[SOLVED] Windows 10, OpenCamLib mandatory now??

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apeltauer
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[SOLVED] Windows 10, OpenCamLib mandatory now??

Post by apeltauer »

Hi Path/CAM dev team,

i have the following problem:

see this topic: https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=36230
Last edited by apeltauer on Mon May 13, 2019 1:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
RatonLaveur
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Re: Windows 10, OpenCamLib mandatory now??

Post by RatonLaveur »

Hi apeltauer,

The PathWB team has been hard at work almost everyday with the features of OCL, and I'm sure the dependency issue is due to that. I'm also sure it will be resolved quickly once the other side of the world wakes up. I dont' think OCL is mandatory now, so do not fret!

Thanks for bringing it up.
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quick61
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Re: Windows 10, OpenCamLib mandatory now??

Post by quick61 »

While OCL isn't mandatory, yet, some features will not work without it and personally I'm starting to get a little concerned that so much effort is going into a library that is currently incompatible with Python3, (now the default with FreeCAD). OCL might not ever be able to build with Py3 unless it undergoes a complete rewrite, and I don't think/know anyone that is doing that. To continue down the road with what could easily become an obsoleted and unusable, (to FreeCAD), library, I don't know...

With hind site being 20/20 and all, perhaps Path should of started out as a project to write a CAM kernel that was a part of the FreeCAD package, instead of relying, even a little bit, on external, unmaintained 3rd party, incompatible licensed, (it's still incompatible, right?), products.

Please, no one take this the wrong way, just my personal observations. I in no way intend to offend anyone doing such excellent work on Path, just putting out a users perspective, and perhaps a little frustration with this current OCL mess. ;)

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apeltauer
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Re: Windows 10, OpenCamLib mandatory now??

Post by apeltauer »

Good to see the response... :)
I will do a daily retest with the latest main branch and will Report...
mlampert
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Re: Windows 10, OpenCamLib mandatory now??

Post by mlampert »

Thanks for the note - this "requirement" might've slipped in with the 4th axis/surface feature.
I tend to agree with the assessment that opencamlib should be optional and we should disable features if it's not installed.
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Re: Windows 10, OpenCamLib mandatory now??

Post by mlampert »

quick61 wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 3:27 pm With hind site being 20/20 and all, perhaps Path should of started out as a project to write a CAM kernel that was a part of the FreeCAD package, instead of relying, even a little bit, on external, unmaintained 3rd party, incompatible licensed, (it's still incompatible, right?), products.

Please, no one take this the wrong way, just my personal observations. I in no way intend to offend anyone doing such excellent work on Path, just putting out a users perspective, and perhaps a little frustration with this current OCL mess. ;)
you are probably correct - the problem being that we don't seem to have a CAM kernel expert who's actually writing one for FC. I wish we had and did though. As I understand it back when Path came into existence the libarea bindings were all, or the best that was accessible.

To be fair though, OCL is brand new for FC and its use and integration is in its infancy. Them being in "experimental features" is probably still painting it pink. But we should probably agree on a strategy going forward.
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Re: Windows 10, OpenCamLib mandatory now??

Post by mlampert »

About the "mess", we need someone to champion the windows deployment/installation procedure for OCL. I don't use/have Windows so I wouldn't know where and how to start. I probably can't even install FC on Windows.
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Re: Windows 10, OpenCamLib mandatory now??

Post by kkremitzki »

mlampert wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 5:58 pm About the "mess", we need someone to champion the windows deployment/installation procedure for OCL. I don't use/have Windows so I wouldn't know where and how to start. I probably can't even install FC on Windows.
This is something I'd like to help Zach work on for his Google Summer of Code project.
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mlampert
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Re: Windows 10, OpenCamLib mandatory now??

Post by mlampert »

kkremitzki wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 6:28 pm
mlampert wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 5:58 pm About the "mess", we need someone to champion the windows deployment/installation procedure for OCL. I don't use/have Windows so I wouldn't know where and how to start. I probably can't even install FC on Windows.
This is something I'd like to help Zach work on for his Google Summer of Code project.
Awesome!
RatonLaveur
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Re: Windows 10, OpenCamLib mandatory now??

Post by RatonLaveur »

Hello, since we're raising an important topic (existential to the PathWB in my opinion) on OCL, i think it's worth noting the renewed discussion here:
https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic. ... 20#p306503
Where OCL as a useful tool is being discussed and at least one other approach to 3D machining (not 4th axis mind you...) is offered.
I also think a few of the main contributors may want to discuss.

As for completely different options, i have heard that the PyCam team is working on Python3 compatibility. Although i do not know if politically, administratively or technically it would make sense to reach out. Politcally because i don't know if they want to have anything to do with the FreeCAD community or if the PathWB contributors feel that it's worthwhile, administratively because I don't know if there are licensing issues (apparently OCL had such issues before), and technically because i don't really realize whether PyCam would bring an improvement to the PathWB. Or even be compatible.

Either way it's worth having this discussion and I'm sure that the likes of Sliptonic, Russ (you mlampert), JoshM, sgrogan and others are already thinking of the future with Python3.
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