LightBurn 2.1 has arrived! Strap in and don your reading glasses, because this is a big one and we’ve got a lot to share.
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In case you don’t make it all the way to the bottom, here are some highlights at the top:
- We’ve expanded our design and layout feature set with the addition of Quick Nest, Undo History, and the Tangent Circle Generator.
- Cuttle.xyz, a web-based tool for generating personalized designs from templates, is now integrated into LightBurn in our new Web Tools menu.
- We’ve expanded camera control to support both network cameras and dual-camera systems, and improved and reworked our calibration and alignment wizards.
- For Galvo users, we now support Split Marking, 16-bit depth map engraving, and EZCad3-based Galvo lasers. Our EZCad3 support is still in its initial stages, so be sure to read below for more details on that!
That sounds like a lot — and it is! — but it’s still not everything. Keep reading to learn more!
Note: users with M-series Macbooks may notice a slower startup time the first time they open the newest version of LightBurn — after the first time, subsequent starts will load at normal speed. This issue is caused by the translation layer required for Intel-based programs to run on ARM-based Macbooks, and an increase in size for the latest version of LightBurn. We are working on ARM-native builds for future LightBurn releases, which will address this and other pending compatibility issues.
Quick Nest
Nesting is a highly in-demand tool for laying out objects within a container shape to maximize spatial utilization — it’s great for making sure you get the most out of a sheet of material without having to spend hours manually placing each graphic.
With LightBurn 2.1 we’ve got a limited version of nesting working — Quick Nest defines each object by the smallest possible rectangle that can fully contain it, then repositions all objects to squeeze them into a container in the most efficient possible layout. While not a full nesting solution, this feature packs a lot of power — more than enough for plenty of use cases. And have we mentioned that it’s blazing fast?
You can find Quick Nest by going to Arrange → Quick Nest or in the Docking Toolbar.
Note: We had previously planned to release Quick Nest as a Pro-only feature, but have since decided to make it available to all LightBurn users, both Core and Pro.
Enhanced Camera Support
With 2.1, we’ve overhauled and expanded LightBurn’s camera support, including a brand new interface for camera setup and control. Users will be able to add their camera, select from presets, and present feeds from multiple cameras in a decluttered “wall view” UI.
As part of this overhaul, we’ve added support for network cameras and dual camera systems, greatly expanding the range of machines that work with LightBurn’s camera control features.
Cuttle Integration
If you’ve never heard of Cuttle, let us introduce you — it’s a powerful web-based tool for generating personalized designs from templates.
In 2.1, we’ve integrated Cuttle directly into LightBurn. You can choose your design, customize it, then hit Send to LightBurn to immediately open it in your Workspace.
Cuttle is a third-party, subscription-based service, and remains completely separate from LightBurn. In other words, if you choose to subscribe, we don’t take a cut — we’re just fans of their site and want to provide a smoother workflow for our shared users.
If you have any questions about Cuttle, or encounter any issues while using their services, please reach out to them directly at Support@Cuttle.xyz.
As part of this integration, Cuttle is offering a 7 day free trial to LightBurn users, and they also offer a permanent free tier to all users which provides 10 downloads a month and access to a limited range of templates.
We’ll be exploring more of these types of integration down the road, so keep an eye out for new entries in our Web Tools menu going forward.
Undo History Window
We’ve all been there — working away, editing up a storm, only to realize we regret all our life design choices. Then it’s undo to the rescue.
LightBurn’s internal undo list has always been unlimited, meaning you can undo any action you’ve taken, going back to the very start of your session — sometimes that just means hitting Ctrl+Z several dozen times.
Starting in 2.1, you can go to Edit → Undo History and see a selectable list of your past actions. As you cycle through the list, you’ll see a preview of your project’s state, up to a given action, in your Workspace. After selecting an action, click OK to turn back time and confirm that prior state, undoing everything you’ve done since.
Tangent Circle Generator
Because our developers really like math, and the rest of us really like making cool designs, we’ve added a new Tangent Circle Generator.
To use it:
- Select 3 circles in your Workspace.
- Go to Tools → Generate Tangent Circle.
- LightBurn will show you all possible tangent circles in light red outlines. When you hover over an outline it will turn bold, indicating it’s ready to be selected.
