From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

Has anybody had success using librecad on Raspberry Pi OS?

I'm trying, and noticed that the about box reports:

Version: 2.2.0-alpha
Compiler: GNU GCC 12.2.0
Compiled on: Dec 26 2022
Qt Version: 5.15.8
Boost Version: 1.74.0

The compile date is four years from this past December, which
seems a long time ago for an -alpha version.

I'm having great difficulty making librecad work by tring to
follow the instructions, both in the librecad manual and in
online tutorials. If there's a good written (not video) tutorial
it might help quite a bit, but I haven't found one.

Part of my ineptitude is surely caused by first learning CAD
on a Macintosh (Ashlar Graphite), but I'm starting to wonder
if something more (maybe an outdated APT repository) is part
of my difficulties.

Thanks for reading, and any suggestions,

bob prohaska

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On 22/06/2026 17:36, bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

Has anybody had success using librecad on Raspberry Pi OS?

I'm trying, and noticed that the about box reports:

Version: 2.2.0-alpha
Compiler: GNU GCC 12.2.0
Compiled on: Dec 26 2022
Qt Version: 5.15.8
Boost Version: 1.74.0

The compile date is four years from this past December, which
seems a long time ago for an -alpha version.

I'm having great difficulty making librecad work by tring to
follow the instructions, both in the librecad manual and in
online tutorials. If there's a good written (not video) tutorial
it might help quite a bit, but I haven't found one.

Part of my ineptitude is surely caused by first learning CAD
on a Macintosh (Ashlar Graphite), but I'm starting to wonder
if something more (maybe an outdated APT repository) is part
of my difficulties.

Thanks for reading, and any suggestions,

bob prohaska

Current version seems to be: librecad_2.2.0.2-3_arm64.deb
See https://packages.debian.org/sid/arm64/librecad/download

Rpi OS apt is often well out of date
--
Chris
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

W dniu 22.06.2026 o 18:36, bp@www.zefox.net pisze:

but I'm starting to wonder
if something more (maybe an outdated APT repository) is part
of my difficulties.

How about updating to a recent AppImage?

<https://github.com/LibreCAD/LibreCAD/releases>

There is a LibreCAD-v2.2.1.5-aarch64.AppImage available. The online
manual is probably more closely aligned with this version as well.
--
Z totaliztycznym salutem!
Jacek Marcin Jaworski, Pruszcz Gd., woj. Pomorskie, Polska 🇵🇱, UE 🇪🇺;
tel.: +48-609-170-742, najlepiej w godz.: 5:00-5:55 lub 16:00-17:25; <jmj@energokod.gda.pl>, gpg: 4A541AA7A6E872318B85D7F6A651CC39244B0BFA;
Domowa s. WWW: <https://energokod.gda.pl>;
Mini Netykieta: <https://energokod.gda.pl/MiniNetykieta.html>;
Mailowa Samoobrona: <https://emailselfdefense.fsf.org/pl>.
UWAGA:
NIE ZACIĄGAJ "UKRYTEGO DŁUGU"! PŁAĆ ZA PROG. FOSS I INFO. INTERNETOWE! CZYTAJ DARMOWY: "17. Raport Totaliztyczny - Patroni Kontra Bankierzy": <https://energokod.gda.pl/raporty-totaliztyczne/17.%20Patroni%20Kontra%20Bankierzy.pdf>

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

I'm having great difficulty making librecad work by tring to
follow the instructions, both in the librecad manual and in
online tutorials. If there's a good written (not video) tutorial
it might help quite a bit, but I haven't found one.

What's not working?

Part of my ineptitude is surely caused by first learning CAD
on a Macintosh (Ashlar Graphite), but I'm starting to wonder
if something more (maybe an outdated APT repository) is part
of my difficulties.

I find LibreCAD a bit awkward. I think it's designed as a clone of AutoCAD, which means it inherits the AutoCAD way of doing things - that's often backwards to how other 'design' packages do it.

For example, in older versions you couldn't just draw a rectangle with
height and width, you had to draw 4 lines and then set constraints on them
(the four corners are right angles, the left side is of length H and the
bottom side is of length W)

That's how AutoCAD works, and it makes sense when you're doing parametric
CAD. But it's just annoying if you just want to draw some boxes to eg work
out the best positions of furniture in your room, or whatever it might be.

I can't speak for LibreCAD (which is 2D CAD) but FreeCAD takes the same approach for 3D: you start with 2D sketches which have lines, arcs and constraints and then you build 3D shapes from the sketches. MangoJelly has
(a lot of) good tutorials for FreeCAD:

https://www.youtube.com/@MangoJellySolutions/playlists

- I don't think he covers LibreCAD but the generic 'CAD thinking' might be relevant. Any time he's talking about a sketch it's the same ideas as 2D
CAD.

I had a brief search for LibreCAD tutorials on Youtube and there's no-one I recognise, so I can't vouch for any of reliable quality.

