cmake fails with FREETYPE_INCLUDE_DIR-NOTFOUND error

[hemebond]

Running cmake fails because it can't find freetype include directory

$ cmake ../neo/
-- The CXX compiler identification is GNU 15.2.0
-- The C compiler identification is GNU 15.2.0
-- Detecting CXX compiler ABI info
-- Detecting CXX compiler ABI info - done
-- Check for working CXX compiler: /usr/bin/c++ - skipped
-- Detecting CXX compile features
-- Detecting CXX compile features - done
-- Detecting C compiler ABI info
-- Detecting C compiler ABI info - done
-- Check for working C compiler: /usr/bin/cc - skipped
-- Detecting C compile features
-- Detecting C compile features - done
-- `/usr/bin/cc -dumpmachine` says: "x86_64-linux-gnu"
--   => CPU architecture extracted from that: "x86_64"
-- Setting -DD3_ARCH="x86_64" -DD3_SIZEOFPTR=8 -DD3_OSTYPE="linux" 
-- Found PkgConfig: /usr/bin/pkg-config (found version "1.8.1")
-- Found OpenAL: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libopenal.so
-- Checking for module 'sdl2'
--   Found sdl2, version 2.32.10
-- Found Freetype: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libfreetype.so (found version "2.13.3")
-- Dear ImGui integration enabled
-- libcurl found and enabled
-- Performing Test HAVE_LIBBACKTRACE
-- Performing Test HAVE_LIBBACKTRACE - Success
-- Using libbacktrace
-- Performing Test HAVE_SDL_X11
-- Performing Test HAVE_SDL_X11 - Failed
-- Detected Little Endian architecture, setting -DD3_IS_BIG_ENDIAN=0
-- Performing Test cxx_has_fp-contract
-- Performing Test cxx_has_fp-contract - Success
-- Performing Test cxx_has_fvisibility
-- Performing Test cxx_has_fvisibility - Success
-- Performing Test cxx_has_Woverload_virtual
-- Performing Test cxx_has_Woverload_virtual - Success
-- Performing Test cxx_has_Wno-class-memaccess
-- Performing Test cxx_has_Wno-class-memaccess - Success
-- Performing Test cxx_has_Wno-cpp20-compat
-- Performing Test cxx_has_Wno-cpp20-compat - Success
-- Found Git: /usr/bin/git (found version "2.51.0")
-- Setting project on git branch: master
-- Building RelWithDebInfo for linux-x86_64
-- The install target will use the following directories:
--   Binary directory:  /usr/local/bin
--   Library directory: /usr/local/lib/dhewm3
--   Data directory:    /usr/local/share/dhewm3
-- Configuring done (1.4s)
CMake Error: The following variables are used in this project, but they are set to NOTFOUND.
Please set them or make sure they are set and tested correctly in the CMake files:
FREETYPE_INCLUDE_DIR
   used as include directory in directory /home/james/Workspace/doom3-fisk-d3moddingkit/neo
   used as include directory in directory /home/james/Workspace/doom3-fisk-d3moddingkit/neo
   used as include directory in directory /home/james/Workspace/doom3-fisk-d3moddingkit/neo
   used as include directory in directory /home/james/Workspace/doom3-fisk-d3moddingkit/neo
   used as include directory in directory /home/james/Workspace/doom3-fisk-d3moddingkit/neo
   used as include directory in directory /home/james/Workspace/doom3-fisk-d3moddingkit/neo
   used as include directory in directory /home/james/Workspace/doom3-fisk-d3moddingkit/neo
   used as include directory in directory /home/james/Workspace/doom3-fisk-d3moddingkit/neo
   used as include directory in directory /home/james/Workspace/doom3-fisk-d3moddingkit/neo
   used as include directory in directory /home/james/Workspace/doom3-fisk-d3moddingkit/neo
   used as include directory in directory /home/james/Workspace/doom3-fisk-d3moddingkit/neo

CMake Error in CMakeLists.txt:
  Found relative path while evaluating include directories of "idlib":

    "FREETYPE_INCLUDE_DIR-NOTFOUND"



CMake Error in CMakeLists.txt:
  Found relative path while evaluating include directories of "D3ModdingKit":

    "FREETYPE_INCLUDE_DIR-NOTFOUND"



CMake Error in CMakeLists.txt:
  Found relative path while evaluating include directories of "D3ModdingKit":

    "FREETYPE_INCLUDE_DIR-NOTFOUND"



CMake Error in CMakeLists.txt:
  Found relative path while evaluating include directories of
  "D3ModdingKitded":

    "FREETYPE_INCLUDE_DIR-NOTFOUND"



CMake Error in CMakeLists.txt:
  Found relative path while evaluating include directories of
  "D3ModdingKitded":

    "FREETYPE_INCLUDE_DIR-NOTFOUND"



CMake Error in CMakeLists.txt:
  Found relative path while evaluating include directories of "base":

    "FREETYPE_INCLUDE_DIR-NOTFOUND"



CMake Error in CMakeLists.txt:
  Found relative path while evaluating include directories of "d3xp":

    "FREETYPE_INCLUDE_DIR-NOTFOUND"



-- Generating done (0.1s)
CMake Generate step failed.  Build files cannot be regenerated correctly.

System info:

Linux excession 6.16.9+deb14-amd64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Debian 6.16.9-1 (2025-09-27) x86_64 GNU/Linux

No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID:	Debian
Description:	Debian GNU/Linux forky/sid
Release:	n/a
Codename:	forky

I can compile regular dhewm3, if that's at all relevant. Not sure what cmake is trying to find. Freetype -dev packages are already installed.

libfreetype-dev/testing,now 2.13.3+dfsg-1 amd64 [installed]
  FreeType 2 font engine, development files

libfreetype6/testing,now 2.13.3+dfsg-1 amd64 [installed,automatic]
  FreeType 2 font engine, shared library files

[hemebond]

I got around it with

cmake ../neo/ --fresh -DFREETYPE_INCLUDE_DIR=/usr/include/freetype2/