The Computational Geometry Algorithms Library (CGAL) is a C++ library that aims to provide easy access to efficient and reliable algorithms in computational geometry.

CGAL releases

The primary vector of distribution of CGAL are sources tarballs, released twice a year, announced on the web site of CGAL. The sources distributed that way can be built using the CGAL installation manual.

CGAL Git repository layout

The Git repository of CGAL has a different layout from release tarballs. It contains a CMakeLists.txt file that serves as anchor for building, and a set of subfolders, so called packages. Most packages implement a data structure or an algorithm for CGAL (e.g., Convex_hull_2, or Triangulation_3); however some packages serve special needs:

• Installation - meta-files and CMake-support
• Maintenance - infrastructural support
• Core, CGALimageIO, Qt_widget, GraphicsView - component libraries
• Scripts - scripts to simplify developer's and user's work
• Testsuite - infrastructure for testsuite
• Documentation - infrastructure for CGAL's manual
• STL_Extension - extensions to the standard template library

Compilation and installation

The compilation and installation of CGAL from a sources tarball are described in the CGAL installation manual and in the file INSTALL.md that is at the root of any sources tarball.

CGAL developers, however, usually compile CGAL directly from a local Git repository. That kind of compilation is called a branch build, and is described in the file INSTALL.md that is at the root of the Git repository.

License

See the file LICENSE.md.

More information

• The CGAL web site
• Latest CGAL release documentation pages
• Latest CGAL master documentation pages, updated once a week
• CGAL daily testsuite results
• Guidelines for CGAL developers and Informations for new developers