CAD graphics with Python: Which lib, pack, tool?

[R.Marquez]

"F. GEIGER" <fgeiger at datec.at> wrote in message news:<c6ahtq$7ig$1 at newshispeed.ch>...
> Hi all,
> 
> I'm dev'ing a control app, that has as a part of it a window showing
> CAD-drawings.
> 
> So I'd like to display drawings coming from DXF files. In the first place
> I'd start displaying rectangles and circles, i.e. simple shapes.
> Nevertheless, the goal is to scan DXF files for the shapes to be displayed.
> 
> PythonCAD comes to my mind. But, alas, yet I did not succeed in installing
> it on my Win2k box - the underlying graphics toolkit is missing DLLs.
> 
> But anyway, as I do not want to develop a full blown CAD program (I "simply"
> want to display, zoom an rotate them), there's probably somthing simpler out
> there for my purposes.
> 
> My app uses Python 2.3.x and wxPython (2nd latest release, upgrade any time
> soon). I dev it on Win2k which will be the first target platform. But I see
> Linux as a target already on the horizon.
> 
> So the lib should run on Win2k, but not prevent me from running on Linux.
> The lib should integrate somehow with wxPython.
> 
> OTH, there are graphic libs 'n' packs out there similar to wxPython (was it
> FOX?). So, if there are many more pros than cons, I'd consider changing from
> wxPython.
> 
> Any hint is welcome.
> 
> Best regards
> Franz GEIGER

I was going to suggest looking into embedding a drawing viewer such as
Volo View as an ActiveX component, until I realized that you want a
cross platform solution.  You may want to look at QCad which is GPLed
and cross platform (I think through GTK), but I have no idea what it
would take to embed it into your app.  I wonder if looking at the code
and/or talking with the developer you could come up with a simple DXF
reader.  (Of course you could study the DXF format on your own as
well, but I think that is what you are trying to avoid. :)

-Ruben