To install Python packages (“eggs”) from the Python language’s package manager “pip,” follow our instructions below. This can be done without Administrator access in a per-user, per-project clean manner with virtualenv. Virtualenv is the industry-standard way of developing and running Python. Virtualenv is available in our environment for current Python 3 packages.

This Guide applies to the following MCECS labs where Python is installed:
EB General lab (Eb 325), FAB General Lab (FAB 55-17), MCAE Lab (EB 420) and Civil 3D lab (EB 385).

From a command prompt:

1. First navigate to the D: drive which has ample scratch storage space, or N: drive which has less storage space but is backed up and follows you across machines.
2. Create a directory to use for your python project in a location which you have write access ( such as N:\My Documents\myPyProject , D:\myPyProject ).
3. Run the command python -m venv "path\to\project". This creates the virtual environment in your project folder.
4. Navigate into your project directory.
5. Run the activation.
6. Use `pip` to install your package of choice.

You should be returned with a prompt similar to: (myPyProject)>

The following is a complete example of the steps above:

1. cd N:
2. mkdir myPyProject
3. python -m venv "N:\myPyProject"
4. cd myPyProject
5. Scripts\activate.bat
6. pip install numPy