CIS CNC Inlay Studio

Turn SVGs into wood inlays.
Without learning CAM.

Drop in artwork. CNC Inlay Studio generates the matched pocket and plug G-code for a clean two-piece wood inlay — with a live 3D preview and built-in machine control over USB.

Download free 7-day trial macOS · 180 MB Buy license — $29.95

One-time purchase. Lifetime updates. Built for Mac + GRBL CNCs (Lunyee 3018, Genmitsu, Foxalien, Shapeoko).

CNC Inlay Studio showing the pocket toolpath for a stylized gator logo, with bit selection on the left, multi-tool roughing chains in orange and blue, and live progress indicators.

From sketch to seated inlay in three steps

1Drop in an SVG

Logos, lettering, line art — anything you'd cut on a vinyl plotter works as inlay artwork. Drag it into the app and CNC Inlay Studio takes care of scaling, centring, and cleaning up the geometry for two-piece inlay cutting.

Black-and-white line art of a stylized gator head — a typical input SVG.

2Pick your woods + bits

Choose pocket and plug stock from a built-in library (walnut, maple, ash, oak, cherry, and more). Pick a roughing bit and a finishing bit. The app picks safe feeds and speeds for the wood/bit combo automatically, and you can override anything per-job without touching a config file.

Twin dachshunds design loaded in CNC Inlay Studio with pocket material set to maple and plug material set to walnut, sitting on the bed envelope.

3Preview in 3D, then cut

Inspect the toolpaths in 3D before you commit any wood. When you're happy, plug in your CNC over USB — the app jogs, zeroes, and runs both pocket and plug programs without ever touching another sender. Pause, resume, or abort at any time.

3D preview of the plug-side toolpath for a wood inlay project, with the orange roughing pass clearly visible.

What's in the box

Paired pocket + plug toolpaths

Pocket and plug toolpaths generated together so the plug always seats flush in the pocket. Adjustable glue gap, tolerance, and plug margin so you control the fit.

Multi-bit roughing & finishing

Use a larger bit to clear the bulk of the pocket fast, then switch to a finishing bit for the corners. Chain colours show which bit is doing what.

Live 3D toolpath preview

Rotate, pan, and zoom the toolpaths in 3D before you cut. Direction arrows show the bit's travel direction so you can spot problems early.

Built-in GRBL control

Connect to your CNC over USB. Jog, set work zero, run pocket and plug programs, pause and abort — all without leaving the app.

AI design generation

Optional ✨ Generate from prompt — describe a design in plain English and get a fresh inlay-ready SVG. Bring your own Gemini API key.

Mac-native, fast

Built with PySide6 + OpenGL for snappy panning and instant toolpath updates. No Java, no Electron, no servers.

Simple pricing

$29.95 one-time
  • Full app, no feature gates
  • Lifetime updates
  • Use on as many of your own Macs as you like
  • 7-day free trial — no card required
Buy on Gumroad …or start the free trial first

System requirements

  • macOS 12 (Monterey) or later on Apple Silicon
  • A GRBL-based CNC over USB-serial — verified on Lunyee 3018 PRO MAX; works with any 3018-class machine, Genmitsu, Foxalien, Shapeoko, OpenBuilds, etc.
  • An endmill — 1/16″, 1/8″, or 3 mm flat endmill recommended for inlay work

Frequently asked

Does this work with my CNC?

If your machine speaks GRBL over USB-serial — yes. That covers the entire 3018 class (Lunyee, Genmitsu, Foxalien, MYSWEETY), most Shapeokos, and any DIY build using an Arduino with GRBL firmware.

What happens after the 7-day trial?

You can still open and edit projects, but the "Run on Machine" and "AI Generate" features unlock only with a license. No nag-screens, no time bombs.

Will there be a Windows or Linux version?

Not currently. The app is built on cross-platform tooling (Python + Qt) so it's not impossible — but I only ship what I can test, and I only have a Mac.

How do I report a bug or request a feature?

Email ross.malcolm@gmail.com with screenshots and what your CNC model is. I read everything.