First Run
On first launch, FORGE Studio opens the First Run Wizard to configure the essential settings. You can reopen it any time from Settings → About → Run Setup Wizard.
Step 1: Welcome
The welcome screen gives an overview of what FORGE Studio does. Click Get Started to continue.
Step 2: Data Directory
Choose your default output directory — where reconstruction results will be saved.
- Click Browse to pick a folder.
- You can leave this blank and specify a directory per-job on the Setup tab.
- This sets
Settings → General → Default Output Directory.
Step 3: Backend Detection
FORGE Studio scans for installed runtimes and reports what it finds:
| Item | What is checked |
|---|---|
| FORGE binaries | <install-dir>/bin/{cuda,metal,cpu}/ |
| MATLAB | macOS .app bundles in /Applications, then PATH |
| Python 3 | python3 on PATH, common Homebrew and pyenv locations |
| Julia | macOS .app in /Applications, then PATH |
| GPU (macOS) | Metal capability via system_profiler |
| GPU (Linux) | nvidia-smi |
Click Re-detect to re-run detection if you install a runtime after the wizard opens. Executables shown in red were not found — you can provide paths manually in Settings → Backends later.
Step 4: Compute Backend
Select your preferred compute backend for FORGE binaries:
| Option | When to use |
|---|---|
| Auto | Let FORGE Studio pick (Metal on Apple Silicon, CUDA on Linux with GPU, CPU otherwise) |
| Metal | Apple Silicon Mac |
| CUDA | Linux with NVIDIA GPU |
| CPU | Fallback — slower, always available |
You can change this later in Settings → Compute Backend.
Setup Complete
Click Finish. FORGE Studio saves your settings and opens the main window. You're ready to load data and run a reconstruction.
Next: Quick Start →