IfcOpenShell/src/blenderbim/docs/devs/installation.rst

Installation
============

There are different methods of installation, depending on your situation.

1. **Unstable installation** is recommended for power users helping with testing.
2. **Building from source** is recommended for distributing a build from source.
3. **Live development environment** is recommended for developers who are actively coding.
4. **Distro installation** is recommended for those who use a Linux package manager.

Unstable installation
---------------------

**Unstable installation** is almost the same as **Stable installation**, except
that they are typically updated every day. Simply download a daily build from
the `Github releases page
<https://github.com/IfcOpenShell/IfcOpenShell/releases>`__, then follow the same
instructions as a packaged installation.

You will need to choose which build to download.

- If you are on Blender >=3.1, choose py310
- If you are on Blender >=2.93 and <3.1, choose py39
- If you are on Blender <2.93, choose py37
- Choose linux, macos, or win depending on your operating system

Sometimes, a build may be delayed, or contain broken code. We try to avoid this,
but it happens.

Building from source
--------------------

It is possible to run the latest bleeding edge version of BlenderBIM without
having to wait for an official release, since BlenderBIM is coded in Python and
doesn't require any compilation.

Note that the BlenderBIM Add-on does depend on IfcOpenShell, and IfcOpenShell
does require compilation. The following instructions will use a pre-built
IfcOpenShell (using an IfcOpenBot build) for convenience. Instructions on how to
compile IfcOpenShell is out of scope of this document.

You can create your own package by using the Makefile as shown below. You can
choose between a ``PLATFORM`` of ``linux``, ``macos``, and ``win``. You can
choose between a ``PYVERSION`` of ``py39``, ``py37``, or ``py310``.
::

    $ cd src/blenderbim
    $ make dist PLATFORM=linux PYVERSION=py310
    $ ls dist/

This will give you a fully packaged Blender add-on zip that you can distribute
and install.

Live development environment
----------------------------

One option for developers who want to actively develop from source is to follow
the instructions from **Building from source**. However, creating a build,
uninstalling the old add-on, and installing a new build is a slow process.
Although it works, it is very slow, so we do not recommend it.

A more rapid approach is to follow the **Unstable installation** method, as this
provides all dependencies for you out of the box.  Then, we can replace certain
Python files that tend to be updated frequently with those from the Git
repository. We're going to use symlinks (Windows users can use ``mklink``), so
we can code in our Git repository, and see the changes in our Blender
installation (you will need to restart Blender to see changes).

In addition, we're also going to replace the Python code of the IfcOpenShell
dependency with our Git repository, since most of the BlenderBIM Add-on
functionality is agnostic of Blender, and is actually part of IfcOpenShell.
Therefore, we need to keep this dependency highly updated as well.

The downside with this approach is that if a new dependency is added, or a
compiled dependency version requirement has changed, or the build system
changes, you'll need to fix your setup manually. But this is relatively rare.

::

    $ git clone https://github.com/IfcOpenShell/IfcOpenShell.git
    $ cd IfcOpenShell

    # Remove the Blender add-on Python code
    $ rm -r /path/to/blender/X.XX/scripts/addons/blenderbim/bim/

    # Replace them with links to the Git repository
    $ ln -s src/blenderbim/blenderbim/bim /path/to/blender/X.XX/scripts/addons/blenderbim/bim

    # Remove the IfcOpenShell dependency Python code
    $ rm -r /path/to/blender/X.XX/scripts/addons/blenderbim/libs/site/packages/ifcopenshell/api
    $ rm -r /path/to/blender/X.XX/scripts/addons/blenderbim/libs/site/packages/ifcopenshell/util

    # Replace them with links to the Git repository
    $ ln -s src/ifcopenshell-python/ifcopenshell/api /path/to/blender/X.XX/scripts/addons/blenderbim/libs/site/packages/ifcopenshell/api
    $ ln -s src/ifcopenshell-python/ifcopenshell/util /path/to/blender/X.XX/scripts/addons/blenderbim/libs/site/packages/ifcopenshell/util

On Windows:

::

    $ git clone https://github.com/IfcOpenShell/IfcOpenShell.git
    $ cd IfcOpenShell

