Stones & Sculpture

Free desktop app · Windows and Linux

Relief Studio

Relief toolpaths for your own CNC router. A model or a greyscale image in; checked roughing and finishing g-code out, with a setup sheet to carve from.

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Version 0.0.7 alpha · 64-bit · Windows 4.1 MB, Linux 4.6 MB zipped · unzip and run, no installer, no account

Windows may warn that the app is unsigned — choose “More info → Run anyway”.

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The archives are unsigned, so nothing vouches for them but these digests. Compare after downloading — sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS.txt, or Get-FileHash on Windows.

Windows7fa8627f2a0ad376ad71ddb4f13b7b4932fd08ca24d6b5192833d3bbaae15906
Linux7a83d4c278b5f587ea0009d5ee5a7fae686a8a8f4bab2c0a4a8b1aae5067aee0

SHA256SUMS.txt

Relief Studio with the Aloe Flower relief shown as carved limestone in its block, every step on the step bar ticked
The Aloe Flower in a 450 × 560 mm blank, drawn as carved stone.
2cuts — roughing and finishing, one .tap file each
3controllers — Mach3, GRBL and LinuxCNC
8material looks, from marble to MDF
0accounts, telemetry or purchases

How it works

Five steps, left to right

The step bar across the top of the app is the whole job. Each step turns green when it is set; the last one writes the files.

  1. ModelOpen an STL, an OBJ or a greyscale image. Rotate, mirror, set the size.
  2. BlankStock size, carve depth and the material it is cut from.
  3. ToolsA flat end mill to rough, a ball nose to finish, with feeds and speeds.
  4. CheckEvery move verified against the model, the result simulated, the time counted.
  5. ExportTwo .tap files and a printable setup sheet with zeroing and times.
The first-run sample: a sunflower plaque in hardwood, 260 by 200 by 25 mm, verified at 1 hour 9 minutes
The first start opens a sample: a sunflower plaque in hardwood, set up and verified, ready to take apart.

Two cuts

Rough it out, then finish to the surface

The flat end mill clears the bulk in level steps and stops short of the model, leaving an even skin. The ball nose then follows the surface itself and takes that skin off. Each cut is its own .tap file, so a tool change is just the next file.

  • Roughing — flat end mill in level steps
  • Allowance — 1.5 mm by default, left for the finish
  • Finishing — ball nose along the surface
Cross-section of a blank: roughing leaves stepped terraces 1.5 mm above the relief; the ball nose finishes along the surface. 6 mm step 1.5 mm left Blank top Relief, as modelled Ball nose finishes Flat mill roughs

Check before you cut

Nothing leaves the app unchecked

Every move in both files is checked against the model before export, and gouges are marked in the 3D view if there are any. A simulation shows what the cut will actually leave, and the report shows where the machine’s hours go.

The time estimate follows a time factor you calibrate from one real run, so the next quote starts from your machine, not a guess.

The View ribbon with gouge, simulated result and replay controls, over the report's time chart: roughing 3 h 25 min and finishing 3 h 51 min, 7 h 17 min in all
The report under the view: where 7 h 17 min of the Aloe Flower goes, pass by pass.

What is in it

Built for carving, not for drawing

No CAD, no modelling — bring a relief and carve it. Everything below is in the app today.

A look around

Every setting on a ribbon

Material, Tools, Passes and Machine each get one row. Change a number and the job is rebuilt behind it.

Material — stock, placement, panels, mold, detail
Material ribbon: blank size, carve depth, material, carve a mold, rotation, mirror, size, offsets, panels and detail
Tools — the roughing mill and the finishing ball
Tools ribbon: a 6 mm flat roughing tool and a 1.5 mm radius ball nose, with feed, plunge, spindle speed and tool numbers
Passes — step-over, step-down, allowance, quality
Passes ribbon: roughing step-over, step-down and 1.5 mm allowance, tight pockets, finishing quality and direction
Machine — controller, coolant, sessions, time, quote
Machine ribbon: Mach3 dialect, tool length offset, coolant, split into sessions, time factor, price the job, check limits

Start screen

Straight from the workshop

Open a model, the sample, or one of the reliefs from this site. The newest file and carving video show up on the start screen.

The start screen: open a model, sample relief, browse reliefs, how it works, and the latest file and video from the workshop
Start: four ways in, and what is new.
Browse reliefs: the Aloe Flower and the wall clocks from the gallery, each with its size
Browse reliefs: the gallery, in the app.

Alpha testing

Please read before you carve

This is pre-release software and it writes machine instructions. Review every program, use the built-in verification and simulation, set your machine up carefully, and run at your own risk. Stones & Sculpture accepts no liability for damage to machines, tools, materials, workpieces or people. The app asks you to accept these terms the first time it starts.

Relief Studio writes files; it does not drive the machine. Your controller runs the .tap files as it runs any other.

Free, as-is, community-supported. No account, no telemetry, nothing to buy. Found a bug? The setup sheet and a screenshot are the most useful things to send.

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