Theo
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

Chris Townley <news@cct-net.co.uk> wrote:

On 22/06/2026 17:36, bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

Has anybody had success using librecad on Raspberry Pi OS?

I'm trying, and noticed that the about box reports:

Version: 2.2.0-alpha
Compiler: GNU GCC 12.2.0
Compiled on: Dec 26 2022
Qt Version: 5.15.8
Boost Version: 1.74.0

The compile date is four years from this past December, which
seems a long time ago for an -alpha version.

I'm having great difficulty making librecad work by tring to
follow the instructions, both in the librecad manual and in
online tutorials. If there's a good written (not video) tutorial
it might help quite a bit, but I haven't found one.

Part of my ineptitude is surely caused by first learning CAD
on a Macintosh (Ashlar Graphite), but I'm starting to wonder
if something more (maybe an outdated APT repository) is part
of my difficulties.

Thanks for reading, and any suggestions,

bob prohaska

Current version seems to be: librecad_2.2.0.2-3_arm64.deb
See https://packages.debian.org/sid/arm64/librecad/download

Rpi OS apt is often well out of date

How would I go about using that repository? I've always used
sudo apt install (packagename).....

Thanks for posting!

bob prohaska

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On Mon, 22 Jun 2026 19:33:01 -0000 (UTC), bp wrote:

How would I go about using that repository? I've always used sudo apt
install (packagename).....

The easiest way is to go to the site, download the deb, and then 'sudo apt install librecad_2.2.0.2-3_arm64.deb'
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:

bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

I'm having great difficulty making librecad work by tring to
follow the instructions, both in the librecad manual and in
online tutorials. If there's a good written (not video) tutorial
it might help quite a bit, but I haven't found one.

What's not working?

Seemingly, everything 8-)

That points strongly to me being the problem, and it's at
least partly true. I just managed to draw, save and open a
rectagle using a tutorial at https://docs.librecad.org/en/latest/guides/dwg-edit.html
but all layers display all the time, the response to clicks
seemed one click late and the resulting line is dash-dot,
not continuous.

Part of my ineptitude is surely caused by first learning CAD
on a Macintosh (Ashlar Graphite), but I'm starting to wonder
if something more (maybe an outdated APT repository) is part
of my difficulties.

I find LibreCAD a bit awkward. I think it's designed as a clone of AutoCAD, which means it inherits the AutoCAD way of doing things - that's often backwards to how other 'design' packages do it.

I find LibreCAD _extremely_ awkward after learning to use Ashlar Graphite,
it really spoiled me 8-) but I can't justify the license cost now.
.

For example, in older versions you couldn't just draw a rectangle with
height and width, you had to draw 4 lines and then set constraints on them (the four corners are right angles, the left side is of length H and the bottom side is of length W)

That's how AutoCAD works, and it makes sense when you're doing parametric CAD. But it's just annoying if you just want to draw some boxes to eg work out the best positions of furniture in your room, or whatever it might be.

That's the sort of problem I'm interested in, nothing sophisticated.

I can't speak for LibreCAD (which is 2D CAD) but FreeCAD takes the same approach for 3D: you start with 2D sketches which have lines, arcs and constraints and then you build 3D shapes from the sketches. MangoJelly has (a lot of) good tutorials for FreeCAD:

https://www.youtube.com/@MangoJellySolutions/playlists

- I don't think he covers LibreCAD but the generic 'CAD thinking' might be relevant. Any time he's talking about a sketch it's the same ideas as 2D CAD.

It seems helpful, I'll watch it carefully

I had a brief search for LibreCAD tutorials on Youtube and there's no-one I recognise, so I can't vouch for any of reliable quality.

I found quite a few, but they're basically unfollowable; cursors can't
be seen on-screen and the narration runs away from me.

Thanks for writing!

bob prohaska

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

rbowman <bowman@montana.com> wrote:

On Mon, 22 Jun 2026 19:33:01 -0000 (UTC), bp wrote:

How would I go about using that repository? I've always used sudo apt
install (packagename).....

The easiest way is to go to the site, download the deb, and then 'sudo apt install librecad_2.2.0.2-3_arm64.deb'

Looks like no go:
bob@raspberrypi:~/Downloads$ sudo apt install ./librecad_2.2.0.2-3_arm64.deb Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
Note, selecting 'librecad' instead of './librecad_2.2.0.2-3_arm64.deb'
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
librecad : Depends: libc6 (>= 2.38) but 2.36-9+rpt2+deb12u14 is to be installed
Depends: libmuparser2v5 (>= 2.3.4) but 2.3.3-0.1 is to be installed
Depends: libqt5core5t64 (>= 5.15.1) but it is not installable
Depends: libqt5gui5t64 (>= 5.7.0) but it is not installable or
libqt5gui5-gles (>= 5.7.0) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: libqt5printsupport5t64 (>= 5.1.0) but it is not installable
Depends: libqt5widgets5t64 (>= 5.11.0~rc1) but it is not installable
Depends: libstdc++6 (>= 14) but 12.2.0-14+deb12u1 is to be installed
Depends: librecad-data (= 2.2.0.2-3) but 2.2.0-1 is to be installed E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages. bob@raspberrypi:~/Downloads$

I tried apt-removing the RasPiOS version of librecad, but the error
above recurred, so I guess it's not a package conflict.

