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Building from Source

This guide covers how to build Blaze from source on Linux and Windows.

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

Prerequisites

Install the required dependencies:

  • CMake (build system)
  • GDAL (Geospatial Data Abstraction Library)
  • OpenCV (Computer Vision library)
  • Qt6 (GUI framework)
  • OpenMP (parallel processing)

which on Ubuntu can all be installed with the script

./scripts/install-ubuntu-deps.sh

Building from Source

1. Configure the build:

cmake -B build

2. Compile:

cmake --build build --config Release -j$(nproc)

Or use the provided build script: 

./scripts/linux-build.sh

3. Install (optional):

sudo cmake --install build

The following executables will be available in the build directory:

  • blaze-cli - Command-line interface
  • Blaze - Desktop GUI application (WIP)
  • Blaze3D - 3D visualization application (very WIP)

Windows

Prerequisites

Option 1: Using vcpkg (Recommended)

Blaze uses vcpkg for dependency management on Windows. The build system will automatically fetch, configure, and build dependencies but this can take several hours.

Option 2: Manual Installation

Install dependencies using Chocolatey:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process
.\scripts\install-deps-windows.ps1

This script installs:

  • CMake
  • Git
  • GDAL
  • OpenCV

Note: You may need to run PowerShell as Administrator.

Building from Source

1. Configure the build:

cmake -B build

For CLI-only build (without GUI): 

cmake -B build -DBLAZE_CLI_ONLY=ON

To disable vcpkg and use system packages: 

cmake -B build -DBLAZE_USE_VCPKG=OFF

2. Compile:

cmake --build build --config Release --parallel

3. Install (optional):

cmake --install build --config Release

The executables will be available in the build directory:

  • blaze-cli.exe - Command-line interface
  • Blaze.exe - Desktop GUI application
  • Blaze3D.exe - 3D visualization application

Windows Installer

A Windows installer (NSIS) can be created using CPack:

cd build
cpack -C Release -G NSIS

Speeding up Builds (vcpkg Caching)

Blaze supports binary caching via GitHub Packages. This allows you to download pre-compiled dependencies instead of building them locally.

  1. Install NuGet CLI: If you don't have it already, install it via Chocolatey (run as Administrator): 

    choco install nuget.commandline

  2. Generate a Personal Access Token (PAT): Go to GitHub Settings > Developer settings > Personal access tokens (classic) and create a token with read:packages (and write:packages if you want to contribute binaries) scope.

  3. Add the NuGet source: 

    nuget sources add -Name "GitHub" `
  -Source "https://nuget.pkg.github.com/Trailblaze-Software/index.json" `
  -UserName "YOUR_GITHUB_USERNAME" `
  -Password "YOUR_PAT"

  4. Enable the cache: Set the following environment variable before running CMake: 

    $env:VCPKG_BINARY_SOURCES="clear;nuget,GitHub,readwrite"