LibreCAD
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LibreCAD is a 2D CAD drawing tool
based on the community edition of QCAD.
LibreCAD uses the cross-platform framework Qt,
which means it works with most operating systems.
The user interface is translated in over 30 languages. https://translate.librecad.org
LibreCAD is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 (GPLv2)
as published by the Free Software Foundation.
Please read the LICENSE file for additional information.
The master branch represents the latest pre-release code.
The 2.2.2 branch requires Qt 6.4.0 or newer.
The 2.2.1 branch requires Qt 5.15.0 or newer.
The 2.2 branch requires Qt 5.2.1 or newer.
The 2.1 branch will be the last to support Qt4.
The 2.0 branch will be the last to support the QCAD toolbar.
(https://travis-ci.org/LibreCAD/LibreCAD.svg?branch=2.0)](https://travis-ci.org/LibreCAD/LibreCAD)
Command-Line Converters
Run librecad <command> [options] <input files> to convert drawings without
opening the editor:
| DXF input | DWG input | Output |
|---|
dxf2pdf | dwg2pdf | PDF document |
dxf2png | dwg2png | PNG raster image |
dxf2svg | dwg2svg | SVG vector image |
dxf2dwg | dwg2dxf | DWG or DXF drawing, respectively |
DWG input and output require a build with DWGSUPPORT enabled.
By default, each output is saved beside its input with the same base name and
the new extension. Use -t <directory> to choose an output directory, or
-o <file> to name the output file; these options cannot be combined.
-o requires a single input, except for PDF conversion, where multiple inputs
are combined into one PDF.
Format-specific options include:
- PDF:
-a fits and centers the drawing on the page; -p <WxH> sets paper size
in millimeters; -r <DPI> sets print resolution.
- PNG:
-r <WxH> sets image dimensions in pixels.
- DWG output:
-V <version> selects r2000 (default), r2004, r2007, r2010,
r2013, or r2018.
- DXF output:
-V <version> selects r12, r14, r2000, r2004, r2007
(default), r2010, r2013, or r2018.
For example, convert a DWG drawing to a DXF R2018 file:
librecad dwg2dxf -V r2018 -o drawing.dxf drawing.dwg
Convert a DXF drawing to a PDF, fitted and centered on the page:
librecad dxf2pdf -a -o drawing.pdf drawing.dxf
Use librecad <command> -h for the full list of options. On systems without a
display, set QT_QPA_PLATFORM=offscreen for PDF, PNG, and SVG conversion.
On Windows, LibreCAD.exe is a GUI program: at an interactive cmd or
PowerShell prompt, and in PowerShell scripts, the prompt returns before the
conversion ends and no exit code is set, while cmd batch files wait for it. To
wait and get the exit code, use start /wait "" LibreCAD.exe dxf2pdf ... in
cmd (it sets %ERRORLEVEL%), or Start-Process with -Wait -PassThru in
PowerShell.
Releases and Milestones
Quick Downloads
Releases
The macOS build is a universal (Apple Silicon + Intel) app. CI verifies the app's
ad-hoc code signature both before packaging and from the mounted DMG, and release
assets include a .sha256 file that can be checked with:
shasum -a 256 -c LibreCAD-*.dmg.sha256
Ad-hoc signing does not provide an Apple Developer ID or notarization, so macOS
blocks the first launch with "Apple could not verify LibreCAD is free of malware".
Drag LibreCAD to Applications, open it once and dismiss that dialog, then open
System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the Security section and
click "Open Anyway" next to LibreCAD. On macOS 14 and earlier, right-click →
Open on the app is enough. If macOS still refuses, clear the download quarantine
attribute only (#2162):
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/LibreCAD.app
A different message, "LibreCAD is damaged and can't be opened", means the app's
code signature is invalid. The v2.2.1.5 Apple Silicon build had that problem
(#2574); later builds from
both branches are signed correctly.
Built with libdxfrw
libdxfrw is an associated project that allows LibreCAD to read DXF and DWG files.
ESRI Shapefile (.shp) Import
LibreCAD can natively import ESRI Shapefiles (.shp/.shx/.dbf), built with shapelib. Points, polylines/arcs, and polygons are imported as native entities (Z preserved), with DBF-driven layers and per-entity styling (color, linetype, width) where the corresponding fields are present. Import is read-only; there is no Shapefile export.
Requests and Bug Reports
Users Documentation
Questions or Comments
Building
Requirements
- Qt 6.4.0+ (MinGW version on Windows)
- Boost 1.55.0+
More information: Build from source
Plugin Installation
CMake accepts -DLIBRECAD_PLUGIN_INSTALL_DIR=lib/librecad/plugins to override
the plugin installation directory. Relative destinations use CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX;
absolute destinations are also accepted. The resulting absolute path is compiled
into LibreCAD and added to the runtime plugin search locations, so plugins are
found there in addition to the default locations. macOS packaging expects
plugins in LibreCAD.app/Contents/PlugIns/LibreCAD.
With qmake, pass an absolute destination, for example
qmake6 librecad.pro "LIBRECAD_PLUGIN_INSTALL_DIR=/usr/lib/librecad/plugins".
This enables plugin installation with make -C plugins install without changing
the build-output directories. As with CMake, the destination is also added to
the runtime plugin search locations. Omitting the variable keeps the existing
behavior.
Pixi CI runs pixi run check-plugin-install, reusing the compiled sample plugin
to check default and custom destinations. qmake checks run on Linux and macOS;
Windows CI continues using CMake.
Building Unit Tests
To build unit tests (e.g., for rs_math.cpp), enable the BUILD_TESTS flag:
cmake -DBUILD_TESTS=ON ..
make
./build/librecad_tests
Contributing
Git and GitHub
Becoming a developer
There is a resources repository for people that want to indirectly
contribute to the project by supplying icons, stylesheets, documentation, templates...
Associated downloads: https://sourceforge.net/projects/librecad/files/Resources/
