AppImage: add ladybug library (issue is delayed due to upstream licensing AGPL)

[Harvie]

Workbench affected?

BIM

Problem description

Ladybug library is required for full use of BIM workbench, but it is not bundled in AppImage.

There was issue for that https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD-Bundle/issues/411 but it was deleted without any replacement :-(
There is still a pull request tho FreeCAD/FreeCAD-Bundle#412

---

ladybug needs be added to

FreeCAD/package/rattler-build/recipe.yaml

Lines 139 to 174 in d116764

	run:
	- blas * openblas*
	- blinker
	- calculix
	- debugpy
	- defusedxml
	- docutils
	- gmsh
	- graphviz
	- ifcopenshell
	- lark
	- lxml
	- matplotlib-base
	- nine
	- noqt5
	- numpy>=1.26,<2
	- occt>=7.8,<7.9
	- olefile
	- opencamlib
	- opencv
	- pandas
	- pip
	- pivy
	- ply
	- pycollada
	- pyside6
	- python>=3.11,<3.12
	- pythonocc-core
	- pyyaml
	- qt6-main>=6.8,<6.9
	- requests
	- scipy
	- sympy
	- typing_extensions
	- vtk
	- xlutils

and

FreeCAD/pixi.toml

Lines 10 to 66 in d116764

	[dependencies]
	blinker = "*"
	calculix = "*"
	ccache = "*"
	cmake = "*"
	coin3d = "*"
	compilers = ">=1.10,<1.11"
	conda-devenv = "*"
	debugpy = "*"
	defusedxml = "*"
	docutils = "*"
	doxygen = "*"
	eigen = "*"
	fmt = "*"
	freetype = "*"
	git = "*"
	graphviz = "*"
	hdf5 = "*"
	ifcopenshell = "*"
	lark = "*"
	libboost-devel = "*"
	lxml = "*"
	matplotlib = "*"
	nine = "*"
	ninja = "*"
	noqt5 = "*"
	numpy = ">=1.26,<1.27"
	occt = ">=7.8,<7.9"
	opencamlib = "*"
	opencv = "*"
	openssl = "*"
	pandas = "*"
	pcl = "*"
	pip = "*"
	pivy = "*"
	ply = "*"
	pre-commit = "*"
	pybind11 = "*"
	pycollada = "*"
	pyside6 = "*"
	python = ">=3.11,<3.12"
	pythonocc-core = "*"
	pyyaml = "*"
	qt6-main = ">=6.8,<6.9"
	requests = "*"
	scipy = "*"
	six = "*"
	smesh = "*"
	swig = "*"
	sympy = "*"
	tbb-devel = ">=2022,<2023"
	vtk = "*"
	xerces-c = "*"
	xlutils = "*"
	yaml-cpp = "*"
	zlib = "*"
	zstd = "*"

there are some questions about whether ladybug license allows such bundling in AppImage, but it seems there should be no problem:

• https://interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu/licence/compatibility-check/AGPL-3.0-only/LGPL-2.1
• https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#AllCompatibility

In case the two components are not merged, but used according their normal usage instructions and distributed together to third parties (i.e. on the same media or distribution), each component - even modified - keeps its primary licence: inbound licence or outbound licence.

Steps to reproduce

Try to use solar and wind diagrams in BIM using AppImage.

Expected behavior

solar and wind diagrams work.

Actual behavior

they don't

Development version About Info (in Safe Mode)

OS: Arch Linux (XFCE/Xfce Session/xcb)
Architecture: x86_64
Version: 1.2.0dev.20251209 (Git shallow) AppImage
Build date: 2025/12/09 13:53:17
Build type: Release
Branch: grafted,grafted
Hash: 5ad6a1ba58c665c23f1d217c23e74379d8c1a5a4
Python 3.11.14, Qt 6.8.3, Coin 4.0.3, Vtk 9.3.1, boost 1_86, Eigen3 3.4.0, PySide 6.8.3
shiboken 6.8.3, xerces-c 3.3.0, IfcOpenShell 0.8.2, OCC 7.8.1
Locale: Czech/Czechia (cs_CZ)
Navigation Style/Orbit Style/Rotation Mode: CAD/Rounded Arcball/Window center
Stylesheet/Theme/QtStyle: FreeCAD.qss/FreeCAD Light/
Logical DPI/Physical DPI/Pixel Ratio: 90/172.811/1

Last known good version (optional)

none

[adrianinsaval]

I would assume this affects all bundles not just appimages

[luzpaz]

An aside, @adrianinsaval would you mind also addressing... ?

• Linux: Cannot input CJK in the AppImage when using the fcitx5 input method #24391

[chriswmackey]

Hi @Harvie and everyone.

Sorry for being so late to respond to the Licensing issue that you brought up on the ladybug-core repo. I figured that it was best to respond here where it seems the latest conversation is happening.

If I can explain our intention behind using the AGPL license, it was certainly not to block you here. It was primarily because we needed it to protect our work against commercial software vendors who were taking our ladybug code, claiming it as part of their own online software platforms without giving us credit, and using it to get money from customers and/or investors. So very far from your case here. We want projects like yours to use our code without worrying about it and we are not even opposed to setting up commercial partnerships if companies want to make a product that they plan to sell with our code. We just want commercial vendors to talk to us first and come up with an arrangement where we both get credit and/or financial compensation in these cases rather than going behind our backs.

So we definitely don't want you to agonize over this here and we are fine with you using the ladybug package without need for a longer conversation as long as long as you are not charging people for access to FreeCAD or giving some other third party the impression that ladybug is LGPL rather than AGPL.

If this is not enough to make you feel comfortable and you are still concerned about whether the licenses are technically compatible, we can probably come up with a technical justification for it. Is my understanding correct that the pip install ladybug-core call happening on the end user's machine instead of beforehand in an an installer that you distribute? If so, then we can probably just agree that PyPI is the distribution channel directly to the user and FeeCAD is not doing the distribution itself. So, in this sense, FeeCAD is not really distributing the software in a way that triggers the need to review license compatibility.

[Harvie]

@chriswmackey Thanks for reply. Unfortunately this is not just about calling pip install on user's machine. This is about bunding libraries into AppImage and similar archives. It is then distributed in single file with everything to prevent user from having to install all dependencies manualy (FreeCAD being relatively big software is having quite a list of dependencies, which can get tricky for unexperienced user).

I think key points of AppImages are these:

• Library is bundled in single executable file (or installer package) with FreeCAD and many other dependencies
• Library is not linked in the binary, AppImage is more like convenient executable zip archive containing many separate library files that can be separated when in need of audit. In some way this might be quite similar to docker image, but for desktop apps.
• Library is taken from upstream without any modifications, therefore there is no need for FreeCAD to provide sourcecode of the library