Build & run — SolidExpress

What you need

A Linux workstation (Ubuntu or similar), a C++20 toolchain, CMake 3.22+, Ninja, Open Cascade (OCCT) development packages, and Godot 4.7-stable.

Clone on GitHub Godot 4.7 builds

1. Get the source

git clone https://github.com/solidexpress/solidexpress.git
cd solidexpress

2. Install system packages

On Ubuntu / Debian:

sudo apt-get install -y ninja-build zip \
  libocct-foundation-dev libocct-modeling-data-dev \
  libocct-modeling-algorithms-dev libocct-data-exchange-dev \
  libocct-ocaf-dev libocct-visualization-dev \
  libeigen3-dev libboost-dev

You also need a C++20 compiler (e.g. GCC or Clang) and CMake 3.22 or newer — typically already available via build-essential and cmake.

3. Install Godot 4.7

Download the Godot 4.7-stable Linux x86_64 binary from the Godot builds releases.
Place the executable at tools/godot/godot inside the repo (create the folder if needed).
Make it executable:

mkdir -p tools/godot
# move/rename the downloaded binary to tools/godot/godot
chmod +x tools/godot/godot

That path is gitignored — each machine keeps its own editor binary.

4. Build and launch

make build   # configure with Ninja and compile the modeling core
make run     # import project assets, then open the app

make run prepares the Godot project cache once, then starts the SolidExpress desktop UI.

Useful commands

make test — run kernel and headless UI test suites
make release-linux — produce a Linux desktop export under dist/releases/ (when you want a shareable folder instead of a source tree)

After it opens

You are in the modeling viewport. Typical first moves:

Drop or sketch a profile, dimension it, and extrude a solid
Orbit / pan / zoom with mouse, trackpad, or touch
Import STEP or STL from the File menu, or drag a file onto the window
Export STEP, STL, SVG drawings, or AI context when you need to hand work off

Verified how-tos live in the repo under docs/howto/ — place a box, stack parts, extrude profiles, cut holes, and more.

Stuck?

Open an issue on the project tracker with your OS, compiler, and the failing command output. The source and build scripts are the same ones we use day to day — if something breaks for you, we want to know.

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