Thanks for writing, any further counsel appreciated!

bob prohaska

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On 22/06/2026 20:33, bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

Chris Townley <news@cct-net.co.uk> wrote:

On 22/06/2026 17:36, bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

Current version seems to be: librecad_2.2.0.2-3_arm64.deb
See https://packages.debian.org/sid/arm64/librecad/download

Rpi OS apt is often well out of date

How would I go about using that repository? I've always used
sudo apt install (packagename).....

Thanks for posting!

bob prohaska

Look at the notes on the page that I listed.

Fir mainstream products apt is good, but for many products it just
installs ancient versions. You could compile from source, but there are
many packages that ease the way through
--
Chris
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:

bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

I'm having great difficulty making librecad work by tring to
follow the instructions, both in the librecad manual and in
online tutorials. If there's a good written (not video) tutorial
it might help quite a bit, but I haven't found one.

What's not working?

Seemingly, everything 8-)

That points strongly to me being the problem, and it's at
least partly true. I just managed to draw, save and open a
rectagle using a tutorial at https://docs.librecad.org/en/latest/guides/dwg-edit.html
but all layers display all the time, the response to clicks
seemed one click late and the resulting line is dash-dot,
not continuous.

Ah, ok. Not sure what's up there. I wonder if it's something to do with
the graphics setup not being right? eg Wayland issues?

I find LibreCAD a bit awkward. I think it's designed as a clone of AutoCAD,
which means it inherits the AutoCAD way of doing things - that's often backwards to how other 'design' packages do it.

I find LibreCAD _extremely_ awkward after learning to use Ashlar Graphite,
it really spoiled me 8-) but I can't justify the license cost now.

TBH when I just want 'scale drawing' rather than parametric CAD, I use Inkscape. That's been good enough for accurately drawing things to be laser cut, and it works much more like a traditional vector drawing package (I
used to use Acorn's !Draw, a long time ago). You can export DXF if you
really need AutoCAD compatibility, eg for the laser cutter.

I only really use parametric when 3D printing, and often I find I'm fighting FreeCAD more than drawing so often end up using OpenSCAD instead (which is
more like 'writing code' than 'drawing')

(FreeCAD has got a lot better recently, but typically the problem is I know
how to express what I want parametrically, but run into problems with constraint conflicts)

Another parametric CAD program I found easier to use is SolveSpace - I
threw in a bunch of room dimensions and it produced a house plan, working
out how thick all the walls were and how they fitted together. Again it's
not really for drawing, it's useful specifically because it's trying to
solve your pile of constraints. I only used it for 2D... perhaps I should
look again at its 3D features.

Theo
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

🇵🇱Jacek Marcin Jaworski🇵🇱 <jmj@energokod.gda.pl> wrote:

W dniu 22.06.2026 o 18:36, bp@www.zefox.net pisze:

but I'm starting to wonder
if something more (maybe an outdated APT repository) is part
of my difficulties.

How about updating to a recent AppImage?

<https://github.com/LibreCAD/LibreCAD/releases>

There is a LibreCAD-v2.2.1.5-aarch64.AppImage available. The online
manual is probably more closely aligned with this version as well.

That's probably the easiest way to get a newer version.

There is also a Flatpak of 2.2.1.5: https://flathub.org/en-GB/apps/org.librecad.librecad

Installation should be something like:

sudo apt install flatpak
sudo flatpak install flathub org.librecad.librecad
flatpak run org.librecad.librecad

(you have to launch apps from the GUI or via 'flatpak run <full package
name>' at the command line; they don't get installed in your command line path)

Theo
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On 22 Jun 2026 22:55:11 +0100 (BST), Theo wrote:

TBH when I just want 'scale drawing' rather than parametric CAD, I
use Inkscape.

I was wondering when someone was going to mention that ;). Add my vote
to the suggestion.

<https://inkscape.org/>

That's been good enough for accurately drawing things to be laser
cut, and it works much more like a traditional vector drawing
package ...

Which is exactly what it is.

But more than that, it lets you type in exact numbers for measurements
of things, rather than having to go by eye. And of course you have the align/distribute tools, to get things nicely arranged.

If you need to do constraint solving to place/shape things, you could
write Python code to do it. It’s better than Autolisp, anyway ...

Another parametric CAD program I found easier to use is SolveSpace ...

That’s open-source, too <https://solvespace.com/>.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On Mon, 22 Jun 2026 21:20:00 -0000 (UTC), bp wrote:

I tried apt-removing the RasPiOS version of librecad, but the error
above recurred, so I guess it's not a package conflict.

