I use R extensively for engineering applications and currently have the free desktop version of RStudio installed on my work laptop.

I'm developing an R Shiny application for mechanical design optimization. The application evaluates numerous combinations of design variables, geometric constraints, and operating parameters to identify the optimal design.

The problem is computational performance. The optimization involves thousands of iterations and geometric calculations, which can take a significant amount of time when executed entirely in R.

I'm exploring ways to accelerate these calculations using C++ through Rcpp, while keeping R Shiny as the main application framework.

From what I understand:

• Rcpp can be installed using install.packages("Rcpp").
• Rtools provides the C/C++ compiler toolchain required to compile C++ code for use with R on Windows.
• Unlike regular R packages, Rtools is a separate installation and may require administrator privileges or IT approval on a corporate laptop.

My questions are:

1. Does Rtools require administrator privileges? Can I install it within my user directory without admin access?
2. Can Rtools be installed through the RStudio terminal, PowerShell, or Command Prompt, rather than using the Windows installer?
3. If administrator privileges are required, what's the best way to request Rtools installation from my company's IT department?
4. Are there any alternatives to Rtools for compiling and running C++ code with Rcpp on Windows?
5. Is there a way to use precompiled C++ libraries or another high-performance approach without installing a compiler locally?

Ideally, I'd like to keep the existing R Shiny application and move only the computationally intensive optimization routines into C++.

Has anyone dealt with this in a corporate Windows environment? I'd appreciate recommendations on the simplest IT-compliant approach, especially if it can be done without administrator access.