What's New in Easel

Improved Toolpath Generation for Slow Projects

We are continuing to make improvements to Easel’s toolpath generation. We’re pleased to announce that we have recently introduced the latest improvements in this area which have delivered an average decrease in toolpath generation time of 10% for slow projects.

This means that projects which previously took 10-seconds or longer for toolpaths to generate will now see an average improvement in their toolpath generation times of 10%! This update is crafted for users with more complex and detailed projects, engineered to improve efficiency in Easel so you can spend more time carving!

We will continue to share updates as we make additional improvements to toolpath generation, and we appreciate your feedback and support in the meantime!

Easier Canvas Navigation

We're excited to announce that you can now pan your Easel canvas using a simple right-click and drag! This makes it faster and more intuitive to move around your designs, especially when working on larger projects.

Point Nudging

Edit Points now lets you move points with the arrow keys. Use the arrow keys for fine adjustments and Shift + arrow keys for coarse adjustments, making it faster and easier to perfect your designs in Easel.

Points can be moved individual or selected in groups and moved together.

Faster Toolpath Generation in Easel

We’re investing in improvements to toolpath generation and performance, and today we’re excited to introduce the first of many updates in this area.

This update leverages WebAssembly to reduce the time it takes to generate toolpaths and detailed previews, making Easel more responsive and efficient. In our testing, we’ve seen projects experience up to a 70% reduction in toolpath generation time.

This is just the beginning—our team is actively working on additional improvements to further optimize toolpath performance and user experience. We look forward to your feedback as we continue refining and enhancing toolpath generation in Easel!

Custom Project Defaults

Do you want your new projects to automatically use the material and bit of your choice, rather than the standard Easel settings? With our new Custom Project Defaults feature, you can now set your own preferences for new designs!

To get started, simply use the "Save as default" option from the Project menu. This will save your current workpiece material and bit settings as the default for all future projects, making your workflow even more efficient.

This feature is now fully released and available to all users – no sign-up required. Try it out today and enjoy the convenience of customized defaults for your next design!

Measure Tool

We are excited to introduce the Easel Measuring Tool! Here’s an in-depth overview of this new feature:

Initiating the Measuring Tool

You can start using the measuring tool by selecting the measuring tool icon in the toolbar. Once selected, follow these steps to add a measurement:

• Click anywhere on the design canvas to set the first measurement point.
  • After placing the first point, a line will appear connecting your cursor to the initial point.
• Place the second measurement point to complete the measurement line. This line will be added to your design canvas but will not be carved.

Editing and Managing Measurement Lines

Editing: Measurement lines are fully editable. Select a line and move its endpoints to adjust their positions. The measurement properties panel will appear when you add or select a measurement line.

Properties Displayed: The total length of the measurement line will be displayed centered over the line on the design canvas. The properties panel provides the angle, horizontal length, vertical length, and coordinates of each endpoint.

Additional Features: Measurement lines snap to vertices on shapes within your design. When your cursor is placed anywhere in the design canvas in Easel, you are able to see the coordinates of its position at the bottom of the screen next to the workpieces.

You can add as many measurement lines as needed for your design. Measurement lines can be locked, copied, or deleted as necessary, providing flexibility in your design process.

Custom Fonts Released

We are pleased to announce an update to Easel Pro design capabilities: custom font uploads. This highly requested feature empowers you to seamlessly integrate your favorite fonts directly into Easel Pro for both design and carving.

Using Custom Fonts, you can now utilize the vast selection of fonts available online for a truly personalized touch. Make your next project pop with the perfect typeface – whether it’s a sign with your business’s logo, wall art for your online store, or a gift for a loved one.

To use this feature open the Font Library and select "Upload Font" in the list of options.

X-Carve Pro Spindle Pause

New firmware for X-Carve Pro machines

Our newest firmware update for the X-Carve Pro improves the response from the machine when the user pauses a carve. This firmware is available to all X-Carve Pro users. For access to this firmware and functionality, click the prompt that appears in the carve walkthrough.

The new firmware will cause the X-Carve Pro spindle to stop moving upon pausing a carve, the spindle will then stop spinning, before raising to the user's safety height.

Upon resuming the carve, the spindle should lower to the appropriate height, start spinning, and then resume carving from the same location where the job was carved.

To properly utilize the new firmware, users should note the following:

• Users must home their X-Carve Pro when connecting or powering on the machine to enable spindle pausing.
• Pausing, resuming, and canceling a carve can be done from both the HMI and by pressing the pause/resume/cancel buttons in the Easel interface.

This firmware should not impact or change any other functionality or behavior with your machine or with Easel. Click the Carve button in Easel with a machine connected to open the carve walkthrough.

Toolbox Refresh

We have released a new toolbox to all users. This improves the interface and experience when managing bits, materials, and cut settings. All of the functionality of the previous toolbox is still there - and more has been added. Read on to learn more!

You can also visit the toolbox support article. which has a video overview.

With a project open, access the Toolbox from the navigation bar in Easel.

You will notice that the toolbox has a new format, and some new functionality. In the Bits and Materials tabs, users can add, edit, delete, filter, and sort the bits and materials. The bits and materials displayed in the toolbox here will include “custom” and “Inventables” bits and materials. Users will still have access to the Easel-specific materials as well, but those are are not editable or deletable.

Saved cut settings can be viewed from the “Cut Settings” tab. Again, users are able to add, edit, delete, and sort their cut settings. We have included a link to our Cut Settings Guide on this page as well to make it easy to review your settings and calculate new settings.

The toolbox can also be used to manage machine profiles. Here, users are able to add and delete machine profiles. Users can also sort the machine profiles to review when each profile was added and the number of cut settings associated with the profile.

Please share your feedback so we can continue improving Easel!

Toolbox Refresh - Beta Release

We have released a new toolbox to Beta Testers to improve the interface and experience when managing bits, materials, and cut settings. The new toolbox is only available to users enrolled in Beta testing at this time.

With a project open, access the Toolbox from the navigation bar in Easel.

You will notice that the toolbox has a new format, and some new functionality. In the Bits and Materials tabs, users can add, edit, delete, filter, and sort the bits and materials. The bits and materials displayed in the toolbox here will include “custom” and “Inventables” bits and materials. Users will still have access to the Easel-specific materials as well, but those are are not editable or deletable.

Saved cut settings can be viewed from the “Cut Settings” tab. Again, users are able to add, edit, delete, and sort their cut settings. We have included a link to our Cut Settings Guide on this page as well to make it easy to review your settings and calculate new settings.

The toolbox can also be used to manage machine profiles. Here, users are able to add and delete machine profiles. Users can also sort the machine profiles to review when each profile was added and the number of cut settings associated with the profile.

Beta testers, please share your feedback so we can continue improving Easel!