CutWorks

CAD/CAM/CNC desktop application for GRBL-based CNC plasma cutters.

CutWorks lets you design a part, generate a cutting toolpath from it, and drive the CNC controller — all in one program:

1. CAD — draw / import the geometry of the part (lines, arcs, circles, polylines).
2. CAM — turn that geometry into a cutting toolpath and export G-code.
3. CNC — send the G-code to a GRBL controller and control the machine (jog, DRO, torch height control, overrides, console).

Status: early rewrite. This is a clean, modular reimplementation of an existing application. Right now the project is a buildable skeleton: the application shell with three empty workspace modules. Functionality is being migrated incrementally. See docs/architecture.md.

---

Technologies

• C++20
• Qt 6 (Widgets; SerialPort will be added with the CNC module)
• CMake (>= 3.21)
• Target platforms: Windows and Linux

Dependencies and how they are provided

The goal is that anyone can clone the public repository and build with as little setup as possible. Dependencies are handled so that the only thing you install manually is Qt:

Dependency	How it is provided
Qt 6	Installed by you (official Qt installer or your distro). Found by CMake via CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH.
Clipper2 (contour offsetting)	Downloaded automatically by CMake FetchContent when the CAM module needs it. No manual install.
libdxfrw (DXF import/export)	Vendored in third_party/ — comes with the repo, nothing to install.

No vcpkg or Conan is required.

The skeleton currently links only Qt Widgets. Clipper2 and libdxfrw are wired in as their modules (CAM / CAD) are migrated.

---

Requirements

• A C++20 compiler
  • Windows: Visual Studio 2022 (MSVC v143)
  • Linux: GCC 11+ or Clang 14+
• CMake 3.21 or newer
• Ninja (recommended) or Visual Studio / Make
• Qt 6 (developed against 6.7.x) with the Widgets module

---

Building

1. Tell CMake where Qt is

Set the QT_PREFIX environment variable to your Qt kit, or pass -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=... on the command line.

Examples:

• Windows: C:/Qt/6.7.3/msvc2022_64
• Linux: ~/Qt/6.7.3/gcc_64 (or /usr when Qt comes from the distro)

2. Configure and build

Windows (Visual Studio generator — finds the compiler automatically):

cmake --preset windows-vs
cmake --build --preset windows-vs

Linux / anywhere with a compiler on PATH (Ninja):

cmake --preset default
cmake --build --preset default

If you don't want to rely on QT_PREFIX, pass the path directly:

cmake --preset windows-vs -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=C:/Qt/6.7.3/msvc2022_64

3. Run

The executable is placed in build/bin/. On Windows the Qt runtime is copied next to it automatically (via windeployqt), so it can be launched directly.

Per-developer paths (optional)

Instead of setting QT_PREFIX every time, you can create a CMakeUserPresets.json next to CMakePresets.json with your local Qt path. That file is git-ignored, so it never lands in the shared repo.

---

Project layout

CutWorks/
├── CMakeLists.txt          # top-level build
├── CMakePresets.json       # shared configure/build presets
├── README.md
├── docs/
│   └── architecture.md     # living architecture description
├── third_party/            # vendored dependencies (e.g. libdxfrw) — added when needed
└── src/
    ├── main.cpp
    ├── app/                # application shell (MainWindow, navigation)
    ├── cad/                # CAD module (library: cutworks_cad)
    ├── cam/                # CAM module (library: cutworks_cam)
    └── cnc/                # CNC module (library: cutworks_cnc)

Each module builds as its own static library; the CutWorks executable links them together. See docs/architecture.md for module responsibilities and dependency direction.

---

Developer notes

• New Qt connect() syntax only (function pointers, not SIGNAL/SLOT).
• Hardware communication (GRBL) must stay asynchronous — never block the UI thread.
• Domain logic should not depend on Qt widgets; UI should not contain domain logic.
• This is a rewrite: the previous application is a reference, not the code base.