Home » Mobile Tools Trends » Force Opengl Software Rendering for Specific Programs

Force Opengl Software Rendering for Specific Programs

Maya Lin-Takahashi • • 2 min read
Force Opengl Software Rendering for Specific Programs

I am running Ubuntu 16.10 in Virtualbox (v5.1.10 latest) on a Windows 7 guest. All OS are x64.

Since forever, Virtualbox has had the problem that enabled "3D HW acceleration" crashes some OPenGL based applications, prominently among them QtCreator. There has been the workaround to force software rendering for the problematic application like so:

$> LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1 qtcreator

This used to be an acceptable compromise (Ubuntu is otherwise unusable without 3d acceleration), but it has stopped working after upgrading to Ubuntu 16.10 from Ubuntu 14.04.

What has changed? How do I now force SW rendering? Can you think of any other workarounds? Thanks.

1 Answer 

$ LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1 ./the_program_name

or

$ QT_XCB_FORCE_SOFTWARE_OPENGL=1 ./the_program_name

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Maya Lin-Takahashi
Author

Maya Lin-Takahashi

Maya is a hardware enthusiast who tests and reviews smart home devices, smartphones, wearables, and audio gear. She focuses on practical consumer value and build quality.