LightBurn

About this release

LightBurn replaced a workflow that used to need three programs. Design the artwork in one, convert it in another, send it to the machine with whatever the manufacturer bundled, and hope the result matched. This application does all three, so a shape can be drawn, given its cut settings and sent to the laser without the file leaving the window, and a change to the design does not mean walking the whole chain again.

The editor is a real vector editor rather than a token one. Draw and edit shapes and paths, import artwork from the common vector and image formats, apply boolean operations, offset paths for kerf compensation, weld and node edit, place and align text, and lay out a sheet with arrays and nesting so material waste stays down. Bitmap images convert to engravings with dithering options tuned for the way a laser actually deposits energy.

Cut settings are organised by layer, which is the model that fits this kind of work. Each colour on the canvas is a layer with its own power, speed, number of passes, air assist state and mode, so a job that engraves a logo and then cuts a shape around it is one file with two layers rather than two jobs run in sequence. Layer libraries save the settings that work for a given material so a job on the same stock starts correct.

Machine control is direct. It talks to the common controller families over the usual connections, frames the job so the position on the material can be checked before firing, offers camera assisted alignment for placing artwork on an irregular or already used piece, and estimates run time before starting. Material tests generate a grid of power and speed combinations so a new stock can be characterised in one pass.

What it does

Design, edit and control in one

Artwork, cut settings and machine control live in the same window with no export step between them.

Full vector editing

Boolean operations, node editing, offsetting for kerf, welding, text and array layout.

Layer based cut settings

Power, speed, passes and mode per colour, so engraving and cutting share one file.

Image to engraving conversion

Dithering and threshold options tuned to how a laser lays down energy.

Camera alignment

Place artwork accurately on irregular or partly used material by eye.

Material test grids

Generate a power and speed matrix to characterise a new stock in a single run.

Changed in this version

• Faster job preview generation on large engraving files.
• Support added for more controller firmware revisions.
• Improved image dithering with better tonal range on wood.
• Node editing tools reworked with cleaner snapping.
• Fixed an offset error on very long jobs with rotary attachments.

System requirements

Install order

1. Unpack the archive and run the installer.
2. Add your machine in the device setup wizard and set the bed dimensions.
3. Run a material test grid before committing a real job to unfamiliar stock.
4. Save working settings into a layer library so the next job on that material starts correct.

Worth knowing before you start

File details