I am importing a shape from a dxf file that includes the line and associated fill. When imported the fill is removed with only the line element showing. How are drawing elements with fill (solid/hatch) imported into LightBurn to retain the fill? Also, how are images imported into LightBurn so the background is transparent? Is there a way to add fill to an element constructed with the drawing elements in LightBurn; I don’t see anything available.
If you have a vector file that has both components FILL and Line you should export them in different colours so Lightburn can apply different layers
if not possible, you need to select the fill shapes, and move them to a different layer in lightburn
A layer = A “job type”
so if you have fill and line you need at least 2 layers
Images are validated by the “color” when converted to B&D/GrayScale
White will represent no engraving - black will represent max power (Within layer parameters)
So you do not need to remove background if said background is white.
I have changed the fill color to a different color and tried importing; the fill is still changed to a single line of same color. I also tried removing the polyline element around the fill, leaving only the fill; still, the fill is translated on import into a single line. I also tried a hatch pattern instead of a solid fill; still same issue, the hatch is translated on import to a solid line. This occurs if file is dxf, svg, and pdf. Perhaps I am missing something still or there are settings elswhere in LighBurn. The properites box does not provide any information on fill for the item.
Gil,
Thanks again for your advice. I posted a replay, but haven’t seen any comments or suggestions back. If would appreciate any you have. Since my reply I realized that LightBurn may not recognize fill elements??? The best solution I found was to make a black image file and use the mask feature to incorporate the background with the draw object. This works, but I found the image background needs to be very close to the same size as the draw object mask. Otherwise the image burn sweeps the laser head to the extents of the image file masked by the object rather than limiting the burn sweep to just the mask object. Also, I cannot save the settings for burning any image; seems to be a manual setting each time…is this correct? I would think your suggestions should work, but I cannot seem to have success. Any other ideas or comments?
In Lightburn, there is no difference in shape properties between fill and line. Both are vector paths. Unless your fill occupies a different space, there is no difference other than the layer type assignment. If you want two different types of work done on the same shape, such as fill + cut outline, fill + engrave outline + cut outline, etc. you can duplicate the object and put it on a different layer with a different “type” or add a sublayer to the same shape without duplication. An engraved outline usually involves duplicating and offsetting the original shape so it has some line weight.
See the various layer settings for different line and fill types, ie, solid fill, line, crosshatch, etc.
Chris,
Thank you for your reply to my query. I am trying to import an object from a dxf file; in this case an circle with fill (for an eye pupil). The dxf object has the outline as a drawn circle (line black) and I set the fill to solid red, for two layers. When I import the dxf object LightBurn eliminates the fill leaving only an outline, as if traced. This occurs even if I eliminate the circle line and import only the fill. I suspect LightBurn does not recognize the fill as a vector nor does it change it to an image?? Essentially, if I try to import any vector based art that has shading/fill or a drawn object with fill how do I import these type items to retain the fill?? The only way I can determine to get the fill is to import a jpg image as a solid color, then use the mask feature to place the vector outline over the fill color and flatten. Unfortunately the fill is now just an image with no control other than setting speed and power. I cannot find a way to save the profile, select fill or offset fill when engraving this area. I am new to LightBurn so any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.
Keeping the design entirely vector-based and working with fills can require a different way of thinking. Every other closed outline inverts the fill area.
Draw a series of concentric circles all on the same layer and all set to fill and observe how the fill changes as you add/subtract circles.
We may need the problem portion of your DXF uploaded to really home in on a solution.
I sometimes add a very small (.01mm) offset to get the fill where I want. Other times I’ll add a frame outside the bounds of the workpiece. Learning this did require looking at the design process in a different way and can sometimes still be confusing such that I have to turn off fill rendering, take a step back, and ponder on it for a while.
Basically, you can’t, because LightBurn imports only the geometry defined by the vectors, without their fills & widths.
Per the doc:
Note that not all features of every format will be supported. Vector graphics formats in particular are incredibly complex, and using more advanced features, like pattern fills, masking, gradients, and so on will not necessarily translate well when importing. LightBurn cares about shape outlines - if you want artwork to include the advanced features, the best option is usually exporting as a high-DPI image.
Part of the reasoning is that “filling” an outline with a laser is completely unlike “filling” an image, because it requires specifying the fill spacing / power / speed / direction / etc.
Similarly, the laser spot is basically a point that cannot directly produce a “width”. Instead, as @cggorman points out, you must define the boundaries of that shape as part of a layer that will be raster-scanned to fill within those boundaries; again, with attention to spacing / power / speed / direction.
The key thing to remember: images created to look good on screen have completely different requirements from the process required to burn those images into a slab of wood.
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