.

plopm supports Python 3.12 to 3.14.

Python package

Install the development version of plopm in an existing Python environment:

pip install git+https://github.com/cssr-tools/plopm.git

To install a specific version, modify the source code, or contribute to the project, clone the repository and create a virtual environment:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/cssr-tools/plopm.git

# Enter the repository
cd plopm

# Optional: select a release, or skip this step to use the development version
git checkout v2026.04

# Create a virtual environment
python3 -m venv vplopm

# Activate the virtual environment
source vplopm/bin/activate

# Upgrade the packaging tools
pip install --upgrade pip setuptools wheel

# Install plopm in editable mode
pip install -e .

# Optional: install requirements for contributions, testing, and linting
pip install -r dev-requirements.txt

Tip

Run git tag -l to list the available releases.

Optional LaTeX formatting

LaTeX support is optional but recommended for figure formatting.

On Linux distributions using apt-get, install:

sudo apt-get install texlive-fonts-recommended texlive-fonts-extra dvipng cm-super

On macOS, install MacTeX.

OPM Flow

OPM Flow is required to convert OPM Flow output files such as .EGRID, .INIT, and .UNRST to VTK. Use OPM Flow Release 2026.04 or the current master branches.

See the OPM project website for general information.

Binary packages

See the OPM Flow download and installation instructions for binary packages on Ubuntu and Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The same page describes other supported platforms, including source builds and virtual-machine-based installations.

Tip

The plopm CI workflow shows the installation of OPM Flow binary packages, optional LaTeX libraries, and plopm on Ubuntu 26.04 with Python 3.14.

Source build on Linux

After installing the OPM prerequisites, build Flow from the current master branches with MPI support. The following commands create the executable at ./build/opm-simulators/bin/flow:

CURRENT_DIRECTORY="$PWD"

mkdir build

for repo in common grid simulators
do
    git clone https://github.com/OPM/opm-$repo.git
    mkdir build/opm-$repo
    cd build/opm-$repo
    cmake -DUSE_MPI=1 -DWITH_NDEBUG=1 -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release $CURRENT_DIRECTORY/opm-$repo
    if [[ $repo == simulators ]]; then
        make -j5 flow
    else
        make -j5 opm$repo
    fi
    cd ../..
done

Tip

Save the commands in a shell script, for example build_opm_mpi.sh, and run it with:

. ./build_opm_mpi.sh

The resulting Flow executable can be selected explicitly when generating VTK files:

plopm -i SPE11C -m vtk -fp ./build/opm-simulators/bin/flow

See plopm -fp and VTK output.

Homebrew formula for macOS

Binary OPM Flow packages are not available for macOS, so Flow must be built from source. The cssr-tools/homebrew-opm repository provides a Homebrew formula for this purpose.

Install the OPM Flow v2026.07 interim release with:

brew tap cssr-tools/opm
brew trust cssr-tools/opm
brew install cssr-tools/opm/opm-simulators -y

Verify the installation:

flow --help

Tip

See the homebrew-opm workflow results for tested builds.

Source build on macOS

See the OPM-Flow_macOS repository for a source-build workflow for OPM Flow on macOS 26. The workflow runs with GitHub Actions and is tested with pycopm, another project in the cssr-tools organization.

Next steps

• Follow the Tutorial to progress from a first PNG to SPE11C projections and comparisons.

• Browse the Examples for task-oriented workflows.

• Use the Command-line reference for syntax and option descriptions.