I’m a newbie to Onefinity. I had a Shapeoko where I was able to design in Easel Pro on my Mac and send it straight to the CNC for cutting… No saving to a file then uploading to another program. It was all in one place.
Now with Onefinity, it doesn’t look like that is possible. It appears that whatever design software I use, I must save it to a file, then upload it to the Onefinity controller. Is that correct or am I missing something?
Thanks guys,
Kevan
You are correct just save it under machine as a other GRBL(Gcode), then download it I use Escalm to view it then transfer it to a usb and plug it into the 1F. Works fine
Is this due to a fundamental difference in the way these two machines are controlled? Is it the Shapeoko or OF that are more atypical in this regard?
Thank you Jbirch for the clarification and tip!
Tmtoronto, I’m not certain if the Shapeoko or Onefinity are that unique in that regard. But from a user experience having the CAD and CAM in one application was a joy! Easel Pro was well worth the $20 a month for that convenience alone.
In order to cut on my Shapeoko directly from Easel I had to send a string of 5 gcode commands to adjust for the Shapeoko… Easel is natively designed for the X-Carve machine. I wonder if there is a similar hack for Onefinity?
@TMToronto - technically the two machines are controlled exactly the same way. The difference is the OF has a built-in controller whereas the Shapeoko and X-Carve (and most other entry level machines) require an external computer to drive the control system. The OF uses the Raspberry Pi as the computer.
@kevan - the Pi is the computer in this case - AFAIK, you cannot send gcode directly to the controller. Though I do believe @charleyntexas posted something about bypassing the RPI; I don’t recall the details.
All - I’ll note you do not have to use an USB stick to transfer files. I simply pull the UI up on my computer and upload to the OF directly. This assumes your machine is on the network. Far more convenient than a stick. Though enabling SMB on the RPI and mounting the folder to my computer as a shared drive would be even better!
-Tom
Thank you for that information. I have set my my own RPI that way to run openHAB which I use for my home automation. Do we have the ability to do this - set up SMB/mounting folder - with the RPI in the OF controller?
Tom, agreed Wi-Fi far better than usb! I’ve got in on my Wi-Fi along with an extra Logitech camera. I’ll follow up on Charlientexas post on bypassing the Raspberry. I wonder if I’m losing anything by trying to do that?
Tmtoronto I don’t know enough to answer your Q. I’m new to RPI and don’t know what SMB stands for.
@kevan - sorry - SMB is the protocol used by Windows for file servers; stands for Server Message Block and implemented by Samba, an open source implementation of the protocol.
It makes your CNC look like a folder on your computer that you can drag and drop files into.
Hope this helps.
-Tom
Hello - Any update on this? I have a little experience w/ the RPi and would LOVE to be able to either bypass the controller or hack it so that Easel Pro talks directly to it. It seems like it would make multi-toolpath carvings much easier - but I might be wrong on that.
Your thoughts?
Dan, you and I are singing the same gospel song!
I used to have a Shapeoko and that is not technically supported by Easel. I found the appropriate gcodes to initialize the Shapeoko to worm with Easel and that was it.
I’m curious is Onefinity can work the same way if initialized properly. If some out there thinks they know please testify 
Dream come true if the OF could be controlled directly with easel. Maybe if we post more on the subject OF would consider this as a possibility.
Its not really a OF decision it would have to be something that Inventables allows and creates in the Easel software. I’m sure its technically possible, but OF kinda competes with their X-Carve business.
-Alex
AHHHH I see I guess is makes sense from that point of view.
HI @kevan and @DMHamm Well I know this is an old thread and y’all may have moved on but did anyone find a hack so Easel will work directly with 1F? I looked for a post by @charleyntexas but didn’t see one regarding this issue.
I haven’t found a hack to make Easel work directly yet. I’d love to have one… My guess is that it can be done with the correct set-up codes… I think. Thanks, Kevan
Take a look at this feature request with temporary workaround : Onefinity out of the box share for uploading gcode from network
I have never written a post processor. As simple as they may look when you view them in a text file, they are fickle creatures in that every thing has to be in the correct order and the use of special characters such as [ ] is crucial. There is a post processor available that works perfect with V Carve and is specifically written for the X Carve in both inch and metric versions. I haven’t tried to use it with the 1F and Easel though.
I am guessing that you are trying to use Easel for a design platform rather than a gcode sender. Easel does allow you to export gcode that will run on various machines. The gcode that easel creates is fairly generic as gcode goes until you get into Mach3 code. My guess is that if you generate code for an X Carve it would run on the 1F but I have never attempted it. I could easily be wrong in that assumption.
Thanks Charley. I am using it as a design platform and it is quite easy to get gcode over to the OF. I am used to setting up the machine and homing it directly using Easel, the OF doesn’t allow that, which is not a big deal, it’s just another steep learning curve. Thanks for your help.