Building Pointcaster

Source code for Pointcaster is available on Github. Start by cloning the repository:

git clone https://github.com/eidetic-av/pointcaster.git
cd pointcaster

Linux

Builds on Linux use a containerised environment created using the Dockerfile in the root of the repository. This handles download and configuration of all dependencies. Either Docker or Podman must be installed and configured on your system to proceed.

The Pointcaster AppImage can be built from the repository root like so:

docker build -t pointcaster-linux .
docker run --rm -it -v ./:/pointcaster:Z -w /pointcaster pointcaster-linux ./scripts/build-linux-release.sh

The docker run command arguments ensure that the repository is mounted inside the container and set as the working directory.

For a development shell, invoke bash or fish, where you can configure and build using cmake:

docker run --rm -it -v ./:/pointcaster:Z -w/pointcaster pointcaster-linux bash

Then from inside:

cmake --preset linux-release
cmake --build build/linux-release
cmake --build build/linux-release --target install
cmake --build build/linux-release --target package

The install target places a portable build at build/linux-release/install/bin/pointcaster, and the package target creates an AppImage at build/linux-release/Pointcaster-Linux-<version>.AppImage, both of which can be run from outside the container.

Windows

Windows Builds Using Docker

Automated Windows builds use Docker to configure the build environment. scripts/windows.Dockerfile installs Visual Studio Build Tools and other binary dependencies in a Windows container. This is how release builds are produced, but if you are looking to develop Pointcaster or a Pointcaster plugin you'll most likely want to build and debug using an IDE - in which case you might prefer installing dependencies manually.

The following commands assume you have a working docker installation capable of running Windows containers on the command line.

To build the Windows docker image:

docker build -f scripts/windows.Dockerfile -t pointcaster-win .

To produce a Pointcaster installer package:

docker run -v ./:C:\pointcaster -w C:\pointcaster pointcaster-win .\scripts-build-windows-release.ps1

For a development shell:

docker run -it -v ./:C:\pointcaster -w C:\pointcaster pointcaster-win powershell

And from inside:

cmake --preset windows-release
cmake --build build/windows-release
cmake --build build/windows-release --target install
cmake --build build/windows-release --target package

Windows Builds in an IDE

To build Pointcaster on Windows using a CMake-compatible IDE like Visual Studio, you'll need to manually install the following dependencies on your host:

• Qt QtVersion