Build option to use _GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=0

[colaub]

Description of Issue

Most third parties or vfx libs use by default _GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=0 it's also recommended by https://vfxplatform.com/ Building USD plugins with these libs causes conflicts. Is there a reason why USD and its dependencies don't use _GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=0? If it is a deliberate choice, could we add an option to _buildusd.py to switch values?

System Information (OS, Hardware)

Linux

Thanks for enlightening me on that :pray: !

[jilliene]

Filed as internal issue #USD-6873

[sunyab]

Hi @colaub, our primary test platform forces _GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=0 so we hadn't observed a problem internally, and no one's raised this issue before (which is maybe a little surprising).

We think it would be a good idea to add a parameter to build_usd.py to let users specify the value for _GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI to use when building USD and its dependencies. However, we won't be setting this by default. We think it would be less confusing and less error-prone for users to rely on the compiler's default ABI setting instead of having to know about and define this in their builds. The parameter will at least give advanced users an easy way to set this up when it's needed.

[colaub]

Hi @sunyab thanks for your reply. I agree with your proposition. Today, we have to do :

build_usd.py ... --build-args USD,"-DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=0" BOOST,"define=_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=0" OPENSUBDIV,"-DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=0" OPENEXR,"-DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=0" MATERIALX,"-DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=0" ALEMBIC,"-DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=0" OPENIMAGEIO,"-DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=0"

I think no one's raise this issue because ABI setting is pretty advanced and plugin editors build USD without build_usd.py and with their own third-party packages.

Thanks for this proposition.

Cheers.

[colaub]

Hello, even if we use the new flag --use-cxx11-abi 0 we still need to pass the build flag --build-args BOOST,"define=_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=0" for boost. Because I guess boost doesn't use cmake.

idk if I have to do a new issue ticket or let my comment here.

Thanks

Colin.

[sunyab]

@colaub have you confirmed this doesn't work? I believe this line should have added the necessary define to cxxflags when building boost:

https://github.com/PixarAnimationStudios/USD/blob/release/build_scripts/build_usd.py#L831

[colaub]

Hello, it's verified. If I understand well your AppendCXX11ABIArg def you assume that all USD's third-parties use -D as variable declaration but boost seems to doesn't consider it and need to use define= flag instead of -D. So I guess we have to make an exception for boost in the build_script. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/36309021/how-to-compile-boost-with-gcc-5-using-old-abi

Thanks

Colin.

[sunyab]

Ah, I totally missed that with the original change. Thanks for calling that out, will have another look.