Installation Guide

StowMind requires FreeCAD 1.1. Install FreeCAD first, then add the StowMind workbench.

Prerequisites

FreeCAD 1.1 for Windows 64-bit. Download from freecad.org.

1 Download StowMind

Download the installation archive and extract it to a folder of your choice.

2 Run the Installer

Place installv1-1.bat and installv1-1.py in the same folder. Double-click installv1-1.bat to run the installation.

Alternatively, open Command Prompt in that folder and run:

installv1-1.bat
3 Restart FreeCAD

The StowMind workbench appears under Tools → Workbenches → StowMind.

Prerequisites

FreeCAD 1.1 via AppImage (recommended), package manager, Snap, or Flatpak. Download from freecad.org or install via:

sudo apt install freecad   # Ubuntu / Debian
1 Download StowMind

Download and extract the installation archive.

2 Install (System / Snap / Flatpak)

Open a terminal, navigate to the folder containing installv1-1.py, and run:

cd /path/to/installv1-1.py
python3 installv1-1.py

To install without Python dependencies (e.g. for manual package management):

python3 installv1-1.py --no-deps
3 Install (AppImage)

The installer automatically detects running AppImages. Simply start FreeCAD once, then run:

python3 installv1-1.py

If automatic detection fails, find the mounted path first:

ls /tmp/.mount_FreeCA*

Then specify the full Python path:

python3 installv1-1.py -p /tmp/.mount_FreeCAxxxxx/usr/bin/python

Or extract the AppImage first:

chmod +x FreeCAD_1.1.AppImage
./FreeCAD_1.1.AppImage --appimage-extract
python3 installv1-1.py
4 Restart FreeCAD

The StowMind workbench appears under Tools → Workbenches → StowMind.

Prerequisites

FreeCAD 1.1 DMG for Intel or Apple Silicon. Download from freecad.org.

1 Download StowMind

Download the installation archive and extract it.

2 Open Terminal in the Extracted Folder

Important: Navigate into the folder where you extracted the archive before running any commands. The installer must be run from within that directory.

cd /path/to/extracted-folder
Do not run the script from your home directory or Downloads without changing into the extracted folder first. The installer looks for files relative to its current location.
3 Run the Installer

With the terminal now in the correct directory, run:

python3 installv1-1.py

If the installer cannot find FreeCAD automatically, specify the Python path:

python3 installv1-1.py -p /Applications/FreeCAD.app/Contents/Resources/bin/python3
4 Restart FreeCAD

The StowMind workbench appears under Tools → Workbenches → StowMind.

Troubleshooting:
  • If the workbench does not appear, verify FreeCAD 1.1 is installed. Check the FreeCAD Report View.
  • Ensure write permissions to the FreeCAD Mod directory.
  • Older CPUs: If FreeCAD crashes with "Illegal instruction" after installation, your CPU may lack AVX/SSE4.2 support required by pre-compiled Python wheels. The installer detects this automatically and aborts with instructions. Use --no-deps to install without dependencies, or --no-cpu-check to override (not recommended).
  • Run FreeCAD once before installing so the AppImage mount point exists.

Verification

After installation, open FreeCAD and switch to the StowMind workbench. You should see the StowMind toolbar with icons for Hull Import, Hydrostatics, Tanks, Weights, Deck Setup, Cargo Import, Load Condition, Lashing, GZ Curve, and Crane Operations.

If any icon is missing or greyed out, ensure a StowMind object has been created first (Tools → Create StowMind).

"It is only those who do nothing who makes no mistakes"

— Peter Kropotkin