cncArtistMachines / X-Carve
Inventables X-Carve
cncArtist for X-Carve: CAM for Mac, iPad and iPhone
Native Mac software for designing, simulating and cutting on Inventables X-Carve. Free to download. $299 once to cut without limits. No subscription.
Why cncArtist suits X-Carve
X-Carve owners often hit the limits of Easel and its subscription. cncArtist is a one-time purchase that runs natively on Mac, iPad and iPhone and writes GRBL-style .nc files for the X-Carve presets.
The post is named for the X-Carve and Easel era of machines; it uses GRBL conventions with one file per bit.
What it writes, and how to send it
X-Carve · Easel post
File extension .nc. This post has no in-program tool change, so a job that uses more than one bit is exported as one file per bit (for example a -1-T2 and a -2-T1 file). Run them in order and re-zero Z after each swap.
How to send it
A GRBL sender. Easel, Inventables' own software, is built around its web design tool and does not take arbitrary G-code files, so people who bring their own G-code normally use a sender such as Universal Gcode Sender or gSender. Confirm against Inventables' current guidance for your controller.
We are not certain how every X-Carve controller version accepts outside G-code. Check Inventables' current documentation before relying on this route. cncArtist's posts are checked with golden-file tests: the output for a sample job is compared with a saved copy, so a change cannot slip through unnoticed. That is a software test, not a certification on any machine. Run the simulator and an air cut on a new setup before every first cut.
Presets for X-Carve
Pick your machine by maker and model and cncArtist fills in the bed size, Z travel, safe height and post. These are the makers' published cutting areas, and you can change any figure.
| Preset | Bed | Z travel | Post |
|---|---|---|---|
| X-Carve 1000 mm | 750 × 750 mm 29.5 × 29.5 in | 65 mm | X-Carve · Easel |
| X-Carve Pro 4×4 | 1220 × 1220 mm 48 × 48 in | 100 mm | X-Carve · Easel |
Features that matter on X-Carve
Every line checked first
The simulator plays the whole job back in wood, marks gouges on the board and lists each problem with its toolpath or G-code line, before anything reaches the machine.
Inlays that fit
Male and female parts are cut from one design, so the plug seats tight. V-carve, pocket, profile, 3D, two-sided, tiling and nesting are all in the same app.
Longer than your bed
Tiling splits a long sign into sections that line up across the joins, and two-sided jobs flip on guided registration.
Restart after a broken bit
Pick the point where the cut stopped and save a restart file, so you only recut what is left.
From design to first cut
- Pick X-Carve 1000 mm or X-Carve Pro 4x4 in Machine.
- Design, toolpath and simulate.
- Export the ZIP and take the .nc file.
- Open it in your GRBL sender (check what Inventables recommends for your machine).
- Set zero, air cut, then cut.
Questions
Can cncArtist send straight into Easel?
No. cncArtist writes a G-code file; you send it with a GRBL-compatible sender.
Multiple bits?
This post has no in-program tool change, so a job that uses more than one bit is exported as one file per bit (for example a -1-T2 and a -2-T1 file). Run them in order and re-zero Z after each swap.
Do I pay monthly?
No. $299 once, with your first three jobs free.
Coming from Vectric? Read VCarve for Mac.
Free to download.
$299 once to cut without limits.
Design and simulate as much as you like. Your first three jobs export free. Then one purchase unlocks cncArtist on Mac, iPad and iPhone. Commercial use included.
Cut 3 jobs free.
Every design tool, every simulation, and G-code for your first three jobs. No card, no time limit.
Once. Everywhere.
Unlimited export on Mac, iPad and iPhone with one purchase. Free 1.x updates. Family Sharing. Commercial use included.
Launch price $249 until 11:59 pm on Thursday, Dec 31, 2026.
No subscription.
Pay once, cut forever. A paid major version every few years, with an owner upgrade price.