# CGAL

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{{Short description|Open-source geometric modelling kernel}}
{{Infobox software
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| name = CGAL
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| developer = CGAL Open Source Project
| released = 1996 <!-- {{Start date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=yes/no}} -->
| discontinued = 
| latest release version = 6.1
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2025|10|01|df=yes/no}} <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cgal.org/2025/10/01/cgal61/|title=CGAL 6.1 released}}</ref>
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| programming language = [C++](/source/C%2B%2B)
| operating system = [Linux](/source/Linux), [macOS](/source/macOS) and [Microsoft Windows](/source/Microsoft_Windows)
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| genre = [Libraries](/source/library_(computing))
| license = [GPL](/source/GNU_General_Public_License), [LGPL](/source/GNU_Lesser_General_Public_License)<ref>[http://www.cgal.org/license.html License]</ref>
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| website = {{URL|http://www.cgal.org/}}
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The '''Computational Geometry Algorithms Library''' ('''CGAL''') is an open source software [library](/source/library_(computing)) of [computational geometry](/source/computational_geometry) [algorithm](/source/algorithm)s. While primarily written in [C++](/source/C%2B%2B), [Scilab](/source/Scilab) bindings and bindings generated with [SWIG](/source/SWIG) (supporting [Python](/source/Python_(programming_language)) and [Java](/source/Java_(programming_language)) for now) are also available.<ref>[http://code.google.com/p/cgal-bindings CGAL bindings], developed at GeometryFactory.</ref><ref>[http://forge.scilab.org/index.php/p/cglab/ CGAL Scilab bindings], developed at Scilab and INRIA by Edyta Przymus, Naceur Meskini and Sylvain Pion.</ref>

The software is available under dual licensing scheme. When used for other open source software, it is available under [open source license](/source/open_source_license)s ([LGPL](/source/LGPL) or [GPL](/source/GPL) depending on the component). In other cases commercial license may be purchased, under different options for academic/research and industrial customers.<ref>[http://www.cgal.org/license.html CGAL license]</ref>

== History ==
{{Main|European Strategic Programme on Research in Information Technology}}
The CGAL project was founded in 1996, as a consortium of eight research institutions in Europe and Israel:
[Utrecht University](/source/Utrecht_University), [ETH Zurich](/source/ETH_Zurich), [Free University of Berlin](/source/Free_University_of_Berlin), [INRIA](/source/INRIA) [Sophia Antipolis](/source/Sophia_Antipolis), [Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg](/source/Martin-Luther-University_Halle-Wittenberg), [Max Planck Institute for Informatics](/source/Max_Planck_Institute_for_Informatics) [Saarbrücken](/source/Saarbr%C3%BCcken), [Johannes Kepler University Linz](/source/Johannes_Kepler_University_Linz), and [Tel-Aviv University](/source/Tel-Aviv_University). The original funding for the project came from the [ESPRIT](/source/European_Strategic_Program_on_Research_in_Information_Technology) project of the [European Union](/source/European_Union).<ref>[http://www.cgal.org/history.html CGAL Project History].</ref> Originally, its licensing terms allowed its software to be used freely for academic purposes, with commercial licenses available for other uses. CGAL Releases 3.x were distributed under the [QPL license](/source/Q_Public_License). Starting with CGAL 4.0, released in 2012, CGAL is distributed under the GPL version 3. {{As of|2013}} it is managed by a thirteen-member editorial board, with an additional 30 developers and reviewers.<ref>[http://www.cgal.org/people.html CGAL Project Members].</ref>

