Importing laser calinration grid dxf file - no speed/power settings

Me: Hello, super new to lightburn and lasers with only a marginal grasp of all things computer. I have a new neje master 2s plus that I have mostly successfully connected to LB and have run one picture with words engraving that turned out awesome.

My problem: I tried downloading a dxf file to run a calibration grid (power/speed grid) to get an idea of what powers I should be using. When I import the dxf file it only imports the outline but does not have any power or speed settings and it is all in one layer.

My research: The file I downloaded has hundreds of positive reviews with no mention of problems. I tried another file from a different source (also dxf) and LB won’t even import it. The download came as a zip file with Cam-files, Interchange-files and Source-files. The dxf file was under interchange-files along with a pdf that yeilded identical results. The Cam-file has an .ecp file and the Source file is a Sketch-up model.

Reading through the forum I gather that when you import a file it is only bringing in the lines and layers. It appears that the file would need different colors to create different layers and this comes in as all black. But hundreds of others have found this file to be helpful and I don’t find it helpful at all.

Question 1: Am I doing something wrong or should I be looking for a different file type?
Question 2: I’m fairly experienced in 3d printing where the community shares .stl files and then I run them through a slicer to prepare them for printing. My impression was this was similar for lasers. People share dxf files and then I run them through LB to send them to the engraver. Is this style of sharing possible with lasers, or do I have to design most things myself?

Thanks for any help. I know the newest people ask the dumbest questions and I did try to do my research here and other places. But after a few hours it became clear that I don’t think I’m searching the right keywords to find the answer I need.

DXF files are just vector art - they have no idea about lasers, power, speed, etc.

LightBurn itself now has a test grid generator. Go to to Laser Tools menu and click ‘Material Test Generator’. Choose which values to vary, and the ranges, and it’ll create and run a grid for you.

Sharing a DXF would be very much like sharing an STL - If you get an STL file, it doesn’t know about infill, speeds, brim or support settings, filament type, bed temperatures, etc. Without those values, you just have an object you can print using settings you already have. The DXF is similar.

Thank you very much for the quick reply. I will mark this as solved and go to the grid generator. Any idea how others were successfully using the file I was. Would they have to go in and select each box in the grid, make it a layer and then assign the correct speed/power settings to each of those layers? I started trying to do that and it seemed like I might be better off just starting from scratch. I definitely have more Lightburn 101 videos to watch

I can’t say - A DXF file would not have enough information by itself to be a material test. It’s possible people were just burning it as a wasteboard grid on their machine, to line up work. I’ve seen that done a lot.

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