Using Lightburn - tips and tricks

The colored boxes at the bottom of the LightBurn screen represent different layers in your design.

In LightBurn, you can organize your design elements into separate layers, which can be engraved or cut with different settings. Each layer can have its own settings for power, speed, and other parameters.

The colored boxes correspond to the layers in your design and show the color you have assigned to each layer. This makes it easy to visually differentiate between the different layers in your design.

You can click on a colored box to select the corresponding layer and edit its settings. You can also right-click on a colored box to access additional layer options, such as duplicating or deleting the layer.

To perform multiple pass cuts in LightBurn, you can follow these steps:

1. Select the object or shape that you want to cut.

2. In the Cut Settings Editor, click on the Layers button to open the Layers panel.

3. In the Layers panel, select the layer that contains the object you want to cut.

4. In the Cut Settings Editor, under the Cut Settings section, set the "Passes" parameter to the number of passes you want to perform.

5. Set the other cutting parameters such as Power, Speed, and Acceleration as per your requirement.

6. Repeat the above steps for any other objects that require multiple pass cuts.

7. Click on the Preview button to see a simulation of the multiple pass cuts.

Note that when performing multiple pass cuts, you need to make sure that the material is not moved between passes, and that the cut depth is adjusted accordingly for each pass. You may need to do some testing to determine the appropriate cut settings and number of passes for your specific material and laser.

To remove layers in LightBurn, you can follow these steps:

1. In the Layers panel, select the layer that you want to remove.

2. Right-click on the layer and select "Delete Layer" from the context menu.

3. LightBurn will ask you to confirm the deletion. Click on the "Yes" button to proceed.

4. The selected layer will be deleted, and all the objects on that layer will be removed from your design.

Note that deleting a layer in LightBurn is a permanent action and cannot be undone. Make sure to double-check before deleting a layer to ensure that you do not accidentally delete something important.

If you want to temporarily hide a layer without deleting it, you can click on the eye icon next to the layer in the Layers panel. This will toggle the visibility of the layer in the design preview.

The Layers panel in LightBurn is located on the right-hand side of the screen, by default. If the Layers panel is not visible, you can open it by clicking on the "Window" menu in the top toolbar and selecting "Layers" from the dropdown menu.

Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl + Shift + L" (Windows) or "Cmd + Shift + L" (Mac) to open the Layers panel.

Once the Layers panel is open, you can see a list of all the layers in your design, along with their names, colors, and other properties. You can use the Layers panel to organize your design elements into separate layers, adjust layer settings, and rearrange the order of layers by dragging and dropping them.

The colored boxes at the bottom of the LightBurn screen represent the layers in your design and cannot be removed completely. However, you can minimize the Layers panel to reduce the size of the boxes or move it to a different location on the screen.

To minimize the Layers panel, click on the small triangle at the top-right corner of the panel. This will collapse the panel and reduce the size of the boxes at the bottom of the screen.

To move the Layers panel, click on the title bar of the panel and drag it to a new location on the screen. You can also dock the Layers panel to a different side of the screen by dragging it to the left, right, or top edge of the screen until you see a blue outline indicating where the panel will dock.

Keep in mind that the Layers panel is an essential part of LightBurn and is required for organizing your design elements and adjusting layer settings. Minimizing or moving the panel may make it more difficult to work with your design.

To allow for the width of the laser beam in LightBurn, you can use the "Offset Fill" feature. This feature allows you to create a slightly larger or smaller shape around the original shape to account for the width of the laser beam.

Here are the steps to use Offset Fill in LightBurn:

1. Select the object or shape that you want to cut or engrave.

2. Open the "Offset Fill" dialog by clicking on the "Edit" menu in the top toolbar and selecting "Offset Fill".

3. In the Offset Fill dialog, you can adjust the offset distance to create a larger or smaller shape around the original shape. The distance you enter here should be slightly larger than the width of the laser beam.

4. Select the fill type, direction, and other settings as per your requirement.

5. Click on the "Apply" button to apply the offset fill to your shape.

6. After applying the offset fill, you can adjust the cut settings for the new shape to account for the beam width.

Note that the offset fill feature can also be used to create a larger or smaller shape around a vector line for better accuracy or to compensate for kerf width when cutting materials like wood or acrylic.