---
title: Installation
order: 1
---

Chisel is a Blender extension. Install Blender first, then drop the Chisel zip into the Blender window.

## Requirements

- **Blender 4.5.7 or newer**: including the 5.x series.
- **Windows x64**, **Linux x64**, or **macOS on Apple Silicon (ARM64)**. There is no Intel-Mac build.
- **Vulkan-capable GPU** strongly recommended. OpenGL works but compiles and runs 5–10× slower. On Apple Silicon the renderer runs natively on Metal.

Chisel ships native `armesher` wheels for **Python 3.11 and 3.13** (the runtimes Blender 4.5 and 5.x use) across all three platforms. Blender installs the wheel matching your platform and Python version automatically.

## Get Blender

1. Visit [blender.org](https://www.blender.org) and grab 4.5.7 or later (4.5.7+ or any 5.x) for your OS.
2. Install Blender.

## Get Chisel

Download Chisel from the [Superhive marketplace](https://superhivemarket.com/creators/ezelar/?ref=8329) and save the `.zip` somewhere convenient.

## Install the addon

1. Open Blender.
2. Drag the Chisel `.zip` directly into the Blender window. Blender installs it as an extension.
3. `Edit → Preferences → Save Preferences` so the install persists across sessions.

![Chisel tool in the toolbar](../assets/tool-toolbar.webp)

When the install completes, the *Chisel* workspace tool appears in the 3D View toolbar. That's the visible sign the extension is loaded.

## Verify

Open `Edit → Preferences → Add-ons → Chisel` and look at the *Info* tab. The status block should show:

- **armesher**: `armesher 4.1.0` with a checkmark, the bundled native library.
- **GPU Backend**: the backend Blender is running on (e.g. *Vulkan*, *Metal* on Apple Silicon, or *OpenGL*). Vulkan and Metal are much faster than OpenGL. On Blender 5.x, OpenGL turns this line red and offers a button to the System settings. Blender only falls back to OpenGL there when Vulkan failed to start, and Chisel needs the same Vulkan driver.
- **Schema hash**: `Schema hash: <hash> (matched)`, confirming the addon and the loaded wheel agree.

> If the schema line reads *Schema hash mismatch* instead, the loaded `armesher` wheel was built against a different addon revision. Click **Update Native Libraries** to reinstall the bundled wheel, then restart Blender. The build-hash handshake catches a stale wheel up front with a "rebuild wheels" notice. It won't fail silently at render time.

> **Intel integrated GPUs.** The first session compiles shaders and saves them for the next one. Some Intel drivers crash inside that saved cache; if that happens, Chisel turns the cache off on the next launch and you get a slower first frame instead of a crash. See [Preferences](../preferences.md#the-shader-cache-and-driver-crashes).

## Next

Head to [First Launch](first-launch.md) to switch on the engine, drop your first primitive, and try a smooth boolean.