Just my opinion save your money and get comfortable with the machine first. Easel is the meat and potatoes easy to learn and a good program to get your feet wet. then go for the free stuff (fengrave, fusion, halftoner, ect.) I use artcam, easel, and fusion equally they all have their place. artcam is great for organic shapes for my 3d wood carvings. Fusion is for more when i want to build a part or prototype something. Easel is the go to for many things and will always have a place in my shop don’t let it’s simplicity fool you plus they are always adding features to it And let us not forget vectric products although i do not use them they are akin to artcam. Unless using a laser there should be nothing to fiddle with on the arduino but if you do go for the laser I highly recommend Larry mayberry’s version of the grbl hex. These opinions are just from my own experiences and each will have their own and in time you will find what works best for you. the work you do is amazing I can’t wait to see what you will do with the xcarve in the shop.