Rebuilding linucnc for a robotic project

Hi Community,

I’m a hobby developer, relatively new to CNC systems, and I’m working on a project where I plan to use LinuxCNC as the controlling software for a robotic component. My use case requires only a limited subset of the CNC functionality, and I’m planning to develop a custom UI for the system. However, I’m struggling to fully grasp how LinuxCNC operates as a system, especially regarding control flow.

I understand that communication happens through NML (Neutral Messaging Language), but so far, I’ve mainly seen the configuration files, scripts, and binaries. What I’m trying to figure out is how the control flows when I jog each axis — how does LinuxCNC communicate down the stack, from generating G-code to sending signals to the motors?

Could anyone point me toward the right resources or provide a simplified overview of the LinuxCNC control flow? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

I'd suggest starting with the documentation.
linuxcnc.org/docs/stable/html/

Specifically, starting with the "General User Information" selections "Linuxcnc User Introduction" and "Important User Concepts".
Then for more details looking into "Customization and Development" sections "Developer Information" and "User Interface Programming".

PS:  Depending on what your goals are, you may find that there might not need to be many if any changes required.