so sick and tired of the web based software freezing while simulating toolpaths. Ive been at this for days, nothing but frustration, i’ve called and was told my design is too complex. but then! it cuts and i try to cut again and it freezes. i feel like I bought into a software that is a useful tool when itfeels like it. its silly, all of your projects are stored online, like you have no control over who sees what you are working on, i have spotty internet service in my warehouse. Please Please Please just create a software that you can have on your computer and run without the internet. that works!!!
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Easel is a convenient ready tool to have when you get your machine, but it is not the only software compatible with the XCarve. If you are looking at more complex designs (3D/2.5D, or larger, more intricate designs), you might consider alternative software. Fusion360 is free. Or you can try Vectric software (not free). Make your design and generate a toolpath. Then use UGS (Universal Gcode Sender) to send it to your xcarve… all offline. There may be a bit of a learning curve with these other programs, but it might be worth the effort if you’re having difficulties with Easel.
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Agreeing and continuing on what @KimberlyFranzen said. Easel is a good program for most. Moving from the cloud to a pc based software is possible. There are many posts in this forum that have, at least, a partial review of those software. Carbide Create is another example of stand-alone software similar to Easel. Each choice will have different options and limitations until you get into the paid for side, except for Fusion360. Meshcam is talked about along with Vectrics products. Should you find yourself branching out you will likely want to look at sender programs like PicSender or CNCJS. There are many different to choose from in this category as well.
Unless you are considering improving your wifi, you will likely benefit from researching what alternative is available.
On another note, if you consider you would like to continue using Easel, you can still make your projects and export gcode from a computer outside the workshop with a better internet connection and run the project locally. There are options, but you will need to find one that best works for you.
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If you like the ease of use of Easel but do not want to or can not use the web based cloud. then your best free alternative is carbide create.
it is a program written for the shapeoko which the xcarve was a fork of and it is a stand alone program that is very similar in ease of use. it is also just 2.5 D (no 3D ) like easel but it has local fonts (whatever fonts you have on your system) and V-carve without a subscription. you will then need a sender program unlike the other suggestions your best free choices are UGS or UGS platform then CNCjs or Bcnc there are others that are also free.
edit: the reason I listed the UGS programs first is ease of use not because they are better or worse, if you are only sending g-code sometimes simple is better.
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I came to cnc before x carve and learned a few different software programs to do my work. I only have used Easel to set up my machine. I played around with it a bit but in the end just kept converting my drawings to g code with CamBam or Meshcam. UGS takes the G code and does the job. The OP should download UGS or another sender, take the Easel Gcode, and give it a try as mentioned above. Once you get the hang of UGS, you will like it.
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As a person who has been working on setting up a CNC design/project system, web-based has a lot of advantages in terms of setup and so forth.
There are a number of other options though, see the lists at:
- https://wiki.shapeoko.com/index.php/CAD
- https://wiki.shapeoko.com/index.php/CAM
- https://wiki.shapeoko.com/index.php/Commercial_Software
One thing which may help is to export G-Code from Easel to a local file, then send it either using Easel, or some 3rd party tool: https://wiki.shapeoko.com/index.php/Communication_/_Control
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Get V-carve pro and pic sender. Then you won’t have to worry about any of this anymore.
I was super frustrated, i am on a time crunch and was tired and ranting, I will explore some more advanced options soon, thank you all for the emails and replies, everything seems be working fine today. -Ian
Which is better pic sender or UGS??
I prefer picsender over UGS but that is just my opinion.
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I’m thinking about expanding my horizons. You use the lazer with pic sender. Is that correct?
Yes and picsender is as easy to use as anything i have found.
I have never used Easel simply because I refuse to have someone else in control of my software and or files.
While there are many products out there either free or not, I personally have Vectric desktop and Picsender.
Absolutely zero problems.
I simply cant imagine being tied to the so called “cloud”
Anyone who is, will always be in someone else’s control.
(getting down from soap box)
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Just food for thought - if you are using a smart phone of any kind, a computer of any kind, or a tables of any kind - you are using the “cloud”. Yes, you can choose (generally) what information you store there, but the entire internet is virtualized and every major software providers (and a lot of the smaller ones since it’s less expensive) have services in the “cloud”. Frankly, unless you have no internet access at all for your computer, which is clearly not the case, you are using the “cloud”. You might download an application - but where do you think it is coming from? Where do you think the license is validated from? Where do you think you register with when you download and pay? I am more skeptical than most, but saying you refuse to use the cloud is, well, fundamentally not acknowledging how the modern internet works.
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-Tom
I use Fusion 360 for more complicate things, and UGS to send the code. Great combination and “free”.
-Tom
Yep,
You’re absolutely correct.
I did in fact download Vectric software from their website.
And I did in fact pay for it through their portal.
I went through the same process for Picsender.
But my point is, it is now completely in my control.
I don’t need the internet to do any design and or machining.
I also know exactly where my files are at.
They are on my laptop and also on a back up drive.
Yup, eventually my laptop will die and I will have to retrieve everything from my back up. (click click…done)
When there is an outage, (as so many people have experienced) I can still access my files and software.
Anyone who is tied to the so called “cloud” cannot say that, and will be at the mercy of someone else.
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Its also odd that I only really have problems in the middle of the night. Everything that has given me problems seems to load and cut fine the next day. Maybe I’m just crazy.
Hello Ian, I do agree with you by 100%. It is very disturbing to have to be on line to get your own stuff. Why Inventables are so concern??? Open the files and software, it will be a lot better.
As a GCode sender, in addition to Picsender and UGS, CNCjs should also be considered, it has solid capabilities for creating macros, it is available for several platforms.
Regarding Easel, I prefer standalone products but I think that from Inventable’s perspective, they see it as a product that can be better controlled and supported more easily as a server-based, they have effectively only one environment to support, they don’t have to worry about user’s system configuration and compatibility issues, they can get a constant revenue stream from subscriptions instead of selling something once and maybe never getting any more money from that customer. All this to say that I don’t think they will offer a standalone version but there are alternatives some free like Carbon Create and some that are costing money like VCarve. Fusion 360 was mentioned above as an alternative but it also requires that you connect through the Internet but you can work offline for limited periods of time.
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