Chipload

CAD/CAM + GRBL control

From drawing to chips.
In one app.

Chipload lets you draw or import a design, plan toolpaths, check them in 3D and run the job on your GRBL machine – without switching between three programs.

Download Other platforms

Free download · Windows, macOS & Linux · v0.1.0

Chipload with a cutting board design, toolpaths and the machine control panel
01

Design

Draw shapes and text or import SVG and DXF. Snapping, boolean operations and numeric input – including formulas.

02

Plan

Contour, pocket, cut-out with tabs, engrave, V-carve and drill. Toolpaths stick to their shapes when you move or scale them.

03

Cut

Check the job in the 3D preview, zero your machine, probe and send the G-code – all from the same window.

Design

Draw what you need, import the rest

A drawing workspace modelled after familiar design tools. Everything is in millimetres and relative to the workpiece origin.

  • Rectangles with corner radius, ellipses, polygons, polylines, Bézier pen and text with any installed font
  • SVG and DXF import – loose DXF segments are joined into closed contours automatically
  • Align, distribute and boolean operations (union, subtract, intersect, exclude)
  • Snapping to corners, midpoints, centres, intersections and grid; numeric input with formulas like 120/2+5
Drawing workspace with shapes, text and the transform panel

Toolpaths

Toolpaths that stay attached

Assign operations to shapes. Move, scale or rotate a shape and its toolpath follows.

  • Contour (outside, inside, on line), cut-out with draggable tabs, pocket (linear, concentric, spiral) with islands
  • Engrave, drill (with chip breaking) and V-carve along the medial axis with sharp corners
  • Chamfers with a V-bit, ramped plunges and helical entry
  • Tool library with tool numbers, tool changes via M6 or M0, arc fitting (G2/G3) for compact G-code
Toolpaths drawn on top of the design with tabs and plunge points

3D preview

See the result before you cut

The 3D preview shows every toolpath on your stock, so mistakes show up on screen instead of in the wood.

  • Stock with size and offset to the origin, fitted around the drawing in one click
  • Toolpath overlay for the drawing, a helper or any existing G-code file (.nc, .gcode, .ngc, .tap)
  • Orbit, zoom and pan with the mouse; double-click resets the view
3D preview of the cutting board job with toolpaths on the stock

Machine control

Built-in GRBL control

The machine panel sits next to every tab. No export, no second program.

  • Jog with buttons or numpad – tap for a step, hold for continuous motion that stops the moment you let go
  • Touch plate probing for Z, optionally X and Y with corner selection
  • Job streaming with progress, pause, stop and guided tool changes
  • Console for your own commands like $$
Machine control panel with position, jog controls and job progress

Helpers

Helpers for everyday jobs

Some jobs come up again and again. For those, Chipload has a form instead of a drawing.

  • Juice groove for cutting boards – ball nose, bull nose or flat end mill, with ramped passes and the resulting groove width
  • Surfacing / spoilboard flattening in a zigzag along X or Y, with stepover and overhang
  • Tool and machine settings are stored per helper
Juice groove helper with form on the left and 3D preview on the right

Download

Chipload is a single app – no installer, no account.

Version 0.1.0 · released October 18, 2026 · Changelog

Windows

Windows 10/11 · x64

Download Chipload.exe

The app is not code-signed yet. If SmartScreen appears, click More info → Run anyway.

macOS

macOS 11 or later · Apple Silicon & Intel

Download DMG

Signed and notarised by Apple. Open the DMG and drag Chipload into Applications.

Linux

x86_64 AppImage · Ubuntu 22.04 or comparable

Download AppImage

Make it executable (chmod +x) and start it. For machine control your user needs access to the serial port (group dialout or uucp).

Needs a GPU with Vulkan, Metal or DirectX 12 support. Machine control works with GRBL 1.1 and compatible firmware (e.g. grblHAL) via USB serial.
⚠ Always check generated G-code and keep the emergency stop within reach.