Super frustrated, why just why can't we have a version that doesn't have to be web based

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:

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.

0.02

-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.

@IanLund
i was dealing with that as well, and it turned out to be a problem with my local ISP

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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I’m not sure why anyone wouldn’t like Easel, especially if you’re a first time user of this type of technology. Easel, in my opinion, is about as good as one could hope for in a free software especially when it comes to having both cad and cam capabilities. Yes it’s web based, but the auto save feature alone makes this program worth learning and using at least every once in a while. Also, the more time you spend with it, the better it gets, as you will pick up on tricks here and there which honestly comes with any piece of software when you first learn to use it. Don’t be so quick to hate on it, the good people at Inventables spent the time and other resources to create this FREE platform for everyone to use and it also allows people an easy way to share what they’ve made with other like minded people. I personally like to do all of my work in Vcarve pro, but there’s still a lot that can be done in Easel that in a lot of cases can make it easier or more convenient to use than opening up a stand alone program, setting your parameters and going from there. I’ve made some pretty intricate designs in Vcarve and gotten distracted from it with my 2 year old and lost those files, whereas with Easel, that’s something to doesn’t happen unless you have a shoddy internet connection because it saves your work automatically after every change that’s made. Also, for anyone to say that they refuse to use Easel because you think “someone else has control over your files” is utter nonsense. Anything you make in Easel can be extracted and save to a local file on your HDD. No one is taking over anything you’re doing on Easel at any point and all they do is help whenever there’s an issue. In the end you still have to learn any system you plan on using, which will always take time. The more systems you learn to use, the better off you’ll be, as is the case with anything in life really. I love Easel for its ease of use and it’s loaded with tons of free stuff to use and generates tool paths for you on the fly. You could always write your own program and go that route, though I highly doubt that would be a better option either. Either deal with what’s offered for free and make due or get your billfold out and be prepared to pay a hefty amount of money for a much more advanced piece of software that’s going to take much, much longer to learn how to use, the choice is yours and there are many options out there to choose from, each with their own pros and cons.

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In case some readers want to give it a go, or were unaware of the addition, VCarve v9+ now does actually come with a simple offline G-code sender, called VTransfer. It can be selected as an option on install, or you can find the separate installer in your product directory (usually C:\Program Files\VCarve Pro 9.5\VTransfer_Setup.exe or similar) and install it at anytime subsequently.
Once installed, use the ‘mm’ X-Carve post and you will find that the option ‘Output direct to machine’ is available via VTransfer.

image

VTransfer will start-up when you click ‘Output Toolpath(s)’. It allows simple jogging, setting of the X,Y,Z origin and streaming of the toolpath without the need for any other software.

I hope it might be useful for some at least.

Edward (from Vectric)

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That’s interesting to know, is this capability also available in inches instead of mm? If so, I may give this a shot soon and test it out. Thanks for the info! I love Vcarve pro, I have both versions 8.0 and 9.5 and absolutely love using them for my intricate designs. Cheers!