Installation (Windows)

Python

As a prerequisite, you need a Python environment. Anaconda is the recommended distribution. Alternatively you can use Miniconda for a smaller download. It’s recommended to install a 64-bit version, with Python 3.6 or newer.

Installation via environment file

It is possible to install gaitutils via pip. However as there are quite a lot of dependencies, it is usually easier to install them all at the same time using a conda feature called environments.

To install using environments, open Anaconda Prompt from Windows menu. Download the environment specification by giving the command:

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NCH-Motion-Laboratory/gaitutils/master/environment.yml

Alternatively, if curl does not work, visit the link https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NCH-Motion-Laboratory/gaitutils/master/environment.yml and save the file. Make sure that it is saved with the .yml extension. Then create the environment by typing:

conda env create -f environment.yml

To activate the environment in Anaconda Prompt, type

conda activate gaitutils

This will activate the environment for the current session only. For instructions on how to activate it every time you open the shell, see the Appendix.

Install viconnexusapi

To use gaitutils with Vicon Nexus (version 2.12 and above), you need to install the viconnexusapi package that comes with Nexus. After activating the environment as above, give the following commands:

cd "C:\Program Files (x86)\Vicon\Nexus2.12\SDK\Win64\Python"
pip install ./viconnexusapi

The install may sometimes fail due to “Permission denied” or similar error. In that case, try to start Anaconda Prompt as superuser.

Starting the menu

After activating the environment, you can run

gaitmenu

to start the graphical user interface (GUI) to gaitutils.

Creating a desktop shortcut

In the activated environment, type

gaitmenu_make_shortcut

An icon should appear on your desktop, which will activate the correct environment and start the GUI.

If you get an error message running the above command (this might happen, for example, if your computer has restrictions set up by your organization’s IT department), you can try running

python -c "from gaitutils.envutils import _make_gaitutils_shortcut; _make_gaitutils_shortcut()"

instead.

Updating the package

Unfortunately, there’s currently no simple way to perform an upgrade in a safe and reliable fashion. The best way may be to simply delete the whole environment with

conda activate base
conda env remove -n gaitutils

and reinstall.