Paraview does not render results (distribution-specific)

[MakisH]

In Ubuntu 20.04, ParaView (if installed from APT, version 5.7.0) does not seem to rended any results and no errors are reported (neither in ParaView nor in the terminal). It just shows an empty render view.

Downloading the precompiled binaries for the same version [1] seems to work normally.

How to reproduce:
1. In Ubuntu 20.04, install ParaView from APT: `sudo apt install paraview`
2. Open any ParaView-compatible file (some examples shipped with the precompiled binaries)
3. Click "Apply" --> Normally the geometry should appear in the render view, but here nothing appears.

How to check the precompiled binaries:
1. Download and extract the same version of ParaView from the website [1]
2. Run `ParaView-5.7.0-MPI-Linux-Python3.7-64bit/bin/paraview`
3. Open an example from `ParaView-5.7.0-MPI-Linux-Python3.7-64bit/share/paraview-5.7/examples/`, e.g. `can.ex2`.
4. Click "Apply" --> The results render normally and a shape appears on the right of the screen.

If I remember correctly, this problem did not exist in Ubuntu 19.10.

[1]: https://www.paraview.org/paraview-downloads/download.php?submit=Download&version=v5.7&type=binary&os=Linux&downloadFile=ParaView-5.7.0-MPI-Linux-Python3.7-64bit.tar.gz

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Martin D. Weinberg (martin-weinberg-5)]

I tried Wayland, too, same problem.

My workaround was to remove the Ubuntu package and compile Paraview from scratch by cloning the git master branch. It takes some time, but it works. Follow the instructions here: https://www.paraview.org/Wiki/ParaView:Build_And_Install

[MakisH (makishourdakis)]

Maybe a helpful detail is that the complete rendering area can disappear, e.g. after trying to add another render view (see attached screenshot).

I also just tried on Debian Bullseye and I could not reproduce the same issue, so it looks like it is Ubuntu-specific.

[MakisH (makishourdakis)]

Shortcut for example files: https://www.paraview.org/Wiki/images/5/5d/ParaViewTutorialData.tar.gz

[MakisH (makishourdakis)]

The Ubuntu 20.10 package of the same ParaView version (5.7.0) seem to be working now! What are the differences between the two packages/dependencies? (I am not sure where to find the recipes)

In any case, it would be good to backport any fixes to 20.04 LTS, as the current version is essentially unusable there.

[MakisH (makishourdakis)]

This bug seems to have been fixed also on Ubuntu 20.04. I just tried on a clean system with the same setup as my original report (VirtualBox VM on the same host, same settings).