Complete CAD/CAM · JD Squared XR Series

GCmaker

Design it. Post it. Cut it.

GCmaker brings part design and manufacturing preparation together for fabrication work. Create tube, pipe, structural-section and plate parts; add sketches, cutouts and end treatments; organize manufacturing operations into setups; and prepare individual-part or flat-plate output for a configured machine. GCnester is the flat-plate portion of GCmaker, sold on its own.

GCmaker's rotary and structural cutting runs only on JD Squared XR Series machines. It does not drive other rotary or tube cutters. If you run a flat-plate table from another maker, GCnester is the product for you.

01Flat plate

Everything in GCnester, included

GCmaker contains the same flat-plate nesting sold as GCnester: import and cleanup, true-shape nesting, leads and cut order, playback and estimates, plate inventory and remnants, Sketcher and the Shape Library, reports, quotes and part labels, and the controller post library. The shared flat-plate guides cover these workflows in both programs.

All Business-level GCnester features

Same post templates, cut charts and machine settings

Flat-plate jobs and eligible flat parts can be shared between GCmaker and GCnester

Flat-plate nest with cut order · the GCnester side of GCmaker

02Part design

Model the part, then prepare it for the machine

Start from parametric shapes for round tube and pipe, rectangular tube, angle, channel, I-beam, polygon tube, pole and flat stock, or from an imported STEP, IGES or NC1 file. Add holes, slots, cutouts, text and mark geometry, arrays and end treatments. Sketches carry dimensions and constraints, and the feature history stays editable.

Start from a stock shape such as round tube, rectangular tube, pipe, angle, channel or beam

Holes, slots, rectangular, elliptical and polygon cutouts, profile cutouts, arrays

Straight, mitre and sketched end treatments; sketch extrusions and plane cuts

STEP and IGES parts, and NC1/DSTV files for supported record types

Part design · I-beam with a Block Out end condition and the design tree

03Setups

One set of operations, prepared per machine

Operations describe what the machine will do to the part. Setups prepare those same operations for a particular machine and holding arrangement: fixed or rotating part motion, orientation and rotation axis, execution order, clearance and origin.

Several setups for one part without duplicating geometry

Rotary and structural plasma paths: closed, open and end profiles with leads, offsets and eligible bevel or tilt

Drilling and marking operations for the tools your machine has

Animator playback with a tool-versus-part overlap check

Setup · rotating pipe on an XR12 with a plasma operation

04Animator

Watch the program before the machine runs it

Create G-code/Animator in the Setup editor plays the setup's motion back next to the program text. Step through it, check the sequence and any programmed holds, and inspect collision warnings from the tool-against-part check. It's a picture of the program, not a live connection to the controller, and it can't confirm that the real machine, fixtures and stock match what's on screen.

Begin, Step Back, Play/Pause, Stop, Step Forward and End; playback speed from 10% to 1,000% changes nothing in the program

G-code or NC Actions view of the same program, with Print, Open Externally and Save G-Code

Estimated machine time including rapids

A PROGRAM HOLD at M0 or M1 pauses playback until you press RUN

COLLISION warning for a sampled tool-against-part overlap: click it to jump to the pose and the matching line. Advisory only; it repairs nothing and doesn't check clamps, chuck or table

Animator · pipe setup playing back beside its G-code

How to get GCmaker

With your JD Squared machine, or on a plan

New JD Squared XR Series machines come with a GCmaker license. You receive a license key with the machine; log in here with your email and enter it on your License page to unlock downloads, support tickets and the forum.

Everyone else, including later owners of a JD Squared machine, can subscribe to GCmaker on a monthly or annual plan.

GCmaker pricing Claim your key