- Click to select and create that tangent circle in your Workspace.
Split Marking for Galvo Lasers
Split Marking allows users with Galvo lasers to mark graphics larger than their laser’s work area using a linear or rotating axis.
You can find Split Marking setup in the Modes Toolbar — click the conveyor icon, then enter the necessary parameters for your linear or rotating axis, and toggle on Enable Split Marking. LightBurn will now automatically split up any graphics larger than your laser’s work area, and move the external axis the appropriate distance to mark them in full.
Initial EZCad3 Support
This one has been years in the making — LightBurn now supports EZCad3-based Galvo lasers.
Our initial support provides the same level of control that we have for EZCad2-based lasers — all standard marking options, rotary control, and split marking.
We also support Z Axis jogging for EZCad3 based lasers, and we will add support for automatic Z stepping during jobs in a future update.
It’s important to note that EZCad3 support is a “Labs” feature in LightBurn 2.1. That means we’ve done lots of testing in house to make certain it’s ready to go public, but we also know it needs a bit more polish before it’s complete. Please use with care, and report any unexpected results on our forum or by email.
What Happened to EZCad2 Z Axis Support?
We added initial support for Z control for EZCad2-based Galvo lasers in the first several Release Candidates for version 2.1. After testing, we decided this feature was not yet ready to go live in the full release.
Note that, while we don’t make a habit of this, Release Candidate features are always subject to change, including complete removal. EZCad2 Galvo Z Control will return soon™.
16-Bit Depth Map Engraving
LightBurn now supports 16-bit depth map images, allowing users with Galvo lasers to achieve much more precise 3D engravings.
Standard 8-bit depth maps contain information for 256 shades of gray, but 16-bit images contain information for 65,536, allowing LightBurn to slice those finer shades into a greater number of meaningful passes.
For an 8-bit image, anything more than 256 passes will yield greater depth but no greater precision.
With a 16-bit image, well, we really don’t recommend going up to the full 65k plus, unless you want to run your laser for a couple days solid — but it’s cool to think that you could. You’ll still see the difference with more reasonable pass counts in the 500 to 1000 range.
Design and Control Units Split or Linked
With LightBurn 2.0 we made Design and Machine units independent — in other words, you could edit graphics using imperial units, but set your speeds in metric, or vice versa.
That change caught some users off guard, so we’ve updated the behavior once more. You can now choose to set independent Design and Control units, or link them so that any time you change either unit type, the other changes too. Enabling linking brings back the original behavior from versions of LightBurn prior to 2.0.
As with 2.0, you’ll find the option to adjust Design Units in your LightBurn Settings window, and Control units in your Device Settings window. The option to link Design and Control units is available in the Device Settings window.
Vendor Menus
Vendor Menus are new, custom menus that you’ll see in LightBurn if you set up your device profile using a bundle provided by your laser’s manufacturer. In the menu you’ll find links to their website, learning resources, and information to contact their support team.
In addition to enabling Vendor Menus, bundles simplify the set up process. Just drag and drop the bundle into LightBurn, then select the device profiles and Material Libraries you’d like to import.
Cut Planner Speed Improvement
Updates don’t just mean new features, they also mean feature improvements — our developers are constantly working to optimize LightBurn’s performance.
In 2.1, we’ve made the cut planner much faster. That means when it’s time to Preview or Start a complex project, LightBurn will now calculate and send the job in a fraction of the time it used to.
Other Notable Changes
- We’ve introduced a new Font Manager to improve our existing font filtering system. Right-click in the font list and select Open Font Manager… to see a new window where you can search, filter, favorite, and hide your fonts.
- You can now save LightBurn files in a special Template format. When you re-open a Template file and make changes to it, it will default to saving as a standard .lbrn2 file, so that the original Template is never accidentally overwritten.
- The In/mm toggle in the Numeric Edits Toolbar has been replaced with two radio buttons, in an effort to make their function more clear.
- A new Select Circles option has been added to the Edit Menu. It does what you’d expect it to based on that name — and more! You can specify a Range or input an Exact Size to select only the circles within your design that fall within your chosen parameters.
Read the full changelog below!