BRL-CAD Platform Support and Download Guide

Updated

BRL-CAD runs on BSD, Linux, Solaris, Mac OS X, and Windows, among other common operating system environments. It is distributed in both binary and source code form, and the current release available for download is 7.24.0. If you want a free, open-source solid modeling system that is not tied to a single OS vendor, BRL-CAD is designed for exactly that.

Which Platforms BRL-CAD Supports

The package is intentionally designed to be extensively cross-platform. According to brlcad.org, it is actively developed on and maintained for many common operating system environments, including:

  • BSD
  • Linux
  • Solaris
  • Mac OS X
  • Windows

The site lists these as examples ("among others"), so the practical takeaway is that BRL-CAD targets broad cross-platform coverage rather than a single supported OS.

How BRL-CAD Is Distributed

BRL-CAD is distributed in two forms:

Form What it means for you
Binary Prebuilt package you can run without compiling
Source code Full source you can build and customize yourself

Because the code is open source under OSI-approved license terms, you can customize it according to your needs. The site states the software is free of cost and that no charge will ever be applied for updates or support.

How to Get BRL-CAD

  1. Go to brlcad.org.
  2. Open the download page (linked as "download" in the site navigation).
  3. Choose the binary or source distribution that matches your operating system.
  4. Download the current release, 7.24.0.

The 7.24.0 release is described as a major release after nearly a year of collaborative effort. It also introduces Archer/MGED as an alpha release — a preliminary interface update to BRL-CAD's graphical geometry editor. Highlights mentioned include an integrated graphical tree view, a single-window framework, drag-and-drop geometry editing, information panels, and shortcuts.

What You Get Beyond the Kernel

BRL-CAD is more than a modeler. The site describes it as a powerful open source cross-platform solid modeling system that includes:

  • Interactive geometry editing
  • High-performance ray-tracing for rendering and geometric analysis
  • A system performance analysis benchmark suite
  • Geometry libraries for application developers
  • A hybrid CSG and B-REP kernel with methods for unambiguous 3D geometry

It has more than 30 years of active development behind it. Development as a unified package began in 1983, the first public release was in 1984, and it became an open source project on 21 December 2004.

Who Uses It

BRL-CAD has been the primary tri-service solid modeling CAD system used by the U.S. military for more than 20 years, applied to modeling weapons systems for vulnerability and lethality analyses. Note that brlcad.org states the site is not sponsored, endorsed, or run by the U.S. Government.

Practical Notes Before You Download

  • If you are on Linux, BSD, Solaris, Mac OS X, or Windows, you are within the documented platform set.
  • If you prefer not to compile, take the binary distribution; if you need to modify or embed the geometry libraries, take the source.
  • Archer/MGED in 7.24.0 is labeled alpha, so expect a preliminary interface rather than a finished one.