The CamDRAW Interface Explained

CamDRAW appears as a docker on the right-hand side of the CorelDRAW window, under Add-ons. If it is not visible, open it from the Tools menu, where it is listed at the bottom.

The docker is deliberately simple. It has four collapsible sections stacked from top to bottom, and the workflow runs in that order.

The layout

At the very top sits the CamDRAW logo with a gear icon next to it. The gear opens the settings window, which is where language, units, profiles and NC output are configured. Everything below the logo is the working area.

Each of the four sections has a header you can click to expand or collapse it. Collapsing the ones you are not using keeps the docker readable on a small screen. You can also drag the left edge of the docker to make it wider.

1. Profile

The topmost section, and a single dropdown. It shows which preset, meaning which postprocessor, CamDRAW uses to write your G-code.

One profile must always be selected. If you run both flat and rotary jobs on the same machine, storing a preset in each profile lets you switch between them here rather than reconfiguring anything.

2. Workpiece

Where the material is described. For flat work this is Width and Height, plus the XY zero point, chosen from a three by three grid of buttons representing the corners, edge centres and centre of the workpiece. An eye icon next to the grid shows or hides the zero point marker on the CorelDRAW page.

Entering dimensions here creates or resizes the CorelDRAW page to match. Filling this section is not mandatory: you can set up the page with CorelDRAW's own document options instead.

For rotary work the fields change to Length and Circumference, with an optional diameter input, plus settings for the Z zero point on the cylinder surface or axis, and whether machining happens outside or inside the cylinder.

Below that, WCS Call selects the workpiece coordinate system written into the program, typically G54.

3. Toolpaths

The working heart of the docker. A row of six icons across the top adds operations, in this order: contour milling, pocket milling, drilling, contour engraving, pocket engraving, and laser, water or plasma cutting.

To the right of that row is the tool list icon, which opens the tool library in its own window.

Below the icon row is a checkbox that shows or hides all toolpaths at once, and two arrow buttons that move the selected operation up or down in the machining order.

The list underneath shows every operation you have created, with a checkbox each. Hovering over an entry shows its settings as a tooltip: tool, safety height, depth, feed rates and spindle speed. Left-clicking an operation highlights its toolpath in red on the CorelDRAW page. Right-clicking opens a menu with Edit, Generate and Delete.

4. NC program

Where the machine program is created and checked.

A checkbox at the top creates separate files for each tool used. Below it, the button labelled G1 G2 generates the program from the operations listed above.

Three small icons follow: export or save the program, open it in a text editor, and open the output directory in Windows Explorer.

Underneath sits the 3D view, where the generated program is rendered. Toolpaths appear in blue and rapid movements in red. Double-clicking opens the view in a separate, larger window. Three icons on its right expand the view, reset the camera, and show or hide the node positions of the program. The slider along the bottom, with the two arrows beside it, steps through the program to simulate the tool.

Functions that are hidden by default

Three features do not appear in the docker until you switch them on. Click the gear icon, stay on the General tab, and tick the ones you need:

• Measuring grid adds surface probing for uneven workpieces

• Curve objects adds the duplicate curve search and object numbering

• Rapid G-Code adds functions that generate a program from all drawing objects at once

Click Save at the bottom of the settings window. The new sections appear in the docker.

Settings at a glance

The gear icon opens a window with four tabs. General holds language, unit for new documents, colour scheme, dark mode and the hidden function switches. Profile manages presets. NC Output sets the output directory and file name. Info holds licence information and activation.

Changes are only applied when you click Save. Closing the window or clicking Cancel discards them, and a language change needs a restart of CorelDRAW.