This software is a simple graphical user interface for the Cyclone filament winding software by Andrew Reilley.
It is meant to make working with .wind files and generating .gcode a bit less painful and efficient.
This tool is intended for people who already use Cyclone and want a faster, more visual workflow.
This GUI builds on the original Cyclone software, which you can find here: https://github.com/reilleya/cyclone
If you are new to filament winding with Cyclone, you should definitely start there and make sure the CLI works before using this GUI.
When opening the .exe for the first time, Windows may ask you to trust the application. This is expected, since the program needs to read and write files.
The first thing you should do is click “Cyclone Directory” in the top right corner and select the folder where your working Cyclone installation lives. This path is saved automatically.
The interface is then split into two main parts:
general winding parameters on the left and the layer editor on the right.
If you have worked with Cyclone before, the mandrel, tow and feed rate parameters should be self-explanatory. If not, the original Cyclone repository explains them.
The main advantage of the GUI here is presets. You can save mandrel presets (for example different rocket diameters or body tube lengths) and tow presets for different fiber types. This way you only have to measure and enter these values once and can reuse them across projects.
Presets are added using the small “+” button and removed using the “–” button, which lets you select an existing preset from a dropdown.
The layer editor is the main reason this tool exists. Creating and editing layers directly in JSON quickly becomes annoying, especially for helical layers.
Cyclone supports three layer types: Hoop, Helical and Skip. These can be added quickly using the buttons at the bottom of the layer side.
Layers can be moved up and down with the arrow buttons and removed individually.
If you find yourself using the same layer configuration repeatedly, you can save it as a layer preset. Saved presets appear in the bottom bar and can be reused with a single click. Presets can also be deleted using the “–” button.
Once you are happy with your setup, you can save everything as a .wind file using “Save .wind”, or load an existing one with “Open .wind”.
To generate G-Code, simply press “Generate G-Code”. You will be asked where to save the .gcode file. The GUI will then run the Cyclone CLI using the parameters currently shown on screen, so there is no need to save the .wind file beforehand.
After Cyclone finishes, a popup shows the estimated total winding time and required tow length, as well as per-layer information. Layers that result in a valid solution are shown in green. If Cyclone reports zero time or tow length for a layer (for example due to an invalid helical configuration), it will be highlighted in red, along with the number of circuits for debugging.
This version was tested with Cyclone as of January 2026. Future Cyclone updates may break compatibility.
If you find bugs or have feedback, feel free to reach out.
You can usually find me on the Amateur Filament Winding Discord Server by Andrew Reilley:
https://discord.gg/36MnnAe3pa
Copyright (C) 2026 Spaceflight Rocketry Gießen e.V.
This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License, version 3 or later.
This program is distributed without any warranty.
See https://www.gnu.org/licenses/ for details.