Geant4 Docker Setup (Linux with GUI)

This repository provides a ready-to-use Docker setup for running Geant4 with Qt and OpenGL GUI support on Linux systems. It builds Geant4 from source and runs the exampleB1 application inside the container.

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Features

• Geant4 11.2.1 built from source
• Qt5 and OpenGL support for full GUI visualization
• Includes all Geant4 datasets (via -DGEANT4_INSTALL_DATA=ON)
• Automatically builds and launches exampleB1
• Persists your simulation data via Docker volumes
• Minimal setup — no need to install Geant4 manually

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How to Use

Prerequisites

• Linux (Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, etc.)
• Docker installed
• X11 GUI working on your system (most Linux desktops support this)

Make sure your user is in the Docker group:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

Allow Docker GUI apps to access your display:

xhost +local:root

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Build and Run

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/evagena/geant4-linux-docker.git
cd geant4-linux-docker

2. Run the script:

chmod +x run_geant4_linux.sh
./run_geant4_linux.sh

This will:

• Build the Docker image (if needed)
• Download and compile Geant4
• Build exampleB1
• Launch the GUI

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File Structure

• Dockerfile — Defines the full build environment and Geant4 installation
• run_geant4_linux.sh — Builds the Docker image and runs exampleB1 in an interactive GUI container

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Notes

• The container uses a persistent Docker volume called geant4data to store files in /home/geant4user
• You can modify the code inside the container and re-run the build to test changes

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Example Output

You’ll see the OpenGL visualization of the exampleB1 geometry, and can interact with it using Geant4 UI commands.

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Author

Eleni Vagena
This setup was created for teaching and research purposes in Geant4-based simulation.