Monte Carlo eXtreme, or MCX, is a Monte Carlo photon simulator for modeling light transport in 3D turbid media. It uses NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs) to simulate thousands of photons simultaneously, making it one of the fastest and most accurate photon modeling tools.
Publisher’s description
What is MCX Studio?
MCX Studio is an open-source science & math program for Windows from COTILab. It is written in Pascal.
Installation and requirements
Official installers exist for 64-bit as EXE (Inno Setup). The main installer is 34.5 MB. Installation asks for administrator rights. It needs Windows 10 or newer. The installer supports unattended (silent) installation.
Updates and version history
The current version is v2025.10.20, released on October 23, 2025. 6 versions are listed since January 25, 2022, each with links to its own installer files. That is about 1.6 releases a year. The last update is more than a year old.
Popularity and file types
The source code on GitHub (fangq/mcx) has 195 stars. Similar programs include Stellarium, KiCad and Quarto.
Project description on GitHub: “Monte Carlo eXtreme (MCX) - Physically accurate and validated GPU ray-tracer”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Documented silent install
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- Installation needs administrator rights
- No update for more than a year
In short: MCX Studio is an open-source science & math tool for 64-bit PCs. Updates have slowed down. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Is MCX Studio safe to download?
- The file is served by mcx.space, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
5BD000315A121E4D493FBB1B35288FA4E6BBF25755D04C8FE73EAC2D3909DEAB· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link answered when we last checked it (October 22, 2026)
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Recent versions
All 6 versions ›6 versions over 4 years · about 1.6 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| v2025.10.20Latest | October 23, 2025 | 34.5 MB | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| v2025.10 | October 13, 2025 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| v2025 | February 16, 2025 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| v2024.2 | March 26, 2024 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| v2023 | September 30, 2023 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| v2020 | January 25, 2022 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id coti.mcxstudio -eMCXStudio-v2025.10.20-installer.exe /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART /SP-Related guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Information
- Publisher
- COTILab
- Category
- Science & maths
- Licence
- GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0)
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/fangq/mcx
- Written in
- Pascal
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10 (Windows 10+)
- Architecture
- 64-bit
- Installer
- EXE (Inno Setup)
- Version
- v2025.10.20
- Released
- October 23, 2025
- Added to the catalogue
- January 25, 2022
- Versions listed
- 6
- Updates / year
- 1.6
- GitHub stars
- 195
- GitHub forks
- 98
- Website
- sourceforge.net
- winget ID
- coti.mcxstudio
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is MCX Studio free?
Yes. MCX Studio is open-source software under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0) licence.
Is MCX Studio safe to download?
The download comes from mcx.space, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install MCX Studio with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can MCX Studio be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Which Windows versions does MCX Studio support?
The installer requires Windows 10 or newer and is available for 64-bit.
Does MCX Studio run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of MCX Studio?
The versions page lists all 6 versions with links to their official installer files, back to January 25, 2022.
What are alternatives to MCX Studio?
Stellarium, KiCad, Quarto, Qalculate! and JASP. The alternatives page compares them.