I was concerned when I saw 'sid' in the URL. Sid is Debian's bleeding
edge, often broken code but I thought it might be a usable deb.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

🇵🇱Jacek Marcin Jaworski🇵🇱 <jmj@energokod.gda.pl> wrote:

W dniu 22.06.2026 o 18:36, bp@www.zefox.net pisze:

but I'm starting to wonder
if something more (maybe an outdated APT repository) is part
of my difficulties.

How about updating to a recent AppImage?

<https://github.com/LibreCAD/LibreCAD/releases>

There is a LibreCAD-v2.2.1.5-aarch64.AppImage available. The online
manual is probably more closely aligned with this version as well.

It's downloading now, how do I unpack it?
I'm totally clueless.

Thanks for writing!

bob prohaska

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:

bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:

bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

I'm having great difficulty making librecad work by tring to
follow the instructions, both in the librecad manual and in
online tutorials. If there's a good written (not video) tutorial
it might help quite a bit, but I haven't found one.

What's not working?

Seemingly, everything 8-)

That points strongly to me being the problem, and it's at
least partly true. I just managed to draw, save and open a
rectagle using a tutorial at
https://docs.librecad.org/en/latest/guides/dwg-edit.html
but all layers display all the time, the response to clicks
seemed one click late and the resulting line is dash-dot,
not continuous.

Ah, ok. Not sure what's up there. I wonder if it's something to do with
the graphics setup not being right? eg Wayland issues?

That's something I didn't consider, maybe I'll try reverting to
Xorg at some point. I've also noticed that the snap function
seems to silently stop working for a time, then resume.

I find LibreCAD a bit awkward. I think it's designed as a clone of AutoCAD,
which means it inherits the AutoCAD way of doing things - that's often
backwards to how other 'design' packages do it.

I find LibreCAD _extremely_ awkward after learning to use Ashlar Graphite, >> it really spoiled me 8-) but I can't justify the license cost now.

TBH when I just want 'scale drawing' rather than parametric CAD, I use Inkscape. That's been good enough for accurately drawing things to be laser cut, and it works much more like a traditional vector drawing package (I
used to use Acorn's !Draw, a long time ago). You can export DXF if you really need AutoCAD compatibility, eg for the laser cutter.

I messed with Inkscape a couple years ago and got it to work after a fashion. The other day I opened it up again and my brain went blank as the page.
No memory of how I accomplished the little bit I did, IIRC a floorplan.
A crude one, at that.

Still, Inkscape didn't give me the impression the software was the
problem. Clearly the fumbles were mine. With Librecad I'm not sure.

I only really use parametric when 3D printing, and often I find I'm fighting FreeCAD more than drawing so often end up using OpenSCAD instead (which is more like 'writing code' than 'drawing')

(FreeCAD has got a lot better recently, but typically the problem is I know how to express what I want parametrically, but run into problems with constraint conflicts)

Another parametric CAD program I found easier to use is SolveSpace - I
threw in a bunch of room dimensions and it produced a house plan, working
out how thick all the walls were and how they fitted together. Again it's not really for drawing, it's useful specifically because it's trying to
solve your pile of constraints. I only used it for 2D... perhaps I should look again at its 3D features.

All I really need is the ability to make simple drawing to
scale so they can be checked for interference between objects.

Thanks for writing!

bob prohaska

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:20:11 -0000 (UTC), bp wrote:

I messed with Inkscape a couple years ago and got it to work after a
fashion. The other day I opened it up again and my brain went blank
as the page.

The default initial tool is the selection too. But of course you have
nothing to select, to begin with.

There are tools for creating shapes and drawing lines. Choose one, and click/drag away.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On 22 Jun 2026 at 22:55:11 BST, Theo wrote:

I find LibreCAD _extremely_ awkward after learning to use Ashlar Graphite, >> it really spoiled me 8-) but I can't justify the license cost now.

TBH when I just want 'scale drawing' rather than parametric CAD, I use Inkscape. That's been good enough for accurately drawing things to be laser cut, and it works much more like a traditional vector drawing package (I
used to use Acorn's !Draw, a long time ago). You can export DXF if you really need AutoCAD compatibility, eg for the laser cutter.

FWIW, I find Draw.io good - in the sense it's easy to learn/use for things
like buildings and gardens, with scales and architectural detail fairly easy
to manage.

I find Inkscape more of an illustration and drawing app.
--
Cheers, Rob
Sheffield, UK
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On 23 Jun 2026 at 01:20:11 BST, bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

All I really need is the ability to make simple drawing to
scale so they can be checked for interference between objects.

