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EasyShape5000 Documentation

Flat cutting, V-carving, 3D relief and 4th-axis rotary, from SVG and STL

The EasyShape5000 workspace with loaded SVG geometry

Launch Application Detailed Workflow Guide

What is EasyShape5000?

EasyShape5000 is an open-source, browser-based CAM tool for CNC routers. It reads SVG artwork and STL meshes and writes G-code: profile cuts, pocket clearing, drilling and engraving from vectors, and V-carving, 3D relief and 4th-axis rotary from meshes. A browser-native alternative to Easel or Carbide Create that does not stop at flat work.

Like its sister app EasyTrace5000, built for PCB fabrication, everything runs on your own machine. No installation, no cloud, no accounts.

Current Status

Profile, pocket, drilling and engraving are stable. The 3D set - V-carve, relief, and rotary in both continuous and indexed 3+1 - is newer and under active testing, as is automatic tool changing. Report anything odd on GitHub.

Operations

Operations are assigned per shape. Select shapes, drop them into an operation bucket, set the parameters, generate. Seven produce toolpaths today.

Operation	What it does	Source	Status
Profile Cut	Cuts along an outline - outside, inside or on the line - with optional holding tabs	SVG	Stable
Pocket Clear	Clears the interior of a closed shape, leaving nested shapes standing as islands	SVG	Stable
Drill Holes	Turns circles and obrounds into holes or slots, with a strategy chosen per size	SVG	Stable
Engrave	Follows a path exactly with no offset, on open or closed geometry	SVG	Stable
V-Carve	Variable-depth carving that follows the shape's width, with flat floors where the bit bottoms out	SVG	Beta
Relief / 2.5D Carve	Carves a mesh as a surface, with roughing passes and a finishing pass	STL	Beta
Rotary / 4th Axis	Continuous machining while the blank spins, or flat faces at fixed angles (indexed 3+1)	STL	Beta

What each one is for, the tools it wants and the parameters it exposes are on the Operation Guide.

Supported File Formats

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)

Full path support including lines, arcs, and quadratic and cubic Bézier curves. Group structures from Inkscape, Illustrator or Figma are preserved in the scene tree. Clones and clip paths are not supported.

STL (Mesh)

Binary and ASCII, for relief and rotary work. The mesh is re-read every time you generate, so resolution, orientation and Z datum stay editable parameters rather than import settings.

Quick Start

Import: drag and drop an SVG - or an STL, for relief and rotary - onto the canvas, or use Actions → Import.
Select: click shapes on the canvas or in the scene tree. Shift-click or drag a marquee for several.
Assign: pick an operation from the tabs on the right. The shapes drop into a new bucket.
Geometry: set tool, cut side, step-over and the rest, then Generate.
Depth: flat operations only - set cut depth, passes and entry, then Generate Preview.
Toolpaths: set feeds, speeds and tool number, then Generate Toolpaths. The canvas switches to 3D; the toolbar view button or F2 takes you back.
Export: open the Export Manager, order your operations, pick a post-processor and download.

The Workflow Guide walks through all of it in detail.

EasyShape or EasyTrace?

	EasyShape5000	EasyTrace5000
Built for	general CNC routing	PCB fabrication
Input	SVG, STL	Gerber, Excellon, SVG
Working model	scene graph, an operation per shape	one file per operation
Transforms	per-shape move, rotate, scale, mirror, nested groups	board origin, rotation, mirror
Undo / redo	full history	no
Machines	CNC router	CNC router, laser, vinyl/drag knife

Keyboard Shortcuts

Everything here has a button or a menu entry too - these are the shortcuts once you know your way around.

View

F / = / Home Fit to view
+ / - Zoom in / out
G Toggle grid

3D View

F2 Toggle 2D / 3D
W Wireframe
Drag to orbit, wheel to zoom

Selection

Click Select shape
Shift+Click Toggle
Ctrl+A Select all
Alt+Click Select inside a group

Scene

Ctrl+G Group
Ctrl+Shift+G Ungroup
Delete Delete selected

Editing

Ctrl+Z Undo
Ctrl+Shift+Z Redo
I Import SVG

Navigation

F6 Cycle focus zones
F1 Help screen
Esc Close / deselect

Post-Processors

Ten dialects ship with the suite, shared with EasyTrace5000:

GRBL · grblHAL · UCCNC · Mach3 · LinuxCNC · Fanuc · WinPC-NC · Makera (Carvera) · Marlin · Roland RML

Each sets its own file extension, arc format and tool-change dialect.

Check a new post before you rely on it

These are in use and working, but "controller X, firmware Y" covers a lot of ground and no one person can test all of it. Read the first program a new post produces, or run it in the air, and then say how it went - what works is as useful to hear as what does not.

The exception is Fanuc. It is being developed against one machine and has had no outside feedback at all, so treat it as unfinished rather than untested.

Project Sponsors

EasyShape5000 is open-source software supported by community sponsors.

Become a sponsor →