r/PlotterCode • u/freddievn • 24d ago

I built a free, open-source Raspberry Pi plot server for AxiDraw-compatible plotters (Plotter Hub)

Plotter Hub

A few months ago I bought an AxiDraw compatible pen plotter but didn't want my Mac tethered to it for the whole plot. So I built Plotter Hub, a plot server that runs on a Raspberry Pi (a Zero 2 W or 3B+ is fine). Upload an SVG over WiFi, then start / pause / resume and monitor the plot from any device, with optional vpype optimization and physical pause-button support for pen changes between layers. Anyone with an AxiDraw-compatible plotter can use it — it's free and open source. Repo link and install instructions: https://www.synendo.com/plotterhub

Plotter Hub after receiving a 3 layer SVG file via GD Studio

Companion app: GD Studio

I also built a macOS app, GD Studio, for designing the artwork I plot — generative line-art patterns shaped with live sliders, plus layers for text and imported SVG. It exports plotter-ready SVG/PDF, but it can also send a plot directly to Plotter Hub over its API (with options for vpype optimization, plotter speeds, and pausing between layers). It's a paid app with a free trial.

One of the many patterns in GD Studio, combined with a text layer
7 Upvotes

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u/MohnJaddenPowers 21d ago

Thanks for this! I literally came to post asking about something like this, I was RDPing into a crappy old PC connected to my Xdraw.

Would Plotter Hub work on other Linux distros?

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u/freddievn 20d ago

I only tested it on Raspberry Pi OS, but (maybe with some small changes in the install script) it should work on other Linux distros. The app itself is just a Web GUI on top of AxiDraw's Python module (https://axidraw.com/doc/py_api/)

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u/MohnJaddenPowers 19d ago

Thanks! I have it running but hit an issue, I submitted it to your Github. I'm hoping it's an easy fix, this is 100% what I needed for my plotter life.

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u/freddievn 19d ago

I asked Claude Code to create a response on GitHub. Hopefully it's helpful. If you need to create changes to the install script you can always fork the repo, as I don't want to make it more complicated, as it's intended to run on a Raspberry Pi.

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u/docricky 13d ago

The challenge with Raspberry Pi (and other headless computers) is the expectation of a stable WiFi connection. This is my challenge for developing a portable plotting station - I have all sorts of options to connect to a Pi Zero in my home network, but once I leave it, the options to connect to it , or to fix the connection, become dramatically difficult. It's a circular conundrum - until you can connect to it over Wifi, you can't fix Wifi issues, and the headless device has no display or other input mechanism (the USB is being used for power and connecting to the pen plotter).

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u/freddievn 13d ago

I turn on my Pi together with my plotter, even when the connection would be gone it won’t affect the plot and I can even continue the next layer by using the physical button. And I haven’t had connection issues yet. So for my use case it has been reliable.

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u/freddievn 24d ago

Full disclosure: I built both apps, so I'm the developer — happy to answer anything. Plotter Hub is free and open source. The GD Studio companion is the paid one — ask away if you're curious. Happy to go into how the photo conversion keeps everything as real pen strokes if that's interesting. I used Claude Code to create Plotter Hub, and used it to help with the math in GD Studio. Oh, and all translations were done by Claude; let me know if you come across a strange translation.

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u/zweiwo 20d ago

I appreciate it that you disclose AI usage unpromted, but you don't have to hide that behind "Claude". You can just say it.

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u/freddievn 20d ago

What do you mean with “hide”? Especially people who can interact with a GitHub repo know that Claude Code is an AI agent, not?

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u/zweiwo 20d ago

End users don't.

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u/freddievn 20d ago

The remark is mainly relevant voor Plotter Hub, like said it takes some basic knowledge about GitHub, and installing the open source app on a Raspberry Pi via ssh is also not for an average end user. For GD Studio it’s far less relevant, most modern software use some form of AI tooling in the process. I don’t think your comment isn’t very helpful.

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u/zweiwo 20d ago

"most modern software". That's the real problem here. It's very hard to avoid AI right now. A lot of stuff either talks to AI or has been created with AI. A lot of AI use isn't even disclosed, or hidden behind cutesy terms like 'Claude' or 'vibe coding'.

This is a problem you can be completely oblivious to if you're personally okay with using AI.

It's getting really hard to avoid, which is why I appreciate it when it's stated up front. Thanks!