Have a quick play with Draw.io:

https://app.diagrams.net

I use the Mac version with the 'Floorplans' library to do much the same thing
- in my case DIY - shed and room design for example.
--
Cheers, Rob
Sheffield, UK
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On Mon, 22 Jun 2026 23:55:41 -0000 (UTC), bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

🇵🇱Jacek Marcin Jaworski🇵🇱 <jmj@energokod.gda.pl> wrote:

W dniu 22.06.2026 o 18:36, bp@www.zefox.net pisze:

but I'm starting to wonder
if something more (maybe an outdated APT repository) is part of my
difficulties.

How about updating to a recent AppImage?

<https://github.com/LibreCAD/LibreCAD/releases>

There is a LibreCAD-v2.2.1.5-aarch64.AppImage available. The online
manual is probably more closely aligned with this version as well.

It's downloading now, how do I unpack it?
I'm totally clueless.

Thanks for writing!

bob prohaska

Just make the file executable (chmod +x "File_Name")

Then either click it (once or twice depending on how your desktop is
setup) or just run that filename from the CLI

bp@home$~/home/bp foobar.appimage

HTH

Avpx
--
"Remember - that which does not kill us can only make us stronger."
- "And that which *does* kill us leaves us *dead*!"
(Carpe Jugulum)
Tue 11984 Sep 08:00:01 BST 1993
08:00:01 up 19:04, 1 user, load average: 0.95, 1.66, 1.06
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On Tue, 23 Jun 2026 04:22:12 -0000 (UTC), RJH wrote:

I find Inkscape more of an illustration and drawing app.

Also has good design tools. And a Python API.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

It sounds like the version isn’t really the issue, but:

bp@www.zefox.net writes:

rbowman <bowman@montana.com> wrote:

On Mon, 22 Jun 2026 19:33:01 -0000 (UTC), bp wrote:

How would I go about using that repository? I've always used sudo apt
install (packagename).....

The easiest way is to go to the site, download the deb, and then 'sudo apt >> install librecad_2.2.0.2-3_arm64.deb'

This is bad advice.

[...]

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
librecad : Depends: libc6 (>= 2.38) but 2.36-9+rpt2+deb12u14 is to be installed

You are trying to install the sid version of librecad on bookworm
(=oldstable). Mixing distributions like only works in particular niches
and GUI tools are often not in those niches.

sid and trixie both have 2.2.0.2 so upgrading to trixie (=stable) would
be the answer if you wanted the most recent available packaged version.
--
https://www.greenend.org.uk/rjk/
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On 23 Jun 2026 at 08:21:57 BST, Lawrence D´Oliveiro wrote:

On Tue, 23 Jun 2026 04:22:12 -0000 (UTC), RJH wrote:

I find Inkscape more of an illustration and drawing app.

Also has good design tools. And a Python API.

TBH I haven't used it in a while - I'll take another look, thanks.
--
Cheers, Rob
Sheffield, UK
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On 23/06/2026 09:19, RJH wrote:

On 23 Jun 2026 at 08:21:57 BST, Lawrence D´Oliveiro wrote:

On Tue, 23 Jun 2026 04:22:12 -0000 (UTC), RJH wrote:

I find Inkscape more of an illustration and drawing app.

Also has good design tools. And a Python API.

TBH I haven't used it in a while - I'll take another look, thanks.

Y still use Corel draw and Rhino cad because they are the best 2D and 3D
CAD applications I have found.

Hence the XP installation.
If either were available on Linux I'd willingly pay for later versions.
--
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and
wrong.

H.L.Mencken

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

The Nomad <nomad@the.desert.invalid> wrote:

On Mon, 22 Jun 2026 23:55:41 -0000 (UTC), bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

🇵🇱Jacek Marcin Jaworski🇵🇱 <jmj@energokod.gda.pl> wrote:

W dniu 22.06.2026 o 18:36, bp@www.zefox.net pisze:

but I'm starting to wonder
if something more (maybe an outdated APT repository) is part of my
difficulties.

How about updating to a recent AppImage?

<https://github.com/LibreCAD/LibreCAD/releases>

There is a LibreCAD-v2.2.1.5-aarch64.AppImage available. The online
manual is probably more closely aligned with this version as well.

It's downloading now, how do I unpack it?
I'm totally clueless.

Thanks for writing!

bob prohaska

Just make the file executable (chmod +x "File_Name")

Then either click it (once or twice depending on how your desktop is
setup) or just run that filename from the CLI

bp@home$~/home/bp foobar.appimage

HTH

It does indeed help. Thank you very much!

bob prohaska





--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

On Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:20:11 -0000 (UTC), bp wrote:

I messed with Inkscape a couple years ago and got it to work after a
fashion. The other day I opened it up again and my brain went blank
as the page.

The default initial tool is the selection too. But of course you have
nothing to select, to begin with.

No, it's worse than that 8-). I opened a drawing that I'd created
some (long) time before. There were things to select, and I'd put
them there. I'd simply forgotten how......

There are tools for creating shapes and drawing lines. Choose one, and click/drag away.

