txt2dat location

[Orion Pobursky]

Is there a place txt2dat is available? All the links I can find are broken including on Ross's own website.

[Willy Tschager]

Is there a place txt2dat is available? All the links I can find are broken including on Ross's own website.

Then this would be the perfect time to build a new one with some additional features such as a viewer and a slider where you can set the detail of curves  

w,

[Philippe Hurbain]

Is there a place txt2dat is available? All the links I can find are broken including on Ross's own website.

Yes, I noticed that a few days ago and tried to contact Ross, unsuccessfully

[Steffen]

just to be safe that it does not get lost, here is

txt2dat 0.2.3

[Philippe Hurbain]

Is there a place txt2dat is available? All the links I can find are broken including on Ross's own website.

txt2dat got a new home! I was able to contact Ross, and he made it available here:
https://roscohead.id.au/txt2dat (Windows, Mac, Linux executables, and source). Could someone please update this page: https://www.ldraw.org/downloads-2/third-...tware.html ?

[N. W. Perry]

OK, I suppose it's worth giving txt2dat another try…but is there anyone who can help me interpret the installation instructions? They seem to be targeted to those already familiar with coding/programming concepts.

For example, it says in the readme file:

After untarring the source archive, in most cases all you will need to do is:

./configure
make

How do I "do" that?

Also, I assume I need to install FreeType. There are more instructions there:

However, there are some other options you may want to look at, especially if you

intend to link Freetype statically:

Do I? What does it mean to link statically vs. dynamically?

You need a version of make that works. Freetype 2.3.9 requires at least GNU make

  3.81. On Windows this may mean upgrading

What might it mean on MacOS?

[Orion Pobursky]

How do I "do" that?

Also, I assume I need to install FreeType. There are more instructions there:

Type exactly that.
./configure executes the configure script
make executes the make command.
Note that you probably will have to install XCode since, IIRC, the gcc compiler doesn't come installed by default.

Side note: Does the already compiled Darwin version not work for you?

[Vincent Messenet]

OK, I suppose it's worth giving txt2dat another try…but is there anyone who can help me interpret the installation instructions? They seem to be targeted to those already familiar with coding/programming concepts.

What might it mean on MacOS?

Hey, not sure it would be an acceptable workaround for you but Txt2dat is embedded in LDPE. I use it from there when I author a part on MacOS.
It is available in Tools > Txt2Dat

[N. W. Perry]

Type exactly that.
./configure executes the configure script
make executes the make command.

OK, but type it where? Terminal?

Note that you probably will have to install XCode since, IIRC, the gcc compiler doesn't come installed by default.

Check, XCode already installed.

Side note: Does the already compiled Darwin version not work for you?

If I open the executable, it complains about not finding libfreetype.6.dylib. Aha! Turns out I do have FreeType, but it's in the X11 lib directory. I guess I need to point it to that folder somehow?

[Orion Pobursky]

OK, but type it where? Terminal?

From the commandline so, yes, Terminal (in the same directory).

If I open the executable, it complains about not finding libfreetype.6.dylib. Aha! Turns out I do have FreeType, but it's in the X11 lib directory. I guess I need to point it to that folder somehow?

It probably needs to be in the PATH variable but I don't remember how to change that in MacOS.

[Philippe Hurbain]

Hey, not sure it would be an acceptable workaround for you but Txt2dat is embedded in LDPE. I use it from there when I author a part on MacOS.
It is available in Tools > Txt2Dat

...more or less. LDPE version creates separate letters (separated background for each letter). Generally less convenient (but much better than nothing!)

[N. W. Perry]

From the commandline so, yes, Terminal (in the same directory).

OK, at least my instinct was correct. This gives me an error:

Code:

-bash: ./configure: No such file or directory

It probably needs to be in the PATH variable but I don't remember how to change that in MacOS.

Or else I can place a hard copy (not an alias) of the lib in there, but will that mess up other things?

[N. W. Perry]

...more or less. LDPE version creates separate letters (separated background for each letter). Generally less convenient (but much better than nothing!)

Hmm…did I know this before? But wow—look at all those triangles! That will require lots of cleanup. Or maybe I should just re-digitize…