Which toolpaths can I save into one G-code file, and how should I name and order them?

The rule

One G-code file per physical bit (unless you have an ATC). The software will save multiple selected toolpaths into one file, but only toolpaths sharing the SAME tool belong together, because the machine can't change bits mid-file without automatic tool changer support. Trying to save mixed-tool toolpaths together without an ATC post-processor triggers a warning for exactly this reason.

The workflow

1. Order the toolpath list correctly first. The list order IS the run order: surfacing, then pockets and drilling, then V-carves and engraving, with profile cut-outs LAST (see the small-parts and master decision-guide entries).
2. Group consecutive same-tool toolpaths and save each group as one file. Typical sign: 01_quarter-EM_pockets.nc, 02_90deg-vbit_text.nc, 03_quarter-EM_cutout.nc.
3. Name files so the run order and the bit are impossible to miss. A leading number plus the tool name is a common shop standard. Six months from now, the filename is all the documentation you'll have.
4. At the machine: run the file, change the bit, re-zero Z (see that entry), then run the next file.

ATC owners

With an ATC post-processor, save everything as one file, since tool numbers drive the automatic changes (see the ATC and tool-number entries). The naming discipline still pays off the day you cut on a non-ATC machine.

Pro tips

• Recalculate stale toolpaths (marked in the list) before saving. Saved G-code is a snapshot, not a link.
• Save G-code into a per-project folder next to the job file. The job file and its G-code files age as a set.
• A Job Sheet (an auto-generated summary) alongside the files documents bits and depths for future-you (see the job sheet entry).