GCodeKit - Rust Port of Universal G-Code Sender

A modern, cross-platform G-Code sender built with Rust and Tauri, inspired by Universal G-Code Sender.

Features

Core Functionality ✅

• Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Modern Architecture: Built with Rust for performance and safety
• Tauri GUI: Lightweight, fast UI using web technologies
• GRBL Support: Full support for GRBL firmware
• Serial Communication: Robust serial port handling with tokio-serial
• Real-time Status: Live machine position and status updates (200ms polling)
• Jogging: Incremental and continuous jogging support (X/Y/Z axes)
• Homing: Support for homing cycles
• Alarm Management: Handle and clear alarms
• G-Code Streaming: Send G-code files with automatic flow control

3D Visualization ✨ (NEW!)

• Interactive 3D Viewer: Real-time G-code toolpath visualization using Three.js
• Toolpath Preview: Automatic rendering of G0/G1 movement commands
• Gradient Coloring: Visual progression from blue (start) to cyan (end)
• Machine Position: Real-time 3D indicator showing current position
• Camera Controls: Orbit, zoom, and pan with mouse
• View Modes: Quick access to Top, Front, Side, and Isometric views
• Coordinate Axes: Color-coded XYZ axes (Red/Green/Blue)
• Reference Grid: Ground plane for spatial reference
• Bounds Display: Automatic workpiece dimension calculation
• Hardware Accelerated: WebGL rendering at 60 FPS

Enhanced UI Features ✅ (Task 6)

• Progress Bars: Real-time visual progress tracking with percentage display
• File Validation: Pre-flight G-code file validation with error detection
• Time Estimation: Estimated job duration based on command count
• Elapsed Time: Live elapsed time tracking during job execution
• Job History: Comprehensive history with status, duration, and timestamps
• Streaming Controls: Start/Pause/Resume/Cancel functionality
• Modern Design: Responsive UI with color-coded status indicators

Testing & Quality ✅

• 115 Passing Tests: Comprehensive test suite with 100% success rate
• Mock Testing: Mock serial ports for unit testing
• Integration Tests: Full workflow testing scenarios
• Edge Case Coverage: Extensive edge case testing

Architecture

The project is organized into the following modules:

Core Library (src/)

• model/: Core data types (Position, Units, Axis, Alarm)
• communication/: Serial and network communication layer
• controller/: Controller implementations (GRBL, TinyG, etc.)
• gcode/: G-code parsing and command generation
• listeners/: Event system for controller state changes
• firmware/: Firmware-specific settings and capabilities
• utils/: Utility functions and helpers

Main Application (src/main.rs)

Tauri application with command handlers for:

• Connection management
• Status queries
• Machine control (homing, jogging, etc.)
• G-code sending

UI (ui/)

Modern HTML/CSS/JavaScript interface with:

• 3D Toolpath Viewer with interactive controls (NEW!)
• Connection panel with port selection
• Machine status display with live updates
• Jog controls with customizable distance/feed rate
• File selection with validation (Task 6)
• Progress tracking with visual bars (Task 6)
• Job history panel (Task 6)
• G-code command input
• Console for messages and feedback

Building

Prerequisites

• Rust 1.70 or higher
• Node.js (for Tauri)
• Platform-specific dependencies for Tauri

Development Build

cargo build

Release Build

cargo build --release

Running

cargo run

Testing

# Run all tests
cargo test

# Run tests with output
cargo test -- --nocapture

# Run specific test module
cargo test communication::

Tests are located in the tests/ directory, organized by module.

Usage

1. Connect to Machine

   • Select serial port from dropdown
   • Choose baud rate (default: 115200)
   • Click "Connect"

2. Home Machine

   • Click "Home" button to run homing cycle

3. Jog Machine

   • Set feed rate and distance
   • Use directional buttons (X+/-, Y+/-, Z+/-)

4. Send G-Code

   • Type command in input field
   • Press Enter or click "Send Command"

5. Reset Zero

   • Click "Reset Zero" to set current position as origin

Comparison with Universal G-Code Sender

Feature	UGS (Java)	GCodeKit (Rust)
Language	Java	Rust
GUI Framework	NetBeans Platform/Swing	Tauri (HTML/CSS/JS)
Serial Library	JSSC/JSerialComm	tokio-serial
Memory Usage	Higher	Lower
Startup Time	Slower	Faster
Binary Size	Larger (with JRE)	Smaller

License

GPL-3.0 (same as Universal G-Code Sender)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please ensure:

• Code follows Rust best practices
• Tests are included for new features
• Documentation is updated
• Commit messages are descriptive

Acknowledgments

This project is inspired by and based on Universal G-Code Sender by Will Winder and contributors.

Roadmap

• Basic GRBL controller support
• Serial communication
• Jogging controls
• Homing cycle
• Status reporting
• G-code file streaming
• 3D visualization
• TinyG/g2core support
• Smoothieware support
• Macro support
• Probe operations
• Advanced jogging (continuous, keyboard)
• Work coordinate systems (G54-G59)
• Tool length offset
• Feed/spindle overrides

Known Limitations

• Currently only supports GRBL firmware
• Limited testing on all platforms

Support

For issues and questions:

• Open an issue on GitHub
• Check the documentation in docs/
• Refer to Universal G-Code Sender documentation for G-code help