Installing CadQuery
To install both Cadquery and CQ-Editor together with a single installer see the instructions belowAdding a Nicer GUI via CQ-editor.
CadQuery may be installed with either conda or pip. The conda installation method is the better tested and more mature option.
Install via conda
Begin by installing the conda package manager. If conda is already installed skip toconda.
Install the Conda Package Manager
In principle, any Conda distribution will work, but it is probably best to installMiniforge to a local directory and to avoid runningconda init. After performing a local directory installation, Miniforge can be activated via the [scripts,bin]/activate scripts. This will help avoid polluting and breaking the local Python installation.
Miniforge is a minimal installer that setsconda-forge as the default channel for package installation and providesmamba. You can swap almost all commands between conda & mamba.
In Linux/MacOS, the local directory installation method looks something like this:
# Install to ~/miniforgecurl -L -o miniforge.sh "https://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge/releases/latest/download/Miniforge3-$(uname)-$(uname -m).sh"bash miniforge.sh -b -p $HOME/miniforge# Activatesource $HOME/miniforge/bin/activate
On Windows, download the installer and double click it on the file browser or install non-interactively as follows:
::Installto%USERPROFILE%\Miniforgecurl-L-ominiforge.exehttps://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge/releases/latest/download/Miniforge3-Windows-x86_64.exestart""/waitminiforge.exe/InstallationType=JustMe/RegisterPython=0/NoRegistry=1/NoScripts=1/S/D=%USERPROFILE%\Miniforge::Activatecmd/K""%USERPROFILE%/Miniforge/Scripts/activate.bat" "%USERPROFILE%/Miniforge""
# Install to $env:USERPROFILE\Miniforgecurl.exe -L -o miniforge.exe https://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge/releases/latest/download/Miniforge3-Windows-x86_64.exeStart-Process -Wait -FilePath miniforge.exe -ArgumentList @("/InstallationType=JustMe", "/RegisterPython=0", "/NoRegistry=1", "/NoScripts=1", "/S", "/D=$env:USERPROFILE\Miniforge")# Activate. $env:USERPROFILE\Miniforge\shell\condabin\conda-hook.ps1conda activateIt might be worthwhile to consider using/NoScripts=0 to have an activation shortcut added to the start menu.
After conda installation, create and activate a newconda environment to prepare for cadquery installation.
conda
mambainstall is recommended overcondainstall for faster and less memory intensive cadquery installation.
Install the latest released version of cadquery:
condacreate-ncqcondaactivatecqmambainstallcadquery
or install a given version of cadquery[1]:
condacreate-ncq231condaactivatecq231mambainstallcadquery=2.3.1
or install the latest dev version:
condacreate-ncqdevcondaactivatecqdevmambainstall-ccadquerycadquery=master
Add theconda-forge channel explicitly to the install command if needed (not using a miniforge based conda distribution).
Install via pip
CadQuery can be installed via pip on Linux, MacOS and Windows. Python versions 3.9 and newer are supported by CadQuery, however a bleeding-edge Python installation may be broken due to lagging support in CadQuery’s complex set of dependencies. If the pip installation method does not work for your system, you can try the conda installation method above.
It is highly recommended that a virtual environment is used when installing CadQuery, although it is not strictly required. Installing CadQuery via pip requires an up-to-date version of pip, which can be obtained with the following command line (or a slight variation thereof).:
python3-mpipinstall--upgradepip
Once a current version of pip is installed, CadQuery can be installed using the following command line.:
pipinstallcadquery
It is also possible to install the very latest changes directly from CadQuery’s GitHub repository, with the understanding that sometimes breaking changes can occur. To install from the git repository, run the following command line.:
pipinstallgit+https://github.com/CadQuery/cadquery.git
You should now have a working CadQuery installation, but developers or users who want to use CadQuery with IPython/Jupyter or to set up a developer environment can read the rest of this section.
If you are installing CadQuery to use with IPython/Jupyter, you may want to run the following command line to install the extra dependencies.:
pipinstallcadquery[ipython]
If you want to create a developer setup to contribute to CadQuery, the following command line will install all the development dependencies that are needed.:
pipinstallcadquery[dev]
Adding a Nicer GUI via CQ-editor
If you prefer to have a GUI available, your best option is to useCQ-editor.
You can download the newest buildhere. Install and run therun.sh (Linux/MacOS) orrun.bat (Windows) script in the root CQ-editor directory. The CQ-editor window should launch.
Linux/MacOS
Download the installer (.sh script matching OS and platform).
Select the script in the file browser and make executable. ChooseProperties from the context menu and selectPermissions,Allow executing file as a program (or similar, this step varies depending on OS and window manager).
Select the script in the file browser and chooseRun as Program (or similar).
Follow the prompts to accept the license and optionally change the installation location.
The default installation location is
/home/<username>/cq-editor.Launch therun.sh script from the file brower (again make executable first and then run as program).
To install from command line, download the installer using curl or wget or your favorite program and run the script.:
curl-LOhttps://github.com/CadQuery/CQ-editor/releases/download/nightly/CQ-editor-master-Linux-x86_64.shshCQ-editor-master-Linux-x86_64.sh
To run from command.:
$HOME/cq-editor/run.sh
Windows
Download the installer (.exe) and double click it on the file browser.
Follow the prompts to accept the license and optionally change the installation location.
The default installation location is
C:\Users\<username>\cq-editor.Launch therun.bat script from the file brower (selectOpen).
To run from command line, activate the environment, then run cq-editor:
C:\Users\<username>\cq-editor\run.bat
Installing extra packages
mamba, andpip are bundled with the CQ-editor installer and available for package installation.
First activate the environment, then call mamba or pip to install additional packages.
On windows.:
C:\Users\<username>\cq-editor\Scripts\activatemambainstall<packagename>
On Linux/MacOS.:
source $HOME/cq-editor/bin/activatemamba install <packagename>
Adding CQ-editor to an Existing Environment
You can install CQ-editor into a conda environment or Python virtual environment using conda (mamba) or pip.
Example cq-editor installation with conda (this installs both cadquery and cq-editor):
condacreate-ncqdevcondaactivatecqdevmambainstall-ccadquerycq-editor=master
Example cq-editor installation with pip:
pipinstallPyQt5spyderpyqtgraphlogbookpipinstallgit+https://github.com/CadQuery/CQ-editor.git
Jupyter
Viewing models in Jupyter is another good option for a GUI. Models are rendered in the browser.
The cadquery library works out-of-the-box with Jupyter.First install cadquery, then installJupyterLab in the same conda or Python venv.:
conda
mambainstalljupyterlab
pip
pipinstalljupyterlab
Start JupyterLab:
jupyterlab
JupyterLab will open automatically in your browser. Create a Notebook to interactively edit/view CadQuery models.
Calldisplay to show the model.:
display(<Workplane,Shape,orAssemblyobject>)
Test Your Installation
If all has gone well, you can open a command line/prompt, and type:
$ python>>> import cadquery>>> cadquery.Workplane('XY').box(1,2,3).toSvg()You should see raw SVG output displayed on the command line if the CadQuery installation was successful.