If you have used the processing provider Orfeo TB with QGis 2.X and you look for it in the new version 3, you will be disappointed. Indeed, the Orfeo plugin rewriting has taken a little more time than expected and it is, not any longer,included in the plugins installed by default.

Here is the procedure to follow.

Nevertheless, it will come back, once all the tests are carried out. But in the meantime, you do not have to stop using it. You, actually, can install Orfeo in version 3, but manually.

Download the Orfeo library Download the matching version for your operational system in the following address  https://www.orfeo-toolbox.org/download/

Unzip the downloaded file, and copy the uncompressed directory(OTB-6.6.0- Win64) in a directory of your C drive. You can rename this directory but take a note of its location and name since you will need them for the Qgis processing provider configuration.

In our example let’s say we copy it directly on c: and we rename it as
”   OTB   “. Therefore you will have a c: / OTB directory.

The content of this directory is the Orfeo library. Now you have to download the files that configure the Orfeo plugin for QGis.

Download the Orfeo plugin files

Go to the following address  https://gitlab.orfeo-toolbox.org/orfeotoolbox/qgis-otb-plugin.

Download the directory and unzip the resulting zip file.

Copy the contents of the directory qgis- otb -plugin-master in a new directory that you have to create on your c: disk and that you will name, COMPULSORY,c: \ qgis-plugins \ qgis-otb-plugin You must get the following file structure:   

The installation is completed. Now, we have to carry out the plugin configuration.

Orfeo processing configuration in QGis

In the Processing toolbar, click the Options button. In the window Options
select tab Processing.   

Orfeo ToolBox (OTB) appears now as processing provider.

  • Check the Activate box to activate the feature.
  • In the OTB application folder field click the search button (…) and go to directory / lib / OTB / applications in the directory where you have installed the library . In our example we have selected c: / OTB. We must re-enter c: / OTB / lib / OTB / applications
  • In the OTB folder field enter the directory where you have installed the library. In our case c: / OTB
  • Click OK.

If you have made a mistake when filling the directories, you will find an explicit error message and the Activate box will be unchecked automatically.Once the processing provider is correctly configured, you will see the list of Orfeo processing in the processing panel.  

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17 thoughts on “Add Orfeo Toolbox to QGis 3.X

  1. Dear Colleague,

    Thanks for your nice instructions, I followed, step by step, I have windows 10, and QGIS 3.6, but when I open the setting —>option —-> processing orfeo doesn’t appear,

    Any comments for this issue or suggestions,

    Many thanks in advance,

    Falah,

  2. Hello,

    I have followed these steps but when OTB shows up in the Processing Toolbox on the right nothing shows up except for SAR tools. I have the app folder as C:/OTB/lib/otb/applications and OTB folder as C:/OTB. I am using QGIS 32 and OTB 32.

    Can i only use 64? What Am I doing wrong. I’m confused because SAR and OTB is showing up but not all of them. Thanks in advance!

    1. This is how to install on Windows running QGIS 2.18:

      Download zip file for Windows 64bit version from https://www.orfeo-toolbox.org/download/
      Unzipped it to a sensible location (i.e. not a temporary location)
      Start QGIS
      Go to menu option Processing > Options
      Expand Providers > Orfeo Toolbox
      For OTB application folder set the value to be the folder path to the bin folder, for example if you have unzipped the download to c:\scratch then the bin folder would be C:\Scratch\OTB-6.4.0-Win64\bin
      Set the OTB command line tools folder to the same bin folder
      Press OK
      If you get a Wrong value error message about a msys folder you then need to go to Providers > Grass Commands and clear the value in Msys folder, this is some sort of bug in QGIS.
      Restart QGIS

      IMPORTANT: Folder path must not have spaces, so c:\Program Files will not work!

  3. In 3.12.0 I had to set up the OTB options as follows:

    Unzipped to D:/Programs/QGISPlugins/OTB-7.0.0-Win64

    In Options|Processing
    Providers then OTB

    OTB application folder: D:/Programs/QGISPlugins/OTB-7.0.0-Win64/lib/otb/applications
    OTB folder: D:/Programs/QGISPlugins/OTB-7.0.0-Win64

  4. Can anyone describe the correct applications and OTB directories for QGIS under Ubuntu? The OTB binaries are in /usr/bin, and QGIS is happy with that as the application folder, but doesn’t accept /usr/bin or /usr/bin/otbcli for the ‘OTB Folder’.

    1. Hi Michael,

      I got it to work in Linux Mint. Downloaded the binary package from
      their website (OTB-7.1.0-Linux64.run) and placed it in my home
      directory.

      Then ran this line in the terminal
      ./OTB-7.1.0-Linux64.run

      You end up with a folder called OTB-7.1.0-Linux64

      Now, in QGIS I set the following as the directories for OTB
      OTB Folder: /home/sami/OTB-7.1.0-Linux64

      OTB Application Folder: /home/sami/OTB-7.1.0-Linux64/lib/otb/applications

      Hope this works for you

  5. Hey!
    Many thanks for these instructions. Could someone please clarify the bit about the path ” / lib / OTB / applications” in the OTB application folder? Do I have to create a folder “lib” with a subfolder “OTB” and a sub-subfolder “applications” within the original OTB -directory? And how does this path relate to the compulsory path “c: \ qgis-plugins \ qgis-otb-plugin” for the Orfeo plugin files, where should I add that? I’m confused.

    1. In the options winbdow of PROCESSING you don’t have to use the c: \ qgis-plugins \ qgis-otb-plugin path at all. Thgis is done automatically by QGIS. The two folder to configure are in the orfeo folder you create. In the example this is c:/OTB. The applications folder already exists in c: / OTB / lib / OTB / applications

  6. For Linux users,

    I simply followed Sami Madundo’s instruction and it works. I installed OTB-7.2.0-Linux64 in QGIS 3.16. No need to use plug-in dialog box.

    Thanks Sami.

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