CGAL - Installation instructions for Windows (win32)

Due to the large number of external libraries used by CGAL, its installation on the Windows platform can be a rather difficult experience.

The following package contains all the necessary files with a copy of CGAL 3.3.1:

CGAL 3.3.1 - Win32

This setup has been tested under the Microsoft Visual Studio 2003 and 2008 development environments.

1. QT Framework:

a. Install the QT framework by running the installer:

"setup-qt-win-free-msvc-3.3.4-3.exe”

b. Open the following directory:

C:\Program Files\qt-win-free-msvc-3.3.4\lib

c. Create a local copy of file qt-mt3.lib and name it to qt-mt.lib

d. Copy the following file:

C:\Program Files\qt-win-free-msvc-3.3.4\bin\qt-mtl.dll

in folder:

C:\WINDOWS\system32

2. BOOST libraries:

a. Copy and unzip the boost.zip file to a desired location such as “C:\”

Make sure that the path that will lead to the boost directory does not contain any spaces!
For instance, copying it to: C:\Program Files\boost will cause problems due to the space between words Program and Files

b. Open the Systems properties window from the Control Panel:



c. Select Environment variables
\

d. Click on the New button to create a New Systems variable by entering the following information:

3. CGAL:

a. Copy and unzip the CGAL-3.3.1.zip file to a desired location such as C:\

Make sure that the path that will lead to the CGAL directory does not contain any spaces!
For instance, copying it to: C:\Program Files\cgal may cause problems due to the space between Program and Files


b. As described in section 2, create a new environment variable by entering the following information:

4. Running QT based example under CGAL:

a. Your CGAL installation is ready. Try compiling the QT examples located in directory:

C:\CGAL-3.3.1\demo\Qt_widget

If you launch example tutorial2, a white QT window will open. Points can be entered by clicking inside the window with your computer mouse:


5. Recompiling CGAL:

To recompile CGAL, simply open the main solution file located here:

C:\CGAL-3.3.1\src