Frequently Asked Questions

XyzPilot is a 2D CAD/CAM system purpose-built for CNC 3-axis milling. It runs entirely in your browser — no installation required. You create 2D geometry using 66 analytic operators, define machining features, and generate CNC programs — all from a single browser session.

XyzPilot uses a deterministic analytic geometry engine: the same inputs always produce the same outputs, on any machine, any version, any time.

No. XyzPilot runs entirely in your browser. Open Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome, navigate to your XyzPilot URL provided by your system administrator, and log in. No software installation, no licence dongles, no dedicated workstation required.

XyzPilot supports Microsoft Edge (latest) and Google Chrome (latest). Keep your browser up to date for best performance. JavaScript must be enabled and browser storage must be permitted.

New setters can program simple profiles independently within one week. Complex profiles with AI Agent support within one month. Full competency in 4–6 weeks — compared to months or years for traditional manual programming.

Start with Tutorial 1 — Rectangle with Filleted Corners to learn the core workflow in 10 minutes.

Minimum: Dual-Core CPU, 4GB RAM, 1366×768 display, broadband connection, Microsoft Edge or Chrome.

Recommended: Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 1920×1080 display, high-speed broadband, 3-button mouse with scroll wheel.

The XyzPilot AI Agent is a catalog-driven translator. You type geometry requests in plain English in the Agent Chat panel (blue button at the bottom-left of the workspace). The agent translates your request to the correct operator and executes it.

Example: "Create the YLarge intersection of L2 and C1" → the agent calls Point/YLarge,Intof,L2,C1 and creates the point.

For best results, be specific about the selector when two solutions exist. See the Agent User Guide for full details.

These are direction selectors. Many geometry operations produce two valid solutions — the selector specifies which one to use.

• XLarge — picks the solution with the largest X coordinate (right side)
• XSmall — picks the solution with the smallest X coordinate (left side)
• YLarge — picks the solution with the largest Y coordinate (upper)
• YSmall — picks the solution with the smallest Y coordinate (lower)

Rule: Use the selector on the axis where the two solutions differ. For a horizontal line intersecting a circle, both intersections have the same Y — use XLarge/XSmall. For a vertical line, use YLarge/YSmall.

Use Point/Intof,L,C with a direction selector:

Point/XLarge, Intof, L0, C0  → right intersection
Point/XSmall, Intof, L0, C0  → left intersection

See the full Point/Intof,L,C operator page for worked examples.

Two steps: 1) Create the fillet arc with Arc/Fillet,L,L. 2) Trim the corners with Trim/L,to,A.

Arc/Fillet, L0, L1, R=10  → A0
Trim/L0, to, A0, End
Trim/L1, to, A0, Start

Important: Create ALL fillet arcs before trimming any lines. See Tutorial 1 for the complete workflow.

A fillet is a rounded arc corner — use Arc/Fillet,L,L with radius R.

A chamfer is a straight angled cut — use Chamfer/Between,L,L with setback distances D1 and D2.

Chamfer lines are stored as Line entities (L-prefix) and behave exactly like any other line.

Two steps: 1) Create N equally spaced points on the pitch circle with Points/On,C,N. 2) Create a circle at each point with Circle/Centre,R.

Circle/Centre, P_origin, R=50  → C0 (pitch circle)
Points/On, C0, N=6, Angle=0   → P0-P5
Circle/Centre, P0, R=4.25     → C1 (hole 1)
[repeat for P1-P5]

See Tutorial 2 — Bolt-Hole Pattern for the complete workflow.

OUT — external tangency: the new circle touches the outside of the reference circle. dist(centres) = R_new + R_ref.

IN — internal tangency: one circle is inside the other, touching at one point. dist(centres) = |R_new − R_ref|.

Two ways: 1) Undo — removes recently created points in reverse order. 2) Edit → Clear All Points — removes every point in the model simultaneously without affecting any lines, arcs, circles, or toolpaths.

Points are on their own layer and can also be hidden or shown independently using the layer controls.

Construction lines are temporary amber dashed helper lines created during a Preview session. They are visible on the canvas for geometric reasoning but are automatically removed when Preview is committed — they never appear in DXF exports or toolpath output.

Enable them with the Construct Line ON toggle in the right flyout panel (only available during Preview). See the Construction Lines documentation for full details.

1. Log in — open Edge or Chrome, navigate to your XyzPilot URL, sign in
2. Create 2D geometry — use Points, Lines, Circles, Arcs to build your component profile
3. Verify geometry — use Measure tools to check all dimensions
4. Define CAM features — select profiles, assign tools, set depths
5. Generate CNC data — produce the CNC output and review
6. Simulate and prove-out — verify before production machining

See Tutorial 20 — Complete Workflow: Drawing to CNC for the full step-by-step guide.

Yes — always create all fillet arcs before trimming. Trimming changes line endpoints, which affects subsequent fillet calculations if done out of order.

Correct order: Create all Arc/Fillet,L,L operations → then perform all Trim/L,to,A operations.

Always verify all geometry, dimensions, machining parameters, and generated CNC programs before machining. The operator remains responsible for the final accuracy and safety of all machined components.

Before running any CNC program: verify cutter selection, confirm workpiece zero locations, check programmed depths, simulate or prove-out the program, and perform a safe test run before production machining.

Supported: POINT, LINE, CIRCLE, ARC, LWPOLYLINE, POLYLINE. All DXF versions from AutoCAD R12 through 2021+ are supported.

Not supported: SPLINE, ELLIPSE, BLOCK/INSERT, TEXT/MTEXT, HATCH, 3DFACE, and 3D entities. All geometry is flattened to a single layer — layer names are discarded.

• 2D only — Z values used for depth only. No 3D surface modelling.
• 3-axis milling only — not designed for multi-axis, turning, or other processes.
• No splines or NURBS — spline and ellipse entities are not supported.
• No constraint parametrics — geometry is baked at creation time.
• No dimension annotations — XyzPilot does not produce dimensioned drawings.

When a geometry operation requires a direction selector but you have not yet specified one, the transient preview on the canvas may display geometry in the wrong position. This is a preview only — the geometry has not been created yet.

Always confirm your selector choice before committing, and verify the final position on the canvas after the operation is complete.

Check your username and password are correct. If problems persist, contact your system administrator. For forgotten passwords, follow your company's password recovery procedure. Never share your password with other users.

Ensure your browser is up to date and maximised. Check your internet connection speed. Close unnecessary browser tabs and applications. For complex geometry, a faster processor and more RAM will improve performance.

Recommended: Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, high-speed broadband, 1920×1080 display.

The most common cause is trimming before all fillet arcs are created. Always create ALL fillet arcs first, then trim all corners.

Also check: wrong selector axis (use YLarge/YSmall for vertical lines, XLarge/XSmall for horizontal lines), and verify that the boundary entity actually intersects the entity being trimmed.

XyzPilot uses an Undo system rather than explicit entity deletion. Use Preview Undo in the toolbar to remove geometry. Undo handles dependency order automatically — dependent geometry is removed before the geometry it depends on.

For points specifically, use Edit → Clear All Points to remove all construction points at once without affecting lines, arcs, or circles.

XyzPilot updates are deployed periodically. If you notice unexpected behaviour after an update, report it to your system administrator or software support representative with details of what changed and the steps that led to the issue.

Try a hard refresh first: Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows) to clear the browser cache.