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Warning

The current version of MillMage is a Release Candidate — a stable version of software that is nearly ready for official release, but in need of additional public testing. Please report any unexpected behavior in the MillMage Software Questions section of our forum, including screenshots and as much detail as possible. Ask hardware compatibility questions in the MillMage Hardware Compatibility section.

Users new to MillMage should follow the Getting Started guide.

Video: How to Use a Release Candidate

This video features our sister software, LightBurn. While there may be slight differences in appearance and layout, the demonstrated processes are similar in MillMage.

Warning

This documentation is in active development and in a prerelease state. These documents are not complete and may include missing pages, broken links, and placeholders. Content is being updated as feedback is reviewed. Your patience is appreciated.

Adding Your Machine

Consult Manufacturer Instructions

Always consult the documentation that came with your CNC machine, or the manufacturer's online resources, before beginning the device setup process. Some manufacturers provide settings bundles, importable device profiles, device drivers, or special setup instructions that are necessary to fully utilize their machines with MillMage.

Add a CNC Machine to MillMage

  1. The first time you open MillMage after a new or clean installation, you'll be greeted by the Help and Notes window with information on your next steps, helpful tips, and program details. Read the notes and select Okay to close the Help and Notes window.

    Image of Help and Notes window

  2. New users can dismiss the Compatibility Warning window by selecting OK.

    MillMage v0.8-RC-1 delete legacy devices warning

    Existing MillMage User?

    Users testing early Beta and Release Candidate builds must delete and recreate all devices starting with version 0.8 build RC-1 to prevent failure and errors. Do not import existing device profiles created before v0.8 RC-1.

  3. The Devices window will automatically open next and will display an empty list of devices, along with options for creating a device profile at the bottom. You need to have at least one device profile created in order to use MillMage — if you close out of this window without creating one, you'll see a warning message with the option to go back and set up a device, have MillMage automatically create a dummy machine profile for you, or close out of the software.

    Screenshot of empty Devices window

    Device Setup Required Notice

    Screenshot of Must Create Device warning message

    Create a placeholder device if you don't yet have a CNC machine. Having a CNC machine present or connected is not required to use the design and machining operation tools in MillMage.

    Need to Reopen the Devices Window?

    Open the Devices window anytime by clicking on the Devices button found in the Job Control window, or by selecting CNC Tools → Manage Devices.

    Highlighted Devices button in the Job Control window

  4. Select Create Manually to launch the New Device Wizard.

    Highlighted Create Manually button in the Devices window

  5. Select how you will connect your CNC machine to MillMage. Select Continue to move forward and Go Back to return to the previous step in the wizard.

    Choose connection type between none, serial slash USB, or Ethernet slash TCP

    Most CNC users will use a USB cable and will choose Serial/USB as the connection type.

    Need to connect over the network?

    Choose Ethernet/TCP if you will be accessing your CNC machine through a network connection and enter the device IP address to continue.

    Add device network address

  6. Enter a name for your CNC machine, select the Device Units of Measure, and enter the CNC machine work area dimensions, in the units you selected.

    A column of machine options including naming, units of measure, and work dimensions

    Refer to the documentation that came with your CNC machine if you're unsure of the correct dimensions. You can update these values anytime in the Device Settings window.

  7. Change the GCode flavor to match the GCode variation required by the machine. Refer to your device documentation for details.

    A column of options that include the type of GCode flavor, and additional optional variables

    Optionally update the remaining features as relevant. Most users will not need to change anything in the Misc Options or Supports Communication fields. Refer to the documentation that came with your CNC machine if you're unsure of the correct selections. Change these settings anytime in the Device Settings window.

  8. Review the New Device Wizard summary and click Finish to finish adding a device to MillMage.

    Networked Machine Summary

    A summary of the device with the name, connection type, work dimensions, and machine origin listed.

Set Default Device

If you have more than one device profile set up, you can mark a specific profile as your default device by selecting it in the list, then clicking Make Default → OK to finish. The default device name will be marked with an asterisk (*).

A list of devices with one entry, unmarked by an asterisk

A list of devices with one entry, marked by an asterisk to denote default device

Next Steps

← Previous: Installing MillMage Next: Project Setup → MillMage User Interface Tour

For more help using MillMage, please visit our forum to talk with MillMage staff and users, or email support.