Tooling
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CAM & Toolpathing

CAM software for milling, routing, lasers, and non-FFF additive — converting CAD into machine G-code.

CAM is the equivalent of FDM Slicers for subtractive (milling, routing, plasma) and laser/waterjet machines. The 2026 FOSS landscape is dominated by FreeCAD's CAM workbench, Kiri:Moto, and Estlcam-class tools; commercial Fusion 360 is still the personal-use king for hobby CNC.

Open-source CAM (subtractive)

  • ★ FreeCAD CAM Workbench — open source (LGPL); the FOSS default. Handles 3-axis milling, drilling, and basic 4th-axis. Improved meaningfully in FreeCAD 1.0+ (post-toposharing). Pair with PathScripts community macros.
  • ★ Kiri:Moto — open source (MIT); browser-based CAM (and slicer) for CNC, laser, drag-knife, and FDM. The fastest "drop in an STL, get G-code" path; runs entirely client-side.
  • CAMotics — open-source CAM simulator; shows you what your G-code will actually cut before you cut it. Handy companion for any CAM tool.
  • PyCAM — Python-based 2.5D CAM; older, niche, still works for simple jobs.
  • HeeksCNC — open source; OpenCascade-based, mostly historical now.
  • dxf2gcode / Gcoder — small utilities for 2.5D conversion of DXF outlines.

Personal-use commercial (free for hobby)

  • ★ Fusion 360 Personal — Autodesk; free for non-commercial with feature gates. The most-used hobby CAM by a mile; 2.5D, 3D, drilling, adaptive clearing. Commercial seat is paid. (See Mechanical CAD.)
  • Estlcam — closed source, paid (cheap one-time license, generous trial); beloved for hobby CNC routers, plasma, lasers. Fast, simple, very good at 2.5D and engraving.
  • Carbide Create (Carbide 3D) — closed source, free; designed for Shapeoko / Nomad but works generally for 2.5D.
  • Easel (Inventables) — browser-based, free for X-Carve / SO3-class machines; web 2.5D CAM.
  • VCarve / Aspire (Vectric) — paid but cheap (VCarve Pro); the woodworking CNC standard.
  • MeshCAM — paid; one of the few "STL → G-code" CAM tools that "just works" for 3D shapes.

High-end / industrial-adjacent

  • Mastercam, PowerMill, NX CAM, hyperMILL, Esprit — paid, industrial; mentioned only because they come up. No real free tier.
  • HSMWorks / Inventor CAM — Autodesk; bundled with paid Inventor / SolidWorks seats.
  • SolidCAM / SprutCAM — paid; common in small machine shops.

Laser / drag-knife / vinyl

  • ★ LightBurn — closed source, paid (cheap); the de-facto standard for diode and CO2 laser cutters. 30-day free trial.
  • LaserGRBL — open source; Windows-only; small / hobby diode lasers running GRBL.
  • Inkscape + gcodetools / J Tech laser — open-source SVG-to-G-code path, fiddly but free.
  • Carveco Maker — paid; tile-based 2.5D / V-carve for hobby CNC + lasers.
  • OctoLapse-style camera workflows — not CAM but worth knowing for laser job framing.

CNC G-code senders / controllers

  • ★ Universal Gcode Sender (UGS) — open source; cross-platform GRBL/TinyG/Smoothie sender. The default FOSS CNC controller.
  • ★ bCNC — open source (Python); flexible GRBL sender with auto-leveling probe support.
  • Candle — open source; Windows-focused GRBL sender; small and fast.
  • OpenBuilds CONTROL — open source; designed for OpenBuilds machines but works generally.
  • gSender (Sienci Labs) — open source (with hosted option); polished GRBL UI.
  • CNCjs — open source; Node-based browser sender; often run on a Pi attached to the machine.
  • LinuxCNC — open source; full real-time machine controller for higher-end DIY mills (parallel-port era still alive).
  • GRBL-Mega-5X / grblHAL — firmware on the controller; you'll pair these with a sender.

Post-processors

  • FreeCAD post-processors — community-maintained .cps files for Mach3, LinuxCNC, GRBL, Marlin, Smoothie, Centroid.
  • Fusion 360 Post Library — Autodesk's huge catalog of vendor-specific posts, free to download.
  • CAMotics post-processor harness — author your own; handy for niche controllers.

Toolpath simulation / verification

  • ★ CAMotics — open source; free toolpath simulator with material removal preview.
  • NC Viewer (ncviewer.com) — free in-browser G-code viewer.
  • GWizard — paid; feeds-and-speeds calculator + G-code editor.
  • Cutviewer Mill — paid Windows tool, classic.

Pick this if…

  • Default FOSS, parametric upstream: FreeCAD CAM workbench.
  • Drop a model, get G-code, no install: Kiri:Moto.
  • Hobby CNC router / laser / plasma, willing to pay $60 once: Estlcam.
  • Most popular hobby CAM, willing to mind the EULA: Fusion 360 Personal.
  • Diode or CO2 laser: LightBurn.
  • GRBL CNC sender: UGS, bCNC, or gSender.
  • Verify G-code before cutting: CAMotics.

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