Is there a way of exporting just one layer in SVG. Suppressing the output doesn’t work. The only way I have found is quite complex. It is export to dfx, then open it in LibreCAD and export a layer as an SVG. Then open it in Inkscape and reduce the stroke width from 1mm to 0.1mm and then save it.
If a layer is not referenced to anything, like a separate engrave layer, it is not aligned with the other parts of the design. So when that happens I have to export two layers from LibreCAD, one that contains a reference object and then delete all this information in Inkscape.
Life would be so much simpler if there was a way to export single layers in LightBurn.
The file exporters don’t actually look at if you have a layer set to output or not. That’s just for actually sending to a laser.
They will however only output what you have selected.
Select the layer you want to export in the Cuts / Layers panel.
Then go to Edit > Select all shapes in current cut layer
Then File > Export and it will just export what you have selected.
Thanks, but I did try that before I posted. It was one of the things I tried that did not work. All I got was the top layer, not the things I selected.
What version of LightBurn are you running? What I described should work, even in relatively old versions, but confirming what version you are running is at least a place to start.
Check out the example video below - if following along with that still doesn’t work can you please provide an example file for us to try out? (Either upload here or email to support@lightburnsoftware.com)
It’s theoretically possible it’s something specific about the design you have.
Thanks Adam,
Yes indeed this time it worked, not sure what I was missing this morning when I tried that, but humble pie time.
However, the exported layer does not have any x and y shift in it. That means that two layers that are meant to be aligned, aren’t when they are exported.
When I re-import that layer it is in the right place but then it is removed again on export.
We only export the selected items to SVG and set the document size to only large enough to contain them. So no, position is not retained, relative to what it is in LightBurn.
We probably could - I’m honestly not sure why we don’t. @LightBurn can you potentially elaborate why it’s done this way?
Mostly because of the document origin - In LightBurn it’ll be the machine origin, but with SVG it’s the upper-left corner. I could do the math to make it behave that way in LightBurn as well, but I was mostly focused on getting the shapes themselves exporting correctly, not their exact positions.