    # Remove the Blender add-on Python code
    $ rd /S /Q "\path\to\blender\X.XX\scripts\addons\blenderbim\bim\"

    # Replace them with links to the Git repository
    $ mklink /D "\path\to\blender\X.XX\scripts\addons\blenderbim\bim" "src\blenderbim\blenderbim\bim"

    # Remove the IfcOpenShell dependency Python code
    $ rd \S \Q "\path\to\blender\X.XX\scripts\addons\blenderbim\libs\site\packages\ifcopenshell\api"
    $ rd \S \Q "\path\to\blender\X.XX\scripts\addons\blenderbim\libs\site\packages\ifcopenshell\util"

    # Replace them with links to the Git repository
    $ mklink \D "\path\to\blender\X.XX\scripts\addons\blenderbim\libs\site\packages\ifcopenshell\api" "src\ifcopenshell-python\ifcopenshell\api"
    $ mklink \D "\path\to\blender\X.XX\scripts\addons\blenderbim\libs\site\packages\ifcopenshell\util" "src\ifcopenshell-python\ifcopenshell\util"


After you modify your code in the Git repository, you will need to restart
Blender for the changes to take effect. In ``Edit > Preferences > Add-ons`` you
will see that the version number of the BlenderBIM Add-on has changed to
``0.0.999999``, which represents an un-versioned BlenderBIM Add-on.

There is a useful Blender Addon that adds a Reboot button in File menù.
In this way, it's possible to directly restart Blender and test the modified source code.
The add on is available `here <https://blenderartists.org/uploads/short-url/yto1sjw7pqDRVNQzpVLmn51PEDN.zip>`__
(check also the related forum discussion `here <https://blenderartists.org/t/reboot-blender-addon/640465/13>`__)
There is also a VS Code called `Blender Development <https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=JacquesLucke.blender-development>`__ that has a similar functionality.


Distro installation
-------------------

Those on Arch Linux can check out this `AUR package <https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/ifcopenshell-git/>`__.

Tips for package managers
-------------------------

If you are interested in packaging the BlenderBIM Add-on for a packaging
manager, read on.

The BlenderBIM Add-on is fully contained in the ``blenderbim/`` subfolder of the
Blender add-ons directory. This is typically distributed as a zipfile as per
Blender add-on conventions. Within this folder, you'll find the following file
structure:
::

    bim/ (core code)
    libs/ (dependencies)
    __init__.py

This corresponds to the structure found in the source code `here
<https://github.com/IfcOpenShell/IfcOpenShell/tree/v0.6.0/src/blenderbim/blenderbim>`__.

The BlenderBIM Add-on is complex, and requires many dependencies, including
Python modules, binaries, and static assets. When packaged for users, these
dependencies are bundled with the add-on for convenience.

If you choose to install the BlenderBIM Add-on and use your own system
dependencies, the source of truth for how dependencies are bundled are found in
the `Makefile
<https://github.com/IfcOpenShell/IfcOpenShell/blob/v0.6.0/src/blenderbim/Makefile>`__.

Required Python modules to be stored in ``libs/site/packages/`` are:
::

    ifcopenshell
    bcf
    ifcclash
    bimtester
    ifccobie
    ifcdiff
    ifccsv
    ifcpatch
    ifcp6
    pystache
    svgwrite
    dateutil
    isodate
    networkx
    deepdiff
    jsonpickle
    ordered_set
    pyparsing
    xmlschema
    elementpath
    six
    lark-parser
    hppfcl
    behave
    parse
    parse_type
    xlsxwriter
    odfpy
    defusedxml
    boto3
    botocore
    jmespath
    s3transfer
    ifcjson

Notes:

1. ``ifcopenshell`` almost always requires the latest version due to the fast paced nature of the add-on development.
2. ``behave`` requires `patches <https://github.com/IfcOpenShell/IfcOpenShell/tree/v0.6.0/src/ifcbimtester/patch>`__.
3. ``ifcjson`` can be found `here <https://github.com/IFCJSON-Team/IFC2JSON_python/tree/master/file_converters>`__.

Required static assets are:
::

    bim/data/gantt/jsgantt.js (from jsgantt-improved)
    bim/data/gantt/jsgantt.css (from jsgantt-improved)