> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/vedderb/bldc/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# IDE setup

> Install Qt Creator and open the VESC firmware project for development.

The VESC firmware repository includes a Qt Creator project for development. The Makefile provides an installer target that downloads and configures Qt Creator automatically.

## Prerequisites

Before running the Qt installer, make sure you have Python 3 and pip available. See [Prerequisites](/building/prerequisites) for installation instructions.

Then install `aqtinstall`, the tool used by `make qt_install` to download Qt:

```bash theme={null}
pip install aqtinstall
```

## Install Qt Creator

Run the Qt installer target from the repository root:

```bash theme={null}
make qt_install
```

This downloads and installs Qt Creator into the `tools/Qt/` directory inside the repository. No system-wide Qt installation is required.

<Note>
  All tools installed by Makefile targets are placed under the `tools/` directory. The build output goes to `build/`. Nothing is installed system-wide.
</Note>

## Open the project

<Steps>
  <Step title="Launch Qt Creator">
    Open the Qt Creator binary installed by the previous step:

    ```bash theme={null}
    tools/Qt/Tools/QtCreator/bin/qtcreator
    ```

    On Windows, navigate to `tools\Qt\Tools\QtCreator\bin\qtcreator.exe` in Explorer and double-click it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the vesc.pro project">
    Inside Qt Creator, open the VESC firmware Qt Creator project:

    ```
    Project/Qt Creator/vesc.pro
    ```

    Use **File → Open File or Project** and browse to `vesc.pro` inside the `Project/Qt Creator/` directory.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select your hardware target">
    The project defaults to building the `100_250` firmware. To change the target hardware:

    * Look at the bottom of the **left panel** in Qt Creator.
    * You will find a list of all hardware variants supported by VESC.
    * Select the entry that matches your board.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Build the project">
    Use the Qt Creator build button or press **Ctrl+B** to compile the firmware for your selected target.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Changing the hardware target

The hardware target controls which board-specific header and source files are compiled. All supported hardware variants are listed at the bottom of the left panel in Qt Creator.

If your board is not listed, you can define a custom hardware configuration. See [`conf_general.h`](https://github.com/vedderb/bldc/blob/master/conf_general.h) and the `fw_custom` make target described in [Build firmware](/building/build-firmware).

<Tip>
  You can also build from the command line without Qt Creator at any time using `make <target>`. Qt Creator is optional and mainly useful for navigating and editing the source code.
</Tip>