Is there any way to use easel while offline?
Or maybe some freeware available for some simple 2D designs that doesn’t require internet connections?
Easel only requires an internet connection while it boots up and in order to save the files you work on. So if you wanted to start it up and then move to a workshop that doesn’t have wi-fi, you can do that but if you close your files you lose any changes you’ve made. But all of Easel’s code runs client-side which means once it starts up it doesn’t require an internet connection to function.
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Inkscape + gcodetools extension + Universal GcodeSender
Sketchup Make + SketchuCam plugin + Universal GcodeSender
Inkscape + estlcam (my favourite)
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thanks guys
Im wondering if this has been answered before but it seems that any semi complex image I try to upload into easel via CSG times out. Is this because of my computer?
I’m not sure what you mean by csg, or how complex you mean, but I can say that I’ve had some issues with Easel choking and causing JavaScript errors and script hangs with svg files that have a lot of shapes in them.
Depending on what I’m doing sometimes I let the script continue and sometimes I cancel it.
Sorry I meant cvg format. I’m new to the routing so I’ve been starting with image trace and cvg formats. The current pic I’ve uploaded is nothing more than an outline of a Celtic cross with (499) pieces. But it always gets hung up on the java script piece and never comes back :;/
@Mike said it all. I run Easel all the time with no/poor internet connection. Just take you computer inside before you close the project if you want to save any changes.
I even keep several Easel projects open at a time and go back and forth, but I know that has caused some people problems so it may not be for everyone.
Yeah 499 is pretty heavy duty for Easel. I get hung up with more than 100 objects. And even if you could get it to open, every save would take an age.
Well I guess I’ll have to put the image in one sliver at a time. Thanks a lot for the reply.
I am also having issues with the carve stopping part way through the job. When you click on the unhappy robot, one of the issues is poor internet. I live in a rural area and have to use an internet service that is basically like a huge hot spot. It’s not the greatest and a lot of times is spotty. So if you don’t need internet to run the job, why is poor internet an issue? I don’t know of any other reason why the job would stop part way through. Thank you in advance… You guys/gals are awesome!!!
Poor internet access is not a reason why a carve stop part way. The sole cause is USB connection drop-out between the PC and controller. Why a drop-out can be due to a multitude of things, but most commonly linked to EMF/RF noise within the machine, router, peripherals, USB port management etc.
If the router have been used a fro a while, check brushes for wear and replace if needed.
Run power cables and signal wires away from eachother.
Get an externally powered USB-hub to make the USB-link stronger/better RF-rejection.
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Thank you 
I hope the external USB fixes it. I’m about at my wit’s end!!!
Other than EASEL are there other software that can interface with the Inventables CNC Saw?
I recently switched to vcarve (pro) after watching @PhillipLunsford’s YouTube channel and it runs fully offline (obviously more expensive and only runs under windows. I have a Mac so it runs inside a virtual machine running windows 10) and CNCJS for my sender (an excellent tool -thanks to @NeilFerreri1’s suggestion) The cncjs runs on a minipc running Ubuntu Linux so if it gets trashed, not my real computer.
Vcarve may be more than you need, and check the options for which version to buy. If you never do huge signs regular desktop may be fine, I routinely do signs larger than the machine do needed pro. Vcarve is much more of a serious carving system on the CAM side and you have way more control, but gives you a real ability to tweak thing to your liking.
I have Vcarve Pro 9.0… Very new to CNC operations. But I do not see where this software will work as the CNC Controller Software. I have been using it to design projects and then use Easel as the Controller Software for the Xcarve. Am I missing something?
You are correct, although VCarve can directly drive some machines (I have no idea if Xcarve is one of those) I use CNCJS instead of easel for that purpose (similar to people using UGS. CNCJS is highly customizable, and has some really nice features (way more featured than easel for things like probing). I also love that probing is a separate manual operation rather than in the workflow. like yesterday where I was fitting a bracket (it was more frustrating that I thought and took a lot of iterations) so I kept moving the model to the right on my stock and just hitting go, since the Z hadn’t changed and wanted to keep the x,y 0. I mean unless you bump the machine out of home there is really no reason to reprobe if it is the exact same setup. I also love getting a full DRO so I can sanity check my zeros. There was one where I looked at the DRO and realized my zeros had gone totally rogue and my setup had clearly gone off by probably 16" (luckily just during that successive move tot the right so nothing had to match up precisely so just reprobed and even if it was off by a fraction of an inch it was all fine)