CNC / CAM Settings & G-code (Beta)
TimberCloud can nest your flat parts and export them for the CNC. By default that export is a neutral DXF file you bring into your own CAM software. If you'd rather have TimberCloud produce ready-to-run G-code for your router, this is where you set it up — by describing your machines and tools and turning the feature on.
Navigation: Settings → CNC
Availability: Build and up. Marked Beta — the DXF path is mature; the G-code path is newer and opt-in.
The page has three tabs: G-code, Machines, and Tool Library.
Important: G-code is machine control. You are always responsible for a dry run before cutting real material. TimberCloud re-verifies every program before handing it over, but it cannot see your actual setup, workholding, or stock.
How G-code output works
Out of the box, every CAM export is a neutral DXF — through-cut profile geometry you import into your own validated CAM. That never changes unless all of these are true:
- G-code output is enabled (the master toggle on the G-code tab), and
- You have a machine on a supported controller (Grbl in this version), and
- Your Tool Library has at least one profiling tool (an end mill or similar that can run the outer cut), and
- The person running the export has accepted the G-code responsibility notice (a one-time per-user acknowledgement).
If any one of those is missing, the export quietly falls back to neutral DXF — you never get a half-configured or unverified program by accident. Once all four are met, a "G-code (verified)" option appears in the export dialog.
G-code tab
The master switch and default machine.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Enable G-code output | The master toggle. Off by default — while off, every export is neutral DXF only. Turning it on still requires a configured machine and tool at export time. |
| Default machine | The router pre-selected in the export dialog. Pick the one you post for most often. |
If you enable G-code but haven't added a machine on a controller that can post yet, the page warns you and exports stay DXF-only until you do.
Note about units: Part geometry is always in inches. Tool diameters, depths of cut, safe Z, pass depth, and tab sizes are entered in inches even for a millimeter machine — only the final emitted coordinates and feed rates convert to the machine's units.
Machines tab
Describe each CNC router so G-code can be posted for it. Click Add Machine to create one. Machines with a controller that can post show a Post ready badge; the rest still get neutral DXF.
Key fields when adding or editing a machine:
| Field | What it is |
|---|---|
| Name | What you call the router. |
| Controller | The controller type. Only controllers TimberCloud can post for (e.g. Grbl) are selectable; others are greyed out and will only produce DXF. |
| Output units | Inch (G20) or Millimeter (G21). |
| Tool change | Manual (M6 / prompt) or Automatic (ATC). |
| Safe Z | Clearance height for rapid moves, in inches. |
| Max feed / Max plunge | The fastest cutting and plunging feed rates, in the machine's output units per minute. |
| Pass depth | Per-pass cut depth used when a tool doesn't set its own maximum. |
| Spindle min / max | RPM limits (optional). |
| Holding tabs | Whether to leave small tabs holding parts to the sheet on profile cuts, and their height, width, and count. |
| Envelope | The machine's X / Y / Z travel limits (optional; both X and Y are needed to record one). |
| Default profiling tool | Which cutter runs the outer profile, or "Auto" to use the first profiling tool in your library. |
Name, controller, and the max feed / max plunge / safe Z values are required; everything else falls back to conservative defaults if you leave it blank.
Tool Library tab
The cutters the poster can choose from. Click Add Tool to add one. You need at least one profiling tool — an end mill, compression, up-cut, down-cut, or ball-nose — to post an outer cut.
| Field | What it is |
|---|---|
| Name | What you call the cutter. |
| Type | End mill, Compression, Downcut, Upcut, Drill, V-bit, or Ball-nose. (Drill and V-bit can't run the profiling pass.) |
| Diameter | Cutter diameter, in inches. |
| Flutes | Number of flutes. |
| Max DOC | Maximum depth of cut per pass, in inches. |
| Feed | Default feed rate. |
| Material feeds | Optional per-material feed/speed overrides. |
Next Steps
- Designer Deliverables — run a CAM nest from a 3D design
- CAM DXF Layers — the neutral DXF layer convention TimberCloud exports
- Export Builders — the part-builder CAM export button
- Integrations — Dropbox — auto-deliver your CAM DXF files to Dropbox