Download VTK 5.10.1

Download VS2010

Download CMake 3.2.0

I assume you've already installed VS2010 and CMake 3.2.0 correctly.

Compile the VTK:

Start CMake 3.2.0, fill the source and destination:

source: C:/VTK5.10.1/VTK5.10.1

destination: C:/VTK5.10.1/VS2010

Click Configure and use Visual Studio 10 2010 to complie.

When first configure is done, select Grouped and Advanced.

BUILD_EXAMPLES          [ON]

BUILD_TEST              [ON]

CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX    [C:/VTK5.10.1/VS2010_install]

CMAKE_USE_PTHREADS      [OFF]

CMAKE_USE_WIN32_THREADS [ON]  

click Configure again.

After configure is done (No errors show), click Generate.

Go back to your build folder, open VTK.sln, right click ALL_BUILD, choose Rebuild.

Wait a long time for make process, have a cup of coffee :)

After rebuild is done, right click INSTALL, choose Build.

Now, the configuration is done, enjoy it :)

Create a new empty project,

Project->Project Property->Configuration Properties->VC++Directories ->Include Directories:

C:\VTK5.10.1\VS2010
C:\VTK5.10.1\VS2010\bin
C:\VTK5.10.1\VTK5.10.1\GenericFiltering
C:\VTK5.10.1\VTK5.10.1\Common
C:\VTK5.10.1\VTK5.10.1\IO
C:\VTK5.10.1\VTK5.10.1\Filtering
C:\VTK5.10.1\VTK5.10.1\Rendering
C:\VTK5.10.1\VTK5.10.1\Graphics
C:\VTK5.10.1\VTK5.10.1\olumeRendering
C:\VTK5.10.1\VTK5.10.1\Imaging
C:\VTK5.10.1\VTK5.10.1\Hybrid
C:\VTK5.10.1\VTK5.10.1\GUISupport
C:\VTK5.10.1\VTK5.10.1\Utilities
C:\VTK5.10.1\VS2010\Utilities
C:\VTK5.10.1\VTK5.10.1\Parallel
C:\VTK5.10.1\VTK5.10.1\Widgets
C:\VTK5.10.1\VS2010_install\include\vtk-5.10

Project->Project Property->Configuration Properties->VC++Directories ->Library Directories:

C:\VTK5.10.1\VS2010\bin\Release

Project->Project Property->Configuration Properties->Linker->Input:

opengl32.lib
kernel32.lib
user32.lib
gdi32.lib
winspool.lib
comdlg32.lib
advapi32.lib
shell32.lib
ole32.lib
oleaut32.lib
uuid.lib
odbc32.lib
vtkCommon.lib
vtkDICOMParser.lib
vtkexoIIc.lib
vtkexpat.lib
vtkFiltering.lib
vtkfreetype.lib
vtkftgl.lib
vtkGenericFiltering.lib
vtkGraphics.lib
vtkHybrid.lib
vtkImaging.lib
vtkIO.lib
vtkjpeg.lib
vtkNetCDF.lib
vtkpng.lib
vtkRendering.lib
vtksys.lib
vtktiff.lib
vtkVolumeRendering.lib
vtkWidgets.lib
vtkzlib.lib

Create a test.cpp file as below:

#include <vtkConeSource.h>

#include <vtkPolyData.h>

#include <vtkSmartPointer.h>

#include <vtkPolyDataMapper.h>

#include <vtkActor.h>

#include <vtkRenderWindow.h>

#include <vtkRenderer.h>

#include <vtkRenderWindowInteractor.h>

int main(int, char *[])

{

    //Create a cone

    vtkSmartPointer<vtkConeSource> coneSource =

        vtkSmartPointer<vtkConeSource>::New();

    coneSource->Update();

    //Create a mapper and actor

    vtkSmartPointer<vtkPolyDataMapper> mapper =

        vtkSmartPointer<vtkPolyDataMapper>::New();

    mapper->SetInputConnection(coneSource->GetOutputPort());

    vtkSmartPointer<vtkActor> actor =

        vtkSmartPointer<vtkActor>::New();

    actor->SetMapper(mapper);

    //Create a renderer, render window, and interactor

    vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderer> renderer =

        vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderer>::New();

    vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderWindow> renderWindow =

        vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderWindow>::New();

    renderWindow->AddRenderer(renderer);

    vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderWindowInteractor> renderWindowInteractor =

        vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderWindowInteractor>::New();

    renderWindowInteractor->SetRenderWindow(renderWindow);

    //Add the actors to the scene

    renderer->AddActor(actor);

    renderer->SetBackground(., ., .); // Background color dark red

    //Render and interact

    renderWindow->Render();

    renderWindowInteractor->Start();

    return EXIT_SUCCESS;

}

If error LNK2038: mismatch detected for '_ITERATOR_DEBUG_LEVEL': value '0' doesn't match value '2' occurs, please see solution here.