That’s when I found a hidden gem: an open-source simulator that runs on Metal (yes, Apple’s graphics framework). No fan noise. No driver hell. Just a crisp 3D preview of my toolpath, material boundaries, and — most importantly — the exact moment my too-long end mill would have carved a trench through my spoilboard and into the table below.
I tweaked the post-processor. Re-simulated. Watched the virtual tool trace the correct arc. Hit “Run” on the actual machine at 3 AM with a coffee in hand. cnc simulator mac
It cut perfectly.