454 Workshop is two apps that work together:
- 454 Design draws the parts: lines, arcs, shapes, text, traced images, layers and dimensions, with
a design history you can go back through and change. It opens VCarve projects (with their toolpaths,
even multi-sheet jobs) and DXF files, and exports DXF and SVG.
- 454 Control runs the machine: it streams G-code to GRBL, and handles homing, zeroing, jogging,
probing, the BitSetter and tool changes, following Carbide Motion's way of working step by step.
Both run in a web browser with nothing to install, and both come together in the 454 Workshop
desktop app for Windows and Linux.
This is beta software. The toolpaths in Design (CAM: profiles with tabs, pockets, drilling,
chamfers, V-carving and inlays) are the newest part and still being tested. Check every job before
cutting material: preview it in 454 Control, read its Checks tab, and run it in the air first. See
the CAM reference for what to check.
Why 454 Workshop?
- Free and open source, MIT licensed: use it, change it, share it.
- A design history, as in Fusion: every change is a step on a timeline, saved with the drawing. Go
back to any step, or change one (a rectangle's size, a fillet's radius, an offset's distance) and every
step after it is done again; one that can't be is marked red and skipped, never guessed at.
- Brings your VCarve work with you: projects open with their drawings and toolpaths, and your
VCarve tool library comes across with its feeds and speeds.
- Works the way Carbide Motion does, so the steps at the machine are the ones you already know;
where 454 differs, the docs say so.
- Machine behaviour is tested, not assumed: spin-up waits, lifts before the spindle stops, tool
changes and the end of every job are checked automatically on every change, by running real jobs
through a simulated controller.
- Works offline: the desktop app needs no internet connection in the shop.
Use it
- In your browser: open 454 Design or
454 Control at 454workshop.com. Chrome or Edge is
needed to connect to the machine (they support Web Serial).
- Desktop app (in testing): download 454 Workshop from the
Releases page. It works offline, keeps
the machine connection in its own process, and opens Design and Control in their own windows.
- The documentation covers getting started with each app and how 454
differs from Carbide Motion.
Safety
A CNC machine can hurt you and damage itself. 454 Workshop is provided as is, without warranty. Check
every job before you cut it: run it in the air first, keep a hand near the stop, and wear eye and ear
protection.
Why 454?
454 is a nod to my dad. He was a huge Chevy guy, and when I was five he bought a 1967 Corvette with a
454 big block in it. He's the one who taught me how to build things, so I named my making after his
love for Chevy big blocks.
Contributing and support
Bug reports and ideas are welcome as issues. If 454 Workshop is useful to you, the Sponsor button on
this page helps keep it going.
Privacy
454 Workshop has no accounts, no telemetry and no analytics. Your drawings, tool library, settings and
G-code stay on your computer.
- The desktop app contacts one place by itself: GitHub, to see whether a newer version has been
released (shortly after it starts, then every 6 hours while it's open). An update is downloaded only
when you click to get it. Everything else the app needs is inside it, so it works with no internet
connection.
- Help → Report a problem… opens a form on GitHub in your web browser, with the app's version and
your Windows version filled in. Nothing is sent unless you submit the form.
- The browser versions at 454workshop.com are web pages: they're served by Cloudflare, and load
fonts and a few open-source libraries from the public jsDelivr and cdnjs networks. As with any
website, those services see your internet address. Your drawings and settings stay in your browser.
Licence
MIT: free to use, change and share. All of 454 Workshop is free; there is no paid version. See LICENSE
and LICENSING.md.
