meshlab/install/linux/README.md

Linux Scripts

This folder contains a series of scripts to build and deploy MeshLab under a Linux environment.

The follwing scripts are provided:

• linux_setup_env_ubuntu.sh: this script installs all the required dependecies that are necessary to build MeshLab in an Ubuntu distro (tested in 16.04, 18.04). If you never installed Qt and other libraries, you should run it before any other script;
• linux_build.sh: this script compiles MeshLab in a Linux environment:
  • it requires a properly set Qt environment (see linux_setup_env_ubuntu.sh);
  • without given arguments, all the binaries will be placed in the meshlab/distrib folder. You can give as argument the BUILD_PATH, and meshlab binaries will be then placed inside BUILD_PATH/distrib;
• linux_build_meshlab_mini.sh: this script compiles MeshLab mini in a Linux environment. Works in the same way as the linux_build.sh script;
• linux_deploy.sh: makes the distrib folder a portable version of MeshLab (no Qt and other libraries dependencies):
  • it requires a properly built meshlab distrib directory (see linux_build.sh);
  • without given arguments, the folder that will be deployed is meshlab/distrib. You can give as argument the DISTRIB_PATH;
• linux_appimage.sh: this script makes the distrib folder a portable version of MeshLab (no Qt and other libraries dependencies), and generates an AppImage that can be run in a Linux Environment without dependencies;
  • it requires a properly built meshlab distrib directory (see linux_build.sh);
  • without given arguments, the folder that will be deployed is meshlab/distrib. You can give as argument the DISTRIB_PATH.
• linux_make_it.sh: this script builds, deploys and generates an AppImage that can be run in a Linux Environment without dependencies;
  • it requires a properly set Qt environment (see linux_setup_env_ubuntu.sh);
  • without given arguments, all the binaries will be placed in the meshlab/distrib folder. You can give as argument the BUILD_PATH, and meshlab binaries and the AppImage will be then placed inside BUILD_PATH/distrib;

NOTE: linux_deploy.sh, linux_appimage.sh and linux_make_it.sh use LinuxDeployQt, which allows to deploy applications only running the oldest supported linux distro (see this) in order to guarantee the largest support possible. Therefore, before running these scripts, be sure that your Linux distribution is the oldest supported one.

Examples

Building meshlab on a clean Linux environment (compiled MeshLab in meshlab/distrib):

git clone --recursive https://github.com/cnr-isti-vclab/meshlab
bash meshlab/install/linux/linux_setup_env_ubuntu.sh
bash meshlab/install/linux/linux_build.sh

Building and generating AppImage on a clean Ubuntu 16.04 (last supported distro) environment, build directory in ~/build_meshlab:

git clone --recursive https://github.com/cnr-isti-vclab/meshlab
bash meshlab/install/linux/linux_setup_env_ubuntu.sh
bash meshlab/install/linux/linux_make_it.sh ~/build_meshlab

Meshlab*.AppImage can be found in ~/build_meshlab/distrib/.