Settings

Settings are changed with pvql config, which checks each value before storing it:

pvql config                              # list every setting and its value
pvql config set theme document
pvql config get theme
pvql config unset theme                  # back to the default

Every setting takes effect on the next preview, except extensions, which needs the install command run again. They are kept in ~/Library/Application Support/PyVistaQuickLook/config.json.

Theme

Previews follow a PyVista theme: its colour for a mesh without scalars, its colormap for one with, its shading and lighting, and its point size and line width. Name one of PyVista’s own:

pvql config set theme document

Or save your own from PyVista and name the file:

import pyvista as pv

theme = pv.themes.DocumentTheme()
theme.color = 'tan'
theme.cmap = 'viridis'
theme.smooth_shading = True
theme.lighting_params.specular = 0.4
theme.save('mytheme.json')

pvql config set theme mytheme.json

Editing the file redraws previews on the next look. Without a theme, previews look like PyVista’s own plots.

A preview with pvql config set theme paraview.

Every setting

Key	Default	Effect
theme	PyVista’s own	A PyVista theme by name, such as document or paraview, or the path of one saved with Theme.save
interactive	true	Show a turnable surface; false renders a still image instead
force_interactive	false	Open a .pv file on the surface even when it carries a picture
info_panel	automatic	Where the dataset’s details go: side, below, compact, hidden, or automatic to choose by the panel’s size
max_file_size_mb	2048	Files above this size show their header and a Preview Anyway button instead of a preview; 0 for no limit
max_scene_points	2000000	Thin surfaces above this many points; 0 never does
max_conversion_memory_mb	half the memory	Memory previews may use while built side by side; 0 for no limit
timeout	60	Seconds before a conversion is abandoned
window_size	1024 1024	Still image size in pixels
background	none	Background colour of still images
extra_args	none	Extra arguments appended to pyvista plot for still images
extensions.add, extensions.remove	none	Extensions to claim or stop claiming, on the next install
native_formats	false	Preview .ply, .stl, .obj, USD and .abc here instead of in macOS’s own 3D viewer
cache	true	Reuse previously built previews
cache_check_minutes	1440 (a day)	How often the service deletes previews of changed or deleted files; 0 never does
preload_on_start	true	Load PyVista and VTK when the render service starts
log	false	Append activity to pvql.log beside the config file
python	set at install	Interpreter of the PyVista environment
pvql	discovered	Absolute path to the pvql helper

Claiming more or fewer extensions

To claim fewer, or to add one of the unclaimed ones listed under Supported files, change the claims and run the install command again, which rebuilds the app with them:

pvql config set extensions.add .h5
pvql config set extensions.remove .dat

Native formats

macOS previews .ply, .stl, .obj, USD and Alembic files itself, showing the shape but nothing about the data, and Quick Look ranks its own viewer above any extension claiming those types. To preview them here instead:

pvql config set native_formats true

The setting stands macOS’s viewer down for your account (pluginkit -e ignore -i com.apple.HydraQLPreviewExtension), which also takes away its preview of MaterialX files; the extension already claims the types, and Quick Look honours the claim once the viewer is down. USD and Alembic files are read through macOS’s own Model I/O by a tool the app carries, one block per mesh named by its path in the file; USDZ packages stay with AR Quick Look. pvql doctor reports the state. Setting it back to false restores the viewer at once.

Without the setting, the app is still offered for them under Open With: select a .ply in the Finder, press ⌘I, choose PyVista Quick Look under Open With, and click Change All. Double-clicking such a file then opens this preview, render and dataset panel alike, in a window of its own.