I’m curious if anyone has had a chance to compare the features, usability, and results between Easel Pro and Carbide Create while working on any projects. It looks like Carbide Create also offers the ability to v carve and use fonts already installed on your computer plus it is free. While it doesn’t have the ability to communicate with the controller directly, it does have the ability to export gcode.
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really @WorkinWoods as a fellow Missourian I have been talking about this program since it was released for free to all users.
Had several post about it and liked the fact that it is not cloud based (I can not have internet at the school) and also has V-Carve as well as local fonts and allows you to paste a background image so that you can trace something if needed.
It was a real life saver for the class I teach.
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oh very nice yeah it looks like a good bit of software for entry level users
and you bring up a great point about school and the machines especially shop class as it seems like alot of the shop classes are becoming under funded and by having a local program schools don’t have to put in additional IT Infrastructure (of course I am not sure it thats a huge deal nowadays)
I teach in a state prison and they will never allow internet where the offenders are. it has little to do with funding more about safety and security. But this program is very similar in ease of use and has quite a few features that people have asked for. I for one could not be happier about it for work, but at home I wish that they would release a binary for Linux.
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oh yeah that is a good bit of work you do in the prisons I was watching the other day Titans of CNC and how they are doing the same thing within the prison system
It has always been my dream to position myself and my company some day when I grow larger to give back to the community like that and within the school system
okay yeah I will check out your other posts thanks
I had an opportunity to visit San Quentin several months ago. The machine shop is beyond impressive This was just after Titan filmed one of his series there. I run a makerspace inside a juvenile hall; the only one in California and possibly the US. I feel very fortunate to be able to give back. We do not have an X-Carve there, but that doesn’t stop me from teaching CAD design. We’ve even had Tinkercad come talk to the youth. Truly a great team of people and the youth really appreciated the experience.
I hope you have the opportunity someday.
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Thanks for the feedback. I went back and looked at your previous posts regarding Carbide Create. For simple projects it’s been nice to use Easel and I was looking forward to a rollout of new features. However, the subscription cost for these features was a surprise and made me take a closer look at possible alternatives. Carbide Create looks like it has many of the same features that I was interested in. In addition, it is a standalone application which I prefer for many reasons. I agree that it would be nice if a Linux binary was available, but I’m happy with doing the design on a Mac, saving it to a USB stick and then sending the gcode from a Raspberry PI. Are there any issues, frustrations, or workarounds to be aware of with Carbide Create based on your experience?
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I don’t have any problems using carbide create nor do the students that get to use it. I use UGS as a sender program and love the ease of use that it provides. After I learned what the background image was for I also got to appreciate using it so that we could make accurate outlines of the image, (very handy when cutting out gaskets etc.). I am very pleased with the program and what it offers.
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Do you have moments when you wish you had something from Easel that is not in Carbide Create?
Real question is if Easel were not cloud based, would you prefer Easel or Carbide Create?
Thanks.
I wanted Easel as it is very easy to understand. But they do not think that they will ever release a non cloud based version. I believe that Carbide Create is very similar and also fairly easy to understand,
So I would have rather had Easel but I can accept what I have.
Hey Everyone,
The answer to this question is a bit of a moving target. We are continually adding new features and functionality into Easel. We just added high definition preview, 2 stage carving, workpieces, file search. There are also a number of new features that will be released in the future.
I can’t make any forward looking statements about an “offline” or “non cloud based version” of Easel but what I can say is that today in 2017 you do not need to be connected to the internet to carve with Easel. Carving does not go over the internet it only goes over USB. Easel saves your files online so you can login from any computer in the world and have access to them.
In a situation like a prison where access to the internet is not allowed at any time Easel would need to be loaded before the computer was presented in the “no internet environment”. Design work can happen when Easel is not connected to the internet.
Zach
It is doable, I have one package that contacts a server periodically to “refresh” the license. If contact is lost then the software will work for an additional seven days to allow you some time to resolve the issue and then it will stop functioning until it can once again “refresh”.
Wouldn’t have it on a bet, but the client wants it and pays for it.
It’s still a pain in the butt for both provider and user.
I will certainly try to use this program. I only see machine settings for the Shapeoko 3 can it be used with the X-Carve also?
I am sure it can what machine settings are you speaking of?
I have the 1000X1000 Xcarve which is roughly the same dimensions as the XXL so I use those settings while using the program if you look they also have a 500X500 machine and a 750X750 machine listed. I bet that with some searching you can setup custom machine sizes as well.
Thank you for posting this. Always looking for good software.
VERY happy to see both a PC and Mac version available 
And it also runs well under wine in Linux if needed. I have hopes that they will work on a native Linux binary in the future.
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Same here - I will take another look, thank you.