LineMaker

🌐 Try it online: https://the-nils.github.io/LineMaker/

A collection of web-based tools for CNC pen plotting, built for my personal hobby project and 100% generated by AI.

What's This?

I built a pen mount for my CNC machine and needed some tools to generate line art for it. Rather than spend weeks coding, I decided to experiment with AI-assisted development. This entire project is an exercise in human-AI collaboration (okay, mostly AI doing the heavy lifting while I provide coffee and feedback).

Current Tools

🎨 HatchMaker

• What it does: Converts images into hatched line art suitable for pen plotting
• Features:
  • CMYK channel separation for multi-color plots
  • Interactive canvas with pan/zoom
  • Drag & drop image upload
  • Configurable line patterns, spacing, and angles
  • SVG and G-code export
  • Save/load configurations

HatchMaker converting an image to CMYK hatched patterns

HatchMaker black and white line art output

🌀 HatchMoiréMaker

• What it does: Creates stunning moiré effects by overlaying multiple hatched layers from the same image
• Features:
  • Multi-layer moiré pattern generation
  • Independent parameters per layer (offset, angle, skew)
  • Dynamic layer management (add/remove layers)
  • Per-layer white point and line spacing controls
  • Optimized SVG and G-code generation with 70-90% file size reduction
  • Travel move visualization for continuous pen-down drawing
  • Configuration save/load with import/export capabilities

HatchMoiréMaker generating complex moiré interference patterns

⚡ FieldLines

• What it does: Creates organic field line patterns by simulating force fields from points and drawn lines
• Features:
  • Interactive point placement with attract/repulse modes
  • Photoshop-style curve editor for precise force falloff control
  • Draw custom field lines directly on canvas
  • Multi-layer system with independent parameters per layer
  • Real-time field visualization and line deformation
  • Advanced recursive subdivision for smooth curves
  • Configuration save/load system
  • SVG and G-code export with travel optimization

FieldLines generating organic patterns through simulated force fields

Coming... Eventually

More tools are planned when I find time to prompt-engineer them into existence:

• echolocationMaker
• scribleMaker
• mazeMaker
• orbitMaker

Fair Warning

This is a hobby project with the following disclaimers:

• 🤖 100% AI Generated: Every line of code came from AI assistance. I'm a developer, but I wanted to see how far I could push AI to build something useful.
• 🎲 Quality Varies: Some parts are surprisingly elegant, others make experienced developers weep. It's a mixed bag.
• 🔄 Updates Maybe: I'll update this when I feel like it or when something breaks badly enough to annoy me.
• 🐛 Bugs Expected: Find one? Cool, open an issue. Fix one? Even cooler, send a PR.
• 📚 Learning Exercise: This project is as much about learning to work with AI tools as it is about pen plotting.

Getting Started

1. Clone this repo
2. Open index.html in a web browser
3. Choose your tool:
   • HatchMaker: For CMYK channel separation and traditional hatching
   • HatchMoiréMaker: For complex moiré interference patterns
   • FieldLines: For organic field line patterns using force field simulation
4. Upload an image
5. Fiddle with settings until it looks good
6. Export SVG or G-code
7. Send to your CNC/plotter
8. Watch it draw things

No build process, no dependencies, no npm hell. Just HTML, CSS, and JavaScript doing their thing.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Whether you're:

• A human who found a bug
• A human who wants to add features
• An AI that gained sentience and wants to improve its own work
• Someone who just wants to make the code less embarrassing

Feel free to open issues or PRs. I can't promise quick responses, but I do read everything.

Technical Notes

• Framework: Vanilla JS (because why complicate things?)
• Architecture: "It works on my machine" driven development
• Testing Strategy: Manual clicking and hoping
• Documentation: The code IS the documentation (good luck)

License

MIT License - do whatever you want with this. If it breaks your CNC machine, that's between you and your machine.

Acknowledgments

• Claude AI: For writing most of this code while I provided enthusiastic but often unhelpful suggestions
• My CNC Machine: For being patient while I figured out how to make it draw instead of cut
• The Pen Mount: A simple 3D printed part that started this whole adventure
• Stack Overflow: For existing, even though I barely used it for this project

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Built with AI assistance, caffeine, and questionable life choices. Your mileage may vary.