Last updates: Windows 25.03.2024 (v.2.5), Linux 25.03.2024 (v. 2.5)
Get Version 2.5 of AlfaCAD (English version)
Linux Notes:
The AlfaCAD program is tested on the Arch Linux platform in a graphical working environment created by KDE. Experiments indicate that the X Window System (X11) offers better performance, especially the speed of graphical operations in AlfaCAD, than Wayland, the successor of the X Window System. It should be noted that Wayland is in the development phase and perhaps this situation will change to Wayland’s advantage in the future. Therefore, the recommended graphical environment is:
Plasma (X11).
Windows
Last update (unzip into installation folder overwriting existing file) 25/03/2024
Windows
Last update (unzip into installation folder overwriting existing file) 25/03/2024
Linux
Last update (unzip into installation folder overwriting existing files; make sure the files have permission “as executable”) 25/03/2024
For the full functioning of the AlfaCAD program, it is necessary to install the following packages (if they were not installed during system installation):
Xorg, KDE Plasma, Qt5, Qt6, fltk, ncurses, ruby, openmotif, xorg-xrander, python, python-pillow, gwenview, openssl-1.1, cups, cups-filters, zip
extras
Background and Object folders with photorealistic patterns and images, to be unzipped in main AlfaCAD folder (for Windows version)
TTF fonts (for Linux version) – complete set of fonts) to unzip in ~/_alfacad_/Fonts (default _alfacad_ is ALFACAD
What’s the difference between 32bit and 64bit versions?
The 32bit version is designed for both 32bit and 64bit Windows systems, the 64bit version is only for 64bit Windows.
There is no significant difference in the speed of the program on either system. The difference concerns the memory resources that the program can allocate for loading and editing a drawing, in particular a drawing containing bitmaps of large size and density, where large resources of available memory are especially valuable for smooth panning or resizing the presentation of large formats. Thanks to the virtual image of the entire drawing format in a given precision, all drawing display operations are many times faster than the same operations with the virtual image option turned off or impossible due to limited memory, but the memory resources for creating a virtual image are the greater the larger and denser the bitmaps are and the greater the precision of drawing is set.
For 32bit version of AlfaCAD, the memory limit is 3GB per program instance, 64bit allows you to address and use all the memory your money can buy.
AlfaCAD for Linux is 64bit application for modern Linux system, preferable Arch Linux with KDE, however it can be ran on any Linux distribution with either KDE or Gnome desktop environment.