It looks like the next generation of scenery tools (MeshTool 2.0, WED 1.1, and the latest distribution of “the tools”) may have higher system requirements than their predecessors for Mac users. Those requirements would be: an Intel CPU and OS X 10.5.0 or higher.

The problem at the heart of all of these changes is that the tools use CGAL (a geometry library) and the compilers Apple distributes that are compatible with 10.4 and PPC don’t work with CGAL. So I quite literally cannot compile the latest tools because of the features they offer.

I don’t know how much this affects actual authors, and I don’t know if it is possible (given an infinite amount of self-torture) to work around some of the compiler issues. At this point my plan is:

  • Distribute the next-gen tools in binary form for 10.5 and x86.
  • Leave links to the old tools for users who need binary PPC tools.
  • Continue to make all source code available via the GIT repo.

If someone finds a way to compile these tools for older targets using the source code, I am perfectly happy to provide distribution of those binary tools or incorporate the fixes if they are manageable.

I’m hoping to have some tools posted “real soon”…

About Ben Supnik

Ben is a software engineer who works on X-Plane; he spends most of his days drinking coffee and swearing at the computer -- sometimes at the same time.