One of the more confounding things is learning to find and recognize
tool icons. It's mostly a matter of discovery and memorization, though
even the same tools can behave differently between CAD systems. Add
to that a menu higherachy and it gets confusing fast.

Thanks for writing!

bob prohaska



--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:

On 23 Jun 2026 at 01:20:11 BST, bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

All I really need is the ability to make simple drawing to
scale so they can be checked for interference between objects.

Have a quick play with Draw.io:

https://app.diagrams.net

That's not far from my level of need. It appears to be oriented mostly
toward flowchart-like graphics, but might be compatible with measurement
based drawings if there's a way to input actual dimensions.

I do recoil a little at it being a web-based system, with all input
visible to somebody else's server.

Thanks for writing!

bob prohaska


--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

One of the more confounding things is learning to find and recognize
tool icons. It's mostly a matter of discovery and memorization, though
even the same tools can behave differently between CAD systems. Add
to that a menu higherachy and it gets confusing fast.

For FreeCAD you can change the icons to include text, which I find makes
them a lot easier to recognise as there are so many!

On Inkscape I can't find a setting like that, but here's a list: https://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/Themable_icons

Many packages, including Inkscape, have 'tooltips' where you can hover over
an icon to see a description of what it does.

Theo
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On Tue, 23 Jun 2026 12:10:00 -0000 (UTC), bp wrote:

One of the more confounding things is learning to find and recognize
tool icons.

Tooltips help.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On Tue, 23 Jun 2026 08:19:56 -0000 (UTC), RJH wrote:

On 23 Jun 2026 at 08:21:57 BST, Lawrence D´Oliveiro wrote:

On Tue, 23 Jun 2026 04:22:12 -0000 (UTC), RJH wrote:

I find Inkscape more of an illustration and drawing app.

Also has good design tools. And a Python API.

TBH I haven't used it in a while - I'll take another look, thanks.

Remember also that its native file format is SVG. There are lots of
other tools that can process/generate/consume that.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

On Tue, 23 Jun 2026 08:19:56 -0000 (UTC), RJH wrote:

On 23 Jun 2026 at 08:21:57 BST, Lawrence D´Oliveiro wrote:

On Tue, 23 Jun 2026 04:22:12 -0000 (UTC), RJH wrote:

I find Inkscape more of an illustration and drawing app.

Also has good design tools. And a Python API.

TBH I haven't used it in a while - I'll take another look, thanks.

Remember also that its native file format is SVG. There are lots of
other tools that can process/generate/consume that.

Although sometimes the webby nature of SVG shows through, eg the default dimension is pixels rather mm or inches. That's easy to change though.
Also some packages mess up the scaling when importing SVGs - I think
Inkscape stores everything in the file in pixels and then they get imported with a different pixels per inch (PPI) setting.

Another one that's surprising from other packages is that dimensions include line thicknesses. eg if you draw a 10mm wide box with thin lines, it's
exactly 10mm. If you change the line thickness to 1mm, the width of the
object is now 11mm. That's not wrong per se but means you have to include
the line thickness in your calculations, while on some packages the
dimensions of the object are measured from the centre of the lines not the outside edges - that means you can place everything on a 1cm grid
irrespective of how wide the lines are.

Theo
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On 24/06/2026 13:26, Theo wrote:

Another one that's surprising from other packages is that dimensions include line thicknesses. eg if you draw a 10mm wide box with thin lines, it's exactly 10mm. If you change the line thickness to 1mm, the width of the object is now 11mm. That's not wrong per se but means you have to include the line thickness in your calculations, while on some packages the dimensions of the object are measured from the centre of the lines not the outside edges - that means you can place everything on a 1cm grid irrespective of how wide the lines are.

Yes. I run into this when using corel draw to lay out PCBs. There is a
tool online to convert corel draw to whatever is used by PCB people -
Gerber?

( I use corel because the more modern packages require that you define
every single component before you start which takes days).

The converter ignores fonts and line thicknesses - it only understands
filled outlines - so I have to convert everything to 'curves' ..

But that's the joy of CADS isn't it? So many standards to choose from.
--
The higher up the mountainside
The greener grows the grass.
The higher up the monkey climbs
The more he shows his arse.

Traditional

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

On Tue, 23 Jun 2026 12:10:00 -0000 (UTC), bp wrote:

One of the more confounding things is learning to find and recognize
tool icons.

Tooltips help.

If by tooltips you mean the little pop-up windows that appear
when the mouse is dragged over an icon, they're on, and do help.

If you meant something more, please elaborate.

Part of my confusion may be order of operation issues. I just realized
that Librecad seems to reverse the order of selection and action that
I'm accustomed to.

Thanks for writing!

bob prohaska

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On 24/06/2026 14:52, bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

If by tooltips you mean the little pop-up windows that appear
when the mouse is dragged over an icon, they're on, and do help.

If you meant something more, please elaborate.

That is what I at least understand...

