What's New in LightBurn 2.1

LightBurn 2.1 Release Candidate 1 is here for you to try!

Before we get into the new features and improvements, we need to be clear that this is a Release Candidate, not the full release. If you're not familiar with what that means, please see the note below this for more information.

LightBurn Release Candidates

Release Candidates are pre-release versions of LightBurn that have already gone through several rounds of internal testing, and are now ready for a short period of public testing before official release. LightBurn Release Candidates can be installed alongside your existing installation, so you can keep using your current LightBurn version as needed.

While Release Candidates are very stable, you should keep an eye out for potential for bugs or unexpected behavior, and report problems on our forum or to our support team. For more information on installing and using a Release Candidate, please visit our Release Candidate page.

Get the Release Candidate

If you're ready to try LightBurn 2.1, here's what you can look forward to:

Quick Nest

Nesting is a highly in-demand tool for laying out objects within a container shape to maximize spacial 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 → Dock → Quick Nest or in the Docking Toolbar.

LightBurn Pro Feature

This feature is available for users with LightBurn Pro licenses only. In the past, the only difference between Core and Pro licenses has been the ability to control certain machines. Going forward, we will limit the availability of advanced features by license type when, as with Quick Nest, they require significantly higher than average development time to implement.

If you're a core user and want to use this feature, you can upgrade your existing license to Pro for $100, the price difference between the two licenses. You do not need to purchase a new license.

Multi-Camera & Network 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 HTTP network cameras, which will greatly expand the range of hardware we're able to support.

Please note that this new UI is still under review, and likely to change before official release. We welcome your feedback!

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:

1. Select 3 circles in your Workspace.
2. Go to Tools → Generate Tangent Circle.
3. 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.
4. Click to select and create that tangent circle in your Workspace.

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.

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.

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.

Z Control for Galvo Lasers

We've added Z Control support for Galvo lasers with motorized Z axes. You can now home and jog your laser along the Z axis using the aptly named Galvo Z Control toolbar.

This is a first step toward adding additional Galvo marking features that rely on stepped movements of motorized Z axes. Stay tuned.

Other Notable Additions

• LightBurn now supports 16 bit depth map images, allowing users with Galvo lasers to achieve much more precise 3D engravings.
• 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.

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For more help using LightBurn, please visit our forum to talk with LightBurn staff and users, or email support.

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