Resources · LightBurn
Tools and files for LightBurn users
Every studio in Laser Generator Studio has a LightBurn export preset. Files import at the size you designed, cuts, scores and engraving arrive on separate layers, and multi-layer projects come out numbered in order.
LightBurn is a trademark of LightBurn Software. Laser Generator Studio is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by LightBurn Software.
Importing a file into LightBurn
- In the export dialog, choose the LightBurn preset. It writes SVG and DXF with a colour per layer.
- In LightBurn, use File → Import (not copy and paste) so the size is kept. The SVGs are written in millimetres, so a 150 mm design imports at 150 mm.
- Each colour arrives on its own LightBurn layer. Set the mode (Line, Fill or Fill+Line), power and speed for each layer.
- Frame the job, check the material is in focus, and run it.
Size wrong after import? Make sure you used File → Import rather than pasting, and that LightBurn is set to millimetres. Pasting from a browser or another program can lose the real size.
Colours and layers
There are two colour modes in the export dialog. By operation uses red for cut, blue for score or line engrave and black fill for fill engrave; that suits xTool Creative Space, Glowforge and most other software. By layer colour gives each layer of a design its own colour, matching how LightBurn assigns one layer per colour, so a multi-layer map or a test card gets a separate LightBurn layer for every part.
Test cards with a layer per cell
The laser test card generator uses LightBurn’s standard layer colours, so every cell of a power × speed grid lands on its own layer with its values printed beside it. Set each layer to the power and speed shown, run the card, and pick the best cell. The Calibration Center works the same way for its one-sheet test kit, with one LightBurn colour per setting row.
Popular projects for LightBurn
| Project | What you get in LightBurn |
|---|---|
| Finger-jointed boxes | Every panel, kerf-compensated, with cuts, scores and label engraving on separate layers |
| Layered street maps | One file per layer, numbered bottom to top |
| Topographic maps | Numbered layers with scored alignment guides |
| Photo engraving | A dithered PNG that imports at the exact size and DPI; set the line interval to 25.4 ÷ DPI |
| Tumbler wraps | A wrap at the real circumference, plus the diameter to enter in LightBurn’s rotary setup |
| Living hinges | Hinge cuts and decorative patterns on their own layers |
| Traced logos | Clean vector paths ready for Line or Fill mode |
Rotary setup for tumblers
LightBurn needs the object’s diameter (or circumference) in its rotary setup to wrap a design correctly. The tumbler wrap generator has a Rotary setup tab that gives you the number to type in and where the seam goes, and a rotary test you can run once to check that your rotary turns the right amount.
Machine settings for LightBurn
The settings pages for OMTech, Thunder Laser, Aeon, Sculpfun and Atomstack lasers include LightBurn setup notes alongside starting power and speed values. Find your machine on the laser settings page.
Files from LightBurn into Laser Generator Studio
You can also go the other way. Export an SVG from LightBurn or any design program and drop it into Import & Nest in the app: it checks the file for open shapes, double lines and tiny fragments, converts it to DXF, PDF or G-code if you need, and nests parts onto your sheet size. See SVG to DXF and file formats.