Part of my confusion may be order of operation issues. I just realized
that Librecad seems to reverse the order of selection and action that
I'm accustomed to.

Tell me about it. People who design CAD don't seem to understand the conceptual process of 'design something that fits here' only 'here are
your dimensions, now draw the part

Thanks for writing!

--
"When one man dies it's a tragedy. When thousands die it's statistics."

Josef Stalin


--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

The Nomad <nomad@the.desert.invalid> wrote:

On Mon, 22 Jun 2026 23:55:41 -0000 (UTC), bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

🇵🇱Jacek Marcin Jaworski🇵🇱 <jmj@energokod.gda.pl> wrote:

W dniu 22.06.2026 o 18:36, bp@www.zefox.net pisze:

but I'm starting to wonder
if something more (maybe an outdated APT repository) is part of my
difficulties.

How about updating to a recent AppImage?

<https://github.com/LibreCAD/LibreCAD/releases>

There is a LibreCAD-v2.2.1.5-aarch64.AppImage available. The online
manual is probably more closely aligned with this version as well.

It's downloading now, how do I unpack it?
I'm totally clueless.

Thanks for writing!

bob prohaska

Just make the file executable (chmod +x "File_Name")

Then either click it (once or twice depending on how your desktop is
setup) or just run that filename from the CLI

bp@home$~/home/bp foobar.appimage

HTH

It does indeed help. Thank you very much!

bob prohaska

Alas, some but not enough. Librecad crashes on startup, ending with
[Qt FATAL] Cannot mix incompatible Qt library (5.15.8) with this library (5.15.3)
Cannot mix incompatible Qt library (5.15.8) with this library (5.15.3)

Is it possible to update Qt? The OS was last updated yesterday,
so it's up to date by Raspbian standards....

Thanks for reading!

bob prohaska

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On 24 Jun 2026 13:26:59 +0100 (BST), Theo wrote:

Although sometimes the webby nature of SVG shows through, eg the
default dimension is pixels rather mm or inches.

The name “pixels” doesn’t actually mean “pixels”. It seems to mean 1/96 inch. I don’t know if that’s “webby”, or just a common characteristic based on common PC monitors from the 1990s.

I just started my copy of Inkscape, drew a box, and the default units
showing is mm.

Also some packages mess up the scaling when importing SVGs - I think
Inkscape stores everything in the file in pixels and then they get imported with a different pixels per inch (PPI) setting.

I don’t know why they should. If there’s any doubt, there should be an option to tell them what the scale factor should be.

Another one that's surprising from other packages is that dimensions
include line thicknesses. eg if you draw a 10mm wide box with thin
lines, it's exactly 10mm. If you change the line thickness to 1mm,
the width of the object is now 11mm.

I just tried, and no they don’t. I drew a box 10mm on a side, changed
the line thickness, and it was still shows 10mm on a side.

The dimensions are measured from the middle of the line, not an edge.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

On 24 Jun 2026 13:26:59 +0100 (BST), Theo wrote:

Although sometimes the webby nature of SVG shows through, eg the
default dimension is pixels rather mm or inches.

The name “pixels” doesn’t actually mean “pixels”. It seems to mean 1/96 inch. I don’t know if that’s “webby”, or just a common characteristic based on common PC monitors from the 1990s.

I just started my copy of Inkscape, drew a box, and the default units
showing is mm.

I'm not sure if that has changed recently, or if I changed the default
because setting mm was the first thing I set on a new install.

Also some packages mess up the scaling when importing SVGs - I think Inkscape stores everything in the file in pixels and then they get imported with a different pixels per inch (PPI) setting.

I don’t know why they should. If there’s any doubt, there should be an option to tell them what the scale factor should be.

Many SVG inconsistencies on this thread:

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/176792-impossible-to-use-svg-export-for-accurate-mm-precision/

My flow did include Adobe Illustrator which supposedly uses 72dpi not 96dpi, which I didn't know at the time. I just switched to exporting Postscript
which avoided that problem.

Another one that's surprising from other packages is that dimensions include line thicknesses. eg if you draw a 10mm wide box with thin
lines, it's exactly 10mm. If you change the line thickness to 1mm,
the width of the object is now 11mm.

I just tried, and no they don’t. I drew a box 10mm on a side, changed
the line thickness, and it was still shows 10mm on a side.

The dimensions are measured from the middle of the line, not an edge.

That's odd, because it still does it for me.
On Inkscape 1.4.3 (0d15f75042, 2025-12-25):

Draw rectangle, Fill and Stroke -> Stroke style -> Line width = 0.001mm
Set W = 10mm, now it's 10mm wide.

Select rectangle, Fill and Stroke -> Stroke style -> Line width = 1mm
W is now 11mm.

It also happens in the following sequence:

Draw rectangle, Line width = 0.001m
Set W = 10mm
Without leaving rectangle mode, Line width = 1mm
Select rectangle, W is now 11mm.

