{"id":27888,"library":"jupyterlab-vpython","title":"jupyterlab-vpython","description":"A VPython extension for JupyterLab that enables 3D animations and simulations in notebooks. Current version is 3.1.8, released under the Jupyter ecosystem. Release cadence is irregular, with updates tied to JupyterLab version compatibility.","status":"active","version":"3.1.8","language":"python","source_language":"en","source_url":"https://github.com/jcoady/jupyterlab_vpython","tags":["jupyterlab","vpython","3d","extension","visualization"],"install":[{"cmd":"pip install jupyterlab-vpython","lang":"bash","label":"Install via pip"}],"dependencies":[{"reason":"Requires JupyterLab 3.x installed in the same environment","package":"jupyterlab","optional":false},{"reason":"Required for widget integration","package":"ipywidgets","optional":false},{"reason":"Used for vector operations","package":"numpy","optional":true}],"imports":[{"note":"jupyterlab-vpython does not replace vpython; it's a JupyterLab extension that enables vpython's canvas to display in notebooks. You must import vpython's objects directly.","wrong":"from jupyterlab_vpython import canvas","symbol":"canvas","correct":"from vpython import canvas"},{"note":"Same as above: vpython objects come from the vpython package, not from this extension.","wrong":"from jupyterlab_vpython import sphere","symbol":"sphere","correct":"from vpython import sphere"}],"quickstart":{"code":"from vpython import canvas, sphere, vector\nscene = canvas(width=500, height=500)\nsphere(pos=vector(0,0,0), radius=0.5, color=vector(1,0,0))","lang":"python","description":"After installing jupyterlab-vpython, launch JupyterLab and run this code in a notebook to display a red sphere."},"warnings":[{"fix":"Ensure JupyterLab version is 3.x. Check compatibility before upgrading JupyterLab.","message":"Requires JupyterLab 3.x; does not work with JupyterLab 4.x. Extension must be rebuilt or updated for each JupyterLab version.","severity":"breaking","affected_versions":"all"},{"fix":"Run `jupyter lab build` after installing the extension, or install a prebuilt version if available.","message":"The extension must be built after installation (or prebuilt). If changes are made to the extension source, you need to rebuild. Missing rebuild results in 'Failed to fetch' or blank output.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"all"},{"fix":"Consider using an alternative like pyodide or offline VPython, or run in a Python 3.9 environment.","message":"The package is no longer actively maintained and may not work with newer Python versions (>3.10) due to dependency issues.","severity":"deprecated","affected_versions":">=3.1.0"}],"env_vars":null,"last_verified":"2026-05-09T00:00:00.000Z","next_check":"2026-08-07T00:00:00.000Z","problems":[{"fix":"Run `pip install jupyterlab-vpython` and ensure the environment is the same as the JupyterLab instance.","cause":"The extension is not installed or not activated in the current environment.","error":"ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'jupyterlab_vpython'"},{"fix":"Install JupyterLab with `pip install jupyterlab` first, then install this extension.","cause":"JupyterLab is missing from the environment.","error":"Error: JupyterLab is not installed. Cannot proceed."},{"fix":"Run `jupyter labextension install @jupyterlab/vpython` (older versions) or `jupyter lab build` to regenerate the lab configuration.","cause":"The extension's server-side part is not enabled or JupyterLab has not been rebuilt.","error":"Failed to fetch the extension. The server extension is not loaded."}],"ecosystem":"pypi","meta_description":null,"install_score":null,"install_tag":null,"quickstart_score":null,"quickstart_tag":null}