PyCharm+Vagrant+Windows and virtualenv for remote development

Getting PyCharm to run with a remote interpreter via a VirtualBox launched through Vagrant isn't hard. But, how does one create and use virtualenvs for the projects on the VM? Without virtualenvs you are set to trample the exiting Ubuntu Python installation.

I looked all over SO and even a few YouTube videos. Not sure I found an answer to the most fundamental question: Is it possible to have PyCharm activate and use remote virtualenvs?

Two thoughts:

1- I am looking at this the wrong way. PyCharm has nothing to do with this. I have to setup VirtualHost on the VM and create an environment for each app. PyCharm will just use what's there.

If #1 is the answer, I am guessing one would then point the PyCharm interpreter setting to /path/to/project/directory/bin/python rather than the system python.

2- I am missing something fundamental in my understanding of how this works and someone is going to come back with a one-liner that makes me go "should have thought of that!".

Objectives:

  - Use PyCharm under Windows
  - Production code runs on Linodes
  - Development VM runs Ubuntu Server 14.04 LTS
  - It doesn't have to be a VM or even use Vagrant
      - We can build an Ubuntu box and put it on the network
      - We can also get a small Linode for development
      - The point is to develop on Linux from Windows remotely
  - Use virtualenvs to isolate project dependencies from Ubuntu's Python installation
      - each project has it's own needs
  - Saying "just develop on Linux" doesn't solve the problem because if we were clear across the world with a Mac laptop we'd have the same problem we have on our Windows desktops. We need to develop on a remote Linux machine with different virtualenvs per project.

A stopgap could be to build an Ubuntu Workskation VM, install PyCharm for Linux and develop within a portable VM. It doesn't solve the remote development problem, only the platform problem.

Thanks in advance for any input on this.