When in rectangle mode, if you change the line width it doesn't update the W but it does when you exit and select the object.

Theo
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

In article <111gjek$30bc0$3@dont-email.me>,
The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

( I use corel because the more modern packages require that you define
every single component before you start which takes days).

KiCad has fairly comprehensive symbol and footprint libraries. If you're redoing every component every time, you're doing it wrong.
--
_/_
/ v \ Scott Alfter (remove the obvious to send mail)
(IIGS( https://alfter.us/ Top-posting!
\_^_/ >What's the most annoying thing on Usenet? --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On 25/06/2026 17:01, Scott Alfter wrote:

In article <111gjek$30bc0$3@dont-email.me>,
The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

( I use corel because the more modern packages require that you define
every single component before you start which takes days).

KiCad has fairly comprehensive symbol and footprint libraries.

That never ever contain the components I am using.

It draws its own ugly cattywumpus version of the circuit diagram.

It does not understand RF or audio ground planes etc.

It creates a PCB that is to its own rules, Not the way I want it.
For retards its probably fine.,

If you're
redoing every component every time, you're doing it wrong.

No, KiCad is
--
Labour - a bunch of rich people convincing poor people to vote for rich
people by telling poor people that "other" rich people are the reason
they are poor.

Peter Thompson

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On 25 Jun 2026 14:24:28 +0100 (BST), Theo wrote:

Many SVG inconsistencies on this thread:

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/176792-impossible-to-use-svg-export-for-accurate-mm-precision/

Bugs in that particular proprietary app ... so it’s not worth using *yawn*

My flow did include Adobe Illustrator which supposedly uses 72dpi
not 96dpi, which I didn't know at the time. I just switched to
exporting Postscript which avoided that problem.

I’m sure Adobe would not be so enthusiastic about SVG, which is why
its support is only lukewarm. They would rather their own .AI format
was universal, but the open standard got adopted instead.

I don’t know why they bother with PostScript, though, given that
nobody uses it any more. Shouldn’t they be doing PDF instead?

Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

I just tried, and no they don’t. I drew a box 10mm on a side, changed
the line thickness, and it was still shows 10mm on a side.

The dimensions are measured from the middle of the line, not an edge.

That's odd, because it still does it for me.
On Inkscape 1.4.3 (0d15f75042, 2025-12-25):

Draw rectangle, Fill and Stroke -> Stroke style -> Line width = 0.001mm
Set W = 10mm, now it's 10mm wide.

Select rectangle, Fill and Stroke -> Stroke style -> Line width = 1mm
W is now 11mm.

I used the same version. Lined up the sides of the 10mm square on the
“50” and “60” points on the top ruler. The control points stay in exactly the same position as the line thickness changes.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:01:58 GMT, Scott Alfter wrote:

KiCad has fairly comprehensive symbol and footprint libraries.

They are the ones still insisting they want application-level control
over window layout, aren’t they. Which is why they hate Wayland, and
are resisting the move to it kicking and screaming.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On Thu, 25 Jun 2026 23:32:37 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:

On Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:01:58 GMT, Scott Alfter wrote:

KiCad has fairly comprehensive symbol and footprint libraries.

They are the ones still insisting they want application-level control
over window layout, aren’t they. Which is why they hate Wayland, and are resisting the move to it kicking and screaming.

https://x.com/LundukeJournal/status/2070211673177399545

More about xfwl4:

https://alexxcons.github.io/blogpost_15.html

I worked with X11/Motif for years. Were I still doing so I would hate
Wayland too. Sooner or later you would have to reach far down into the
stack to do the sort of thing the Wayland developers consider bad, bad,
bad.

I wish Tarricone all the best for his Rust project.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.raspberry-pi

On 26/06/2026 03:01, rbowman wrote:

On Thu, 25 Jun 2026 23:32:37 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:

On Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:01:58 GMT, Scott Alfter wrote:

KiCad has fairly comprehensive symbol and footprint libraries.

They are the ones still insisting they want application-level control
over window layout, aren’t they. Which is why they hate Wayland, and are >> resisting the move to it kicking and screaming.

https://x.com/LundukeJournal/status/2070211673177399545

More about xfwl4:

https://alexxcons.github.io/blogpost_15.html

I worked with X11/Motif for years. Were I still doing so I would hate
Wayland too. Sooner or later you would have to reach far down into the
stack to do the sort of thing the Wayland developers consider bad, bad,
bad.

I wish Tarricone all the best for his Rust project.

I think there is a lot of 'I want do it this way and Wayland cant'
Without the concomitant 'why on earth are you doing it that way?' and
'because that's the only way you can in X windows'.

I have an oil fired range stove and oven.
If I want to reduce the heat on a saucepan I prop it up on three pennies arranged in a triangle.

Imagine doing that on an induction hob...
--
"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow witted
man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest
thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."

- Leo Tolstoy


--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2