Kitware Strengthens CMake Suite in Version 3.5

Latest quarterly release enhances customization options and improves the build process on Windows platforms.

Kitware released CMake 3.5.0 to bolster the prowess of the open-source, cross-platform suite of tools by offering increased compatibility, new capabilities, advanced options for customization, and a more uniform build process.

“With CMake 3.5, users benefit from greater control in building, testing, and packaging software,” Bill Hoffman, the visionary behind the creation of CMake and the Vice President and Chief Technical Officer at Kitware, said. “As CMake evolves, so too does its community. We thank members for being part of the 3.5 release and for supporting the latest version throughout its development cycle.”

The 3.5 release introduced a new platform file to increase the compatibility of CMake with the Cray Linux Environment (CLE). This file allows CMake to cross-compile code in the CLE to target compute nodes. The 3.5 release also enabled CMake to build and install combined targets for embedded Apple platforms. Now, users can create applications that run on iOS devices as well as on simulators.

Through additional updates, CMake became more customizable. The suite of tools gained a variable that lets the “CPackDMG” module specify an AppleScript file that runs to tailor the appearance of the “DragNDrop” installer folder. With the variable, it is feasible to set the background image of the folder using a Portable Networks Graphics (PNG) file or a multi-resolution Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) file.

The 3.5 release also created a more uniform build process. To accomplish this feat, the CMake development team converted the precompiled Windows binary file for downloading CMake from an installer executable to a Microsoft Installer (MSI) package. The MSI package makes it easier to reinstall CMake by implementing incremental fixes. The package also optimizes support for system administrators when deploying CMake within their organizations.

For more information on CMake 3.5 and to download the software, please visit the CMake download page.

Kitware created CMake in response to the need for a powerful, cross-platform build environment for open-source projects including the Insight Segmentation and Registration Toolkit (ITK) and the Visualization Toolkit (VTK). Designed for use in conjunction with native build environments, CMake helps users manage the software build process is a manner that is independent of specific operating systems and compilers. Since its introduction in 2000, adoption for CMake has spread throughout the software industry to organizations and communities including K Desktop Environment (KDE), Netflix, Second Life, Inria, The HDF Group, and RobotCub.