The project started in 1996 as the pooling of the previous efforts of several project participants:PlaGeo and SpaGeo from [Utrecht University](/source/Utrecht_University), [LEDA](/source/Library_of_Efficient_Data_types_and_Algorithms) of the Max-Planck-Institute for Informatics and C++GAL of [INRIA](/source/INRIA) [Sophia Antipolis](/source/Sophia_Antipolis). The LEDA library encompasses a broader range of algorithms. A comparison of the two libraries is provided by Kettner and Näher.<ref>{{cite conference|author1=Kettner, L. |author2=Näher, S. |title=Two computational geometry libraries: LEDA and CGAL|book-title=Handbook of Discrete and Computational Geometry|date=2004|pages=1435–1464}}.</ref> Three CGAL User workshops held in 2002, 2004, and 2008 highlighted research results related to CGAL,<ref>[http://www.cgal.org/UserWorkshop/2002/index.html CGAL User Workshop program] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070907091713/http://www.cgal.org/UserWorkshop/2002/index.html |date=2007-09-07 }}, [http://www.cgal.org/UserWorkshop/2004/program.html 2nd CGAL User Workshop program] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070702165349/http://www.cgal.org/UserWorkshop/2004/program.html |date=2007-07-02 }} and [http://www.cgal.org/UserWorkshop/index.html 3rd CGAL User Workshop program] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624064500/http://www.cgal.org/UserWorkshop/index.html |date=2008-06-24 }}.</ref> and many additional papers related to CGAL have appeared in other conferences, workshops, and journals.<ref>{{As of|2010}}, Google scholar lists 137 [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=allintitle%3Acgal papers with CGAL in their titles].</ref>

In 2023 the project won the SoCG ''Test of Time Award''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://apps.utdallas.edu/SOCG23/awards.html | title=Awards - CG Week 2023 - the University of Texas at Dallas }}</ref>

== Scope ==
The library covers the following topics:
{{colbegin|colwidth=30em}}
* Geometry kernels - basic geometric operations on [geometric primitive](/source/geometric_primitive)s
* [Arithmetic](/source/Arithmetic) and [algebra](/source/algebra)
* [Convex hull](/source/Convex_hull) algorithms
* [Polygon](/source/Polygon)s and [polyhedra](/source/polyhedra)
* Polygon and polyhedron operations
* [Arrangement](/source/Arrangement_of_hyperplanes)s
* [Point set triangulation](/source/Point_set_triangulation)s
* [Delaunay triangulation](/source/Delaunay_triangulation)s
* [Voronoi diagram](/source/Voronoi_diagram)s
* [Mesh generation](/source/Mesh_generation)
* [Geometry processing](/source/Geometry_processing)
* Search structures ([''k''-d tree](/source/K-d_tree))
* Shape analysis, fitting, and distances
* [Interpolation](/source/Interpolation)
* [Kinetic data structures](/source/Kinetic_data_structure)
{{colend}}

== Platforms ==
The library is supported on a number of platforms:<ref>[http://www.cgal.org/platforms.html CGAL Supported Platforms]</ref>
* [Microsoft Windows](/source/Microsoft_Windows) ([GNU G++](/source/G%2B%2B), [Microsoft Visual C++](/source/Microsoft_Visual_C%2B%2B), [Intel C++ Compiler](/source/Intel_C%2B%2B_Compiler))
* GNU g++ ([Solaris](/source/Solaris_(operating_system)), [Linux](/source/Linux), [Mac OS](/source/Mac_OS))
* [Clang](/source/Clang)

The CGAL library depends on the [Boost libraries](/source/Boost_libraries), and several CGAL packages on the [Eigen C++ library](/source/Eigen_(C%2B%2B_library)).

== See also ==
* [OPEN CASCADE](/source/OPEN_CASCADE) 
* [OpenSCAD](/source/OpenSCAD) (uses CGAL)
* [GDAL](/source/GDAL) (similar lib for Geo)
* [PostGIS](/source/PostGIS) (uses CGAL and GDAL)

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.cgal.org/ CGAL Homepage]

Category:C++ libraries
Category:Geometric algorithms
Category:Free computer libraries
Category:Free mathematics software
Category:Free science software
Category:Free software programmed in C++
Category:Max Planck Institute for Informatics
Category:Python (programming language) scientific libraries
Category:Software using the GNU Lesser General Public License
Category:Software using the GNU General Public License

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [CGAL](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CGAL) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CGAL?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.