VTK/Examples/Cxx/Utilities/OffScreenRendering

#include <vtkVersion.h>
#if VTK_MAJOR_VERSION == 6
int main(int, char *argv[])
{
  std::cout << argv[0] << " requires VTK 5.10 or earlier. This VTK version is " << vtkVersion::GetVTKVersion() << std::endl;
  return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}
#else
#include <vtkPolyDataMapper.h>
#include <vtkActor.h>
#include <vtkRenderWindow.h>
#include <vtkRenderer.h>
#include <vtkPolyData.h>
#include <vtkSmartPointer.h>
#include <vtkSphereSource.h>
#include <vtkWindowToImageFilter.h>
#include <vtkPNGWriter.h>
#include <vtkGraphicsFactory.h>
#include <vtkImagingFactory.h>
 
int main(int, char *[])
{
  // Setup offscreen rendering
  vtkSmartPointer<vtkGraphicsFactory> graphics_factory = 
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkGraphicsFactory>::New();
  graphics_factory->SetOffScreenOnlyMode( 1);
  graphics_factory->SetUseMesaClasses( 1 );
 
  vtkSmartPointer<vtkImagingFactory> imaging_factory = 
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkImagingFactory>::New();
  imaging_factory->SetUseMesaClasses( 1 ); 
 
  // Create a sphere
  vtkSmartPointer<vtkSphereSource> sphereSource = 
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkSphereSource>::New();
 
  // Create a mapper and actor
  vtkSmartPointer<vtkPolyDataMapper> mapper = 
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkPolyDataMapper>::New();
  mapper->SetInputConnection(sphereSource->GetOutputPort());
 
  vtkSmartPointer<vtkActor> actor = 
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkActor>::New();
  actor->SetMapper(mapper);
 
  // A renderer and render window
  vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderer> renderer = 
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderer>::New();
  vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderWindow> renderWindow = 
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderWindow>::New();
  renderWindow->SetOffScreenRendering( 1 ); 
  renderWindow->AddRenderer(renderer);
 
  // Add the actors to the scene
  renderer->AddActor(actor);
  renderer->SetBackground(1,1,1); // Background color white
 
  renderWindow->Render();
 
  vtkSmartPointer<vtkWindowToImageFilter> windowToImageFilter = 
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkWindowToImageFilter>::New();
  windowToImageFilter->SetInput(renderWindow);
  windowToImageFilter->Update();
 
  vtkSmartPointer<vtkPNGWriter> writer = 
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkPNGWriter>::New();
  writer->SetFileName("screenshot.png");
  writer->SetInputConnection(windowToImageFilter->GetOutputPort());
  writer->Write();
 
  return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}
#endif