How do you install HeeksCAM from github onto Windows??

[noobCNC]

I am learning about this free HeeksCAM.

https://github.com/Heeks/heekscad

Apparently the latest version is loaded onto this thing called Git instead of the Google code source which had a windows installer. And since Im not well initiated in the computer science world, I know nothing about Git nor how to install HeeksCAM and where to start, in terms of windows.

How does one install the software onto windows from Git?

[doorknob]

I don't have direct experience with either git or with HeeksCAD, but it does not look like there is any easy answer to your question.

From looking at the git repository to which you linked, I did not find any Windows executable there. So, I believe that in order to get a Windows version of the software, you would have to either:

- download the HeeksCAD source files from the github repository (that you linked to), get a suitable Windows compiler, and build a Windows executable from the program source (difficult to do if you are not an experienced programmer), or

- find someone else who has already built a Windows executable version, download that version and install it (but beware of possible trojan horses or viruses if you download from an untrusted source), or

- it appears that there may be a version written in Python, and if that is correct, then download that version of the software, and download a version of Python for Windows from somewhere else, and then try running the Python version, or

- give up on Windows and consider installing Ubuntu (Linux) and then download and build that version of HeeksCAD (still difficult to do, but probably less difficult than building it for Windows)

Of course it is possible that I have overlooked another option...

[noobCNC]

I use linux too. Its just that my commercial CAD and FEA software are windows based so it makes it a lot easier to design in CAD and then quickly transition to heeks and get the gcode instead of transfering files to another computer or logging off ad logging into linux to open it, etc. Especially when you want to do on the fly mods to your CAD design its a pain.

I spent 30 minutes or so taking a deeper look into it. It may be possible to install onto Windows. You will need to get an array of additional software to do this though. Its certainly not optimized or are there any attempts to make it easier for the uninitiated since they have no instructions anywhere at all for windows but plenty for linux.

I see there are Cmake codes there. So maybe in addition to cloning the source using Git or some other method, you need CMake and a C compiler like visual studio. Other than folks who do programming, most other people wont have these tools installed so the Git source is just useless to them. Its probably easiest to install onto ubuntu like you say since their windows version is buggy anyway from past experience. Some people report certain windows language packs affected their G code output from older versions of heeks, and I know at least with their older windows version of heekscad, that helical pocketing doesnt work even though its selected, but that the linux version works apparently.