As we’ve hinted at before, we’d like to more from the static 3D rendering for toolpaths in Carbide Motion, to a live 3D rendered version that can be zoomed/rotated live based on customer requests. The problem is the Raspberry Pi build.
We have customers that run G-code files that are more than 100MB for dense 3D machining, and the PI doesn’t have a GPU that can support that much data being rendered. We tried a few “really clever ideas” (hacks) that didn’t work at all, so we’ve been sitting on these changes for a couple of months while we think them through.
I think we’ve come to the conclusion that it might be better to publish a Linux build of Motion for people who prefer to avoid Windows/Mac but want full feature parity with the other desktop platforms. Right now, a fanless N100 Mini PC is around $150, and an AMD Mini PC is only a few dollars more, so it’s not much more than a modern Raspberry Pi 5, but it has more performance and a more modern GPU.
Is anyone interested in a Linux build of Motion as an alternative to the Pi?
I might use a Linux build but would have to replace not just the PI but also the touchscreen I use which is PI specific. I have been considering switching to a windows tablet recently but could maybe find hardware I would like better for Linux.
What about an option for PI that simply omits the new graphical capability but catches us up in the other features. Is that too much maintenance?
That seems like more of a short-term solution, but it’s doable and probably the path we’d take. At some point, though, they’d diverge enough that we couldn’t maintain both. I have no idea what that timeline would be.
I love having a dedicated Pi5 with a touchscreen for running CM. I can leave it on all the time so it’s always ready to receive files & run jobs. Overall I find it a better/concise solution for an HMI than a laptop or tablet.
I can appreciate having the feature of Live 3D viewing of a project within CM, but I also don’t think it’s entirely necessary. Could the Pi do more static views? Be able to view the project from the various sides/angles/corners of a Cube similar to what a lot of CAD programs do?
I would LOVE a Linux x86_64 build.
I would wipe Windows in a hear bit and install Linux Mint on the same machine in no time (I’m all Linux and macOS and this is my ONLY Windows machine).
I was planing on putting a PI5 to replace it, but a Linux x86_64 build would be perfect.
So, yes please.
There seems to be a dedicated group that like the Pi. I used to run Linux at work but gave up on Linux at home because they have very few consumer applications compared to Windows/MAC. Linux is a much more secure OS but I dont need to secure Carbide Motion. The Pi is a nitch user group and as CC and CM get more and more graphics intensive with 3d I think that the Pi may get left on the roadside. I know that some of our forum users love their Pi but it may not be of value going forward with the intense graphics.
To me the Linux and the Pi group are very small compared to the wider audience of Microsoft and MAC for CC and CM. So would it be wasted effort to port to Linux and/or continue with the Pi porting?
WOW! You guys just read my mind. I was going to ask if anyone is working strictly with a Linux Operating System. Do all of your Applications run well on those systems, or not at all.
Anything other than Windows 11, to me, would be great! I've been running a WIN OS11 system since January and it is driving me nuts as it often does as it pleases, not what I want! Applications seem to run great but then the OS takes over, manipulating files and I'm lucky to find my files after the Saves.
Plus, I believe there will be even more new AI features stuffed into OS11 upgrades or maybe even a ne OS12 to do that.
I was a very long time user of WIN OS 7 PRO and I really miss that system.
Robert, I would welcome CM on Linux, thank you. My CNC PC is indeed an N100 that only runs CM, Prusa Slicer and Arduino IDE. It would be nice to not be dealing with Win11 bloatware for these straightforward uses…
I’m also already running an N100 (with Windows). The only application installed is CM. I’d gladly swap to a Linux OS and a Linux_x86_64 build for CM.
I am curious about the 3D rendered-view thing, though. That produces nothing but a gray screen for me when I try it with the CM build I have for Windows. It’s never produced a rendered view for me.
I get a wireframe of the toolpaths on the gray background. Rotatable and pannable and zoomable and all. Very nice, but not “rendered” like the MeshCAM rendered simulation…
I too would love to be able to transition to Linux for my SO3 computer. I have 4 computers around my house, but my SO3 and my Solidworks computers are the only ones that still need Windows. I signed up for the extended security updates so I can stay on Win10, but I’m tired of the bloat and AI and telemetry that I can’t turn off.
Feels like a bit of a split between those who have invested in their Pi setup and those who have an old PC waiting for a new life. The Win 10 EOL is freeing up a business PC and I’d love to shift it to be my linux workshop/CM machine.
For those that remember DOS for PCs, wasn’t Windows bloatware a thing when it came out?
Seems like adding “features” was the bain of “simple software” in the past. Now we can’t use simple software due to adding features!
I’m thinking that sounds like we’re just repeating the past all over again.
In my experience with other gcode senders that have a 3D view, I’m ambivalent to it because by the time I get to sending gcode to my machine all the design considerations are done figgered out.
Absolutely! I’m only “keeping” a mac up and running today solely for CM. I use WineTricks on other Linux boxes for CC (free) and would transition quickly over to a Linux based CM if/when available.
With the demise of the real Cutviewer Mill, I do not have a volumetric gcode previewer that will let me look at the result of the toolpaths (rather than the idealized geometry my CAD presents). I would gladly pop in and out of CM to have such a view in the absence of anything else…
I am running an N100 mini PC for my S5 Pro and Laser cutter. Great little machine and does everything I need. I would also LOVE a Linux build. Especially now that Microsoft is forcing their online accounts and purging the internet of instructions on how to bypass them. Preferably a distro agnostic version, but that might be asking a lot.
At the same time I can understand that people might not want to have to upgrade their existing Pi setup just to keep compatibility with Carbide Create’s proprietary file format without having to upgrade to Carbide Create Pro. Maybe you could offer a simple Linux command line tool or a library for conversion from .c2d to .nc files? Have it verify that a USB device with a Shapeoko / Nomade device ID is present on the system before doing the conversion. Either that or charge like $20 bucks for it.
