I just ordered my Journeyman and while I’m waiting I am checking out my software choices. For now, I’m leaning toward Carbide Create. I’ve downloaded the free version and so far I like the design features.
My Question is on creating the GCODE from CC for the 1F… Is the Carbide Create *.c2d file the file that goes on the jumpdrive and into the 1F Controller? I was thinking it was a GCODE file with a different extension.
Thanks in advance!
-Mark
Whichever design software you choose to use will tend to have it’s own file type. For Carbide Create, that’s .c2d for Carveco it’s .art etc.
Those are specifically going to be for use in those programs, but they can be used to export that design information into GCode. Once you have your toolpath information all set, that’s what gets exported for the Onefinity to read.
Which version of Carbide are you using? They just recently updated to only allowing Gcode export from the paid version of the software, but it’s possible to download Version 6 I believe. There may be another work around for the updated version but I haven’t looked into it much.
Thanks Eric,
I just downloaded the most recent version yesterday, I’m on Build 726 (2022-08-03). I didn’t find any option to export the gcode. I was able to select GRBL as my pos processor and then save the c2d file. So it sounds like this *.c2d file is the one that the Onefinity will recognize.
It looks like you’re into version 7. My software says Build 648. Here’s a link that Onefinity put up here on the forum when Carbide made the change.
On previous versions, when you are in the Toolpath side of things there is a button at the bottom under the simulation options that says “Save GCode”
Yeah, I was just reading some info about version 7 and it sounds like they are making some big changes in this area. I think I might download their latest v6 build and use that for the time being until V7 shakes out for the Onefinity community. Thank you for your help!
From their forum…
## **G-code is now held in the C2D file**
G-code is now stored in the C2D file, not in an external G-code file. This has been a request for a while but it had to wait for a new file format to make it work and it brings a couple of benefits:
* Only one file is required for a project so the G-code and the project should not go “out of sync”.
* Because the G-code and the project are stored together, you can always load it back in
Preformatted textto CC to edit something and then run it again.
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That’s interesting. I hadn’t looked too closely at the update, just that they were removing the old export functionality.
Not sure how I feel about having the GCode and Project all in one file to be honest. Most of the time it’s best practice to save each tool path as separate GCode operations, and then run each individually. It can help prevent issues with tool changes or for instance if you have to adjust something and re-run something, you can easily resume at least from your most recent tool change.
Sounds like something they are pushing for that’s a little more Shapeoko specific I guess. As far as I know that would make Carbide the only one of the most popular CAM Programs to do things that way. Everything else works with a design file and separately saved/exported GCode.
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Just to close the loop here, I just download Carbide Create v6.52 and it was very straightforward on creating the Gcode file. I made a few designs and previewed my toolpaths and the software seemed pretty intuitive. I think I’ll keep playing with this version while I try to patiently wait for my CNC to arrive 
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Carbide is great for simple projects and is good to start on for sure. At first I kind of thought the stripped back interface made things more difficult for me somehow… but I often choose Carbide these days for quick and easy projects. I find their image tracer works really well too.