454 Workshop

Draw it, toolpath it, cut it. Beta

Free, open-source design (CAD), toolpath (CAM) and machine control software for CNC routers running GRBL, like the Shapeoko and Nomad. Draw your parts and make their toolpaths in 454 Design, then run the machine with 454 Control, right in your browser.

Open 454 Design (opens in a new tab) Open 454 Control (opens in a new tab)

This is beta software. It’s new, and the toolpaths especially are still being tested. Check every job before you cut it. What that means

Or get the desktop app for Windows or Linux: 454 Design, 454 Control and the docs in one program. It connects to the machine over USB, works without an internet connection, and updates itself.

Download for Windows

Windows may warn that the installer is from an unrecognised publisher, as it isn’t signed yet: choose More info, then Run anyway. On Linux it’s an AppImage: see installing on Linux. Installing and updating

Draw in Design, cut with Control

Two apps that work together, from the first line of a drawing to the machine parking at the end of the job.

454 Design with a workshop sign drawn: a plate with holes, a pocket and the word Workshop
454 DesignDraw your parts, or open them from VCarve, Carbide Create and DXF files, and make their toolpaths.
454 Control with a job loaded: a 3D preview of the toolpaths and the G-code beside it
454 ControlA G-code sender for GRBL: check every move of a job, then send it to the machine.
  • Lines, arcs, shapes and text, with snapping, fillets, offsets and dimensions
  • A design history, as in Fusion: go back to any step, or change one and everything after it follows
  • Traces images into clean outlines, and keeps work organised in layers
  • Opens VCarve and Carbide Create projects, including multi-sheet jobs, and your VCarve tool library
  • Opens DXF files, and saves DXF and SVG for other software
  • Toolpaths, in beta: profiles with tabs, pockets, drilling, chamfers, V-carving and inlays
  • Preview in wood: see the finished piece in 3D, and watch the job cut before you run it
  • Homing, zeroing, jogging, and probing with a BitZero
  • BitSetter tool measuring and guided tool changes
  • Checks a file for problems before you cut, and estimates the time using your machine's own settings
  • Works the way Carbide Motion does, so the steps at the machine are ones you know

This is beta software

454 Workshop is new. It works, and it’s being used on real jobs, but it hasn’t had the years of use that established software has. The toolpaths in 454 Design are the newest part: testing them on real projects is still finding problems, which are fixed as they turn up.

So treat every job as one to check, especially one whose toolpaths 454 Design made.

  1. Open the job in 454 Control firstWatch the preview all the way through, and read anything on the Checks tab.
  2. Run it in the airZero Z well above the material, run the whole job, and watch where the bit goes.
  3. Stay at the machineOn the real cut, keep a hand near the stop, especially for the first minutes and at every tool change.
  4. Tell us when something’s wrongReport it on GitHub (opens in a new tab), with the drawing or G-code file if you can. That’s how the beta gets better.

Made to be trusted around a spinning bit

A mistake in machine software doesn't just crash; it breaks a bit or ruins a part. So 454 is careful about the things that matter at the machine.

  • Tested on every changeReal jobs run through a simulated controller, checking that the spindle is up to speed before every cut, lifts before it stops, and every job ends safely.
  • Says what it will doBefore you start, 454 tells you in plain words what's about to happen, and flags anything in a file it doesn't like.
  • Fills in what files leave outIf a file forgets the spin-up wait, the lift before the spindle stops, or a safe ending, 454 adds it.

Free, for everyone

454 Workshop is free and open source under the MIT licence. There's no paid version and no account to make. If it's useful to you, you can support it on GitHub (opens in a new tab), and bug reports and ideas are always welcome.

What you need

A CNC router with a GRBL 1.1 controller, such as a Shapeoko or Nomad, and Chrome or Edge on Windows, macOS or Linux. Those browsers can talk to the machine over USB; others can't yet.

A CNC machine can hurt you. Check every job before you cut it: run it in the air first, keep a hand near the stop, and wear eye and ear protection.

Why 454?

454 is a nod to my dad. He was a huge Chevy guy, and when I was five he bought a 1967 Corvette with a 454 big block in it. He's the one who taught me how to build things, so I named my making after his love for Chevy big blocks.