Windows Setup Guide

This guide explains how to set up development of the Visual Tangible Artifacts Giraf app on a Windows PC using an Android emulator.

Prerequisites

Make sure your system meets the following requirements:

  • Operating System: 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11

    ⚠️ 32-bit (x86) Windows is not supported — Android Studio, Flutter, and the emulator all require 64-bit Windows.

  • Free Disk Space: Up to ~35 GB may be needed if you start with nothing installed (real usage is usually lower).

  • CPU Virtualization Enabled: Enabled in BIOS/UEFI (Intel VT-x or AMD-V).

    Enable virtualization (Microsoft Guide)

  • Git for Windows Installed: Download & Install

  • Windows Developer Mode Enabled: Enable Developer Mode

  • Android Studio Installed (full install, includes SDK and Emulator): Download

  • Flutter SDK Installed (with flutter\bin added to your PATH): Install Guide

Setup Steps

Step 1: Clone the repository

Open a terminal of your choice (e.g. Command Prompt, PowerShell, VSCode Terminal etc.), and clone the repository into your chosen directory by running:

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git clone https://github.com/aau-giraf/visual-tangible-artefacts.git

Step 2: Navigate to the project frontend

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cd vta-giraf/Frontend/vta_app

Step 3: Configure Android Studio SDK

  1. Open Android Studio.

  2. Go to File > Settings > Languages & Frameworks > Android SDK.

  3. In the SDK Tools tab, make sure the following are checked:

✅ Android SDK Command-line Tools

✅ Android Emulator

✅ Android SDK Platform-Tools

ℹ️ By default, Android Studio already installs at least one Android SDK platform and sets up sample virtual devices in the Virtual Device Manager, but Android SDK Command-line Tools usually isn't installed by default.

Step 4: Accept Android Licenses

In the terminal run:

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flutter doctor --android-licenses

Press y to accept each license.

Step 5: Verify Flutter Installation

In the terminal run:

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flutter doctor

Confirm that Android toolchain and Android Studio show no issues.

Step 6: Start the Android Emulator

  • In Android Studio, go to Tools > Virtual Device Manager.

  • You should already see a default virtual device (e.g. Medium Phone).

  • Select it and click ▶ Start.

Tip: You can also launch from the terminal:

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flutter emulators
flutter emulators --launch <emulator_id>

Step 7: Run the App

From the project frontend folder (Frontend/vta_app):

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flutter run

Select your emulator if prompted.

Step 8: Install .NET 8.0 SDK

  1. Download the .NET 8.0 SDK installer from https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet/8.0
  2. Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the installation.

Bonus: Running as a Windows App

If you also want to build and run the app as a native Windows desktop application:

  1. Install Visual Studio (full IDE, not VS Code).

  2. Select the “Desktop development with C++” workload, including all default components.

    Visual Studio Download

  3. Run:

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flutter doctor

You should now see Windows desktop listed as a supported platform, and can now choose it as an option when running the app.

Last update: September 25, 2025