ST_Buffer won't accept bevel join styles (always displays as round)

Question

I'm having a bit of trouble with ST_Buffer and join styles. Basically, if I try and use the bevel style it outputs as if I was using the round style.

I notice that the ST_Buffer docs state that GEOS 3.2 or above is needed for bevel to work. I'm using GEOS 3.3.7, but I've also tried downgrading to various GEOS versions (3.3.5, 3.3.0, etc) to no avail.

The only way I've managed to get bevel to work is by using Postgres.app as my PostGIS database instead of my manual homebrew installation. I can't work out why my homebrew version doesn't do it even when they're both using the same GEOS (3.3.5).

Is there something that I'm missing? Perhaps I need to update / do something with my existing PostGIS database after downgrading / changing GEOS?

Update

Basically, what I'm trying to achieve is an expanded polygon (say by 3 metres) with sharp corners. ST_Buffer seems to be the logical choice here. However, I'm happy to explore other options that would a) let me remove the rounded corners after using ST_Buffer, or b) let me use something other than ST_Buffer to achieve the same effect.

Answer 1

Was your homebrewed PostGIS statically compiled against GEOS? Probably not, but if so, that PostGIS is stuck with a version of GEOS where the bevel doesn't work. To see what version of GEOS PostGIS is using run the following query:

SELECT postgis_full_version();

If it is running against an older version you'll need to recompile PostGIS, and reinstall the extensions. If you're using PostgreSQL 9.1 or greater you can use ALTER EXTENSION to upgrade PostGIS in place.

FYI, on my Ubuntu box the bevel option works just fine with GEOS 3.3.5.