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Julian Ashcroft
10-08-2017, 3:17 AM
This looks very interesting, a guy is working on what looks like a direct replacement for RDWorks. It has some pretty impressive features. He is posting videos of his progress on YouTube.

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6x69t5MbTC4QcDd3vGVp9BFHwgeMrjYL

Rich Harman
10-08-2017, 5:44 AM
This looks very interesting, a guy is working on what looks like a direct replacement for RDWorks. It has some pretty impressive features. He is posting videos of his progress on YouTube.

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6x69t5MbTC4QcDd3vGVp9BFHwgeMrjYL

That is interesting. I know him, had no idea he was working on laser software. He has done good work on quadcopter flight control software.

Doug Fisher
10-08-2017, 1:57 PM
Jason has been posting progress updates in the RDWorks forum for quite a while. It has been fun to see the software mature and I applaud his efforts. Pretty impressive so far and he has listened to user's input. It is so nice to see solutions to basic issues that Ruida has failed to address forever. My guess is that users may still need to rely on RDWorks for some technical tasks but LightBurn could be the go-to software for common production/design tasks. He is predicting a November release since that is the time he has scheduled a week off of work in order to deal with the inevitable first release bugs that crop up. No word on pricing.

John Lifer
10-09-2017, 2:22 PM
It is interesting, but my continued issue with it, is that it won't send the "file to print" to the laser. I think it is great alternative to designing in RDW, but that really is all it is. You will STILL have to use RDW to communicate to the laser.
So, it really is no value to me. I use Coreldraw.

Doug Fisher
10-09-2017, 2:38 PM
For common cutting and engraving you send the file to the laser just like you do now with RDWorks. You don't have to send it via another program. If you need to run jobs where you have to tweak some of the more obscure/technical/detailed settings that he hasn't yet added to the interface (e.g. backlash reapy, "sew" compensation, etc.), then you would need to open the file in RDWorks and run it from there.

John Lifer
10-09-2017, 5:19 PM
If he has done that Doug, then I'll rescind my post. Initially he didn't think he was going to be able to send direct to laser.

Kev Williams
10-09-2017, 5:28 PM
I just wish all these Chinese program engineers-- and maybe this guy-- would just plain give up on trying to come up with newPROPRIETARY GRAPHICS EDITING software for FarEast C02 lasers and just design a BASIC PRINT DRIVER that would run the Chinese machines like any other printer! It's painfully obvious the Western machine guys-- such as ULS, Gravograph, Trotec, Epilog and GCC- figured this out a LOOONNGGG time ago!

John Lifer
10-09-2017, 5:29 PM
I watched several of his videos and if you are now using RDW to design in, Lightburn may very well be several hundred times better. Way better than inkscape or similar as it is for laser. Hopefully, he continues to develop and will release it.

Doug Fisher
10-09-2017, 6:24 PM
He showed a demo of the direct cutting communication working back in May and has been making lots of progress since then. His support for .svg files is an accomplishment and I think it will drive a lot of sales for him since Inkscape uses that plus .svg seems to be gaining as a universal file format for design graphics. If I remember right, he now supports .dxf, .eps, .ai, .pdf and .svg file formats with .plt in the wings. I know he was looking into .cdr but I remember him saying that one was going to be tough.

This software works with more than just Ruida controllers. I am not up on all the controllers but in his videos he has cited it as working with Smoothie-based and GRBL-based controllers. The fact it works on the OS for Mac as well as Windows should drive some sales too.

John Lifer
10-10-2017, 9:10 AM
Kev, that was just what I asked him back when he started and he didn't think he could design a print driver. I expect that he really hasn't here either. He's been able to push into the laser, but really is it going to cut and engrave? He must have changed his mind, or learned something. There ARE a lot of the "ebay" users that struggle with rdw, and I see why he is trying to design a graphics program as RDW is pretty basic and poorly written unless you are chinese. But YES, just a print driver would be nice. Guess We'll see, but unless it is much easier to push thru from Corel, it really doesn't help anyone that uses a 'real' graphics program.

Brian Leavitt
10-10-2017, 11:00 AM
I'll be following progress on this.

Julian Ashcroft
10-10-2017, 12:41 PM
If he suceeds and makes it available, i might be interested in using it, I doubt i would ever use it to design stuff and i don’t think he is doing it for that either, but it could be good for the final manipulation of an image before it gets sent to the laser.

John Noell
10-12-2017, 12:31 AM
I just signed up as a beta tester and tried it for the first time. From a quick glance, you can completely run the laser (at least my Longtai) from LightBurn. It has a number of neat features (like positioning the head anywhere with one click). You can tab through the power/speed settings (unlike RDW)! That's a major convenience for some of us.
It does not directly load files onto the laser but you can save files in rd format and use a USB flash drive to then load your files on the laser. If you want to start the job from the computer, LightBurn works perfectly. If your computer is not right by the laser and you typically load your files from the computer without using a flash drive, the lack of this feature could be a problem. I don't know if Jason will ever add it.
I typically design in CorelDraw and then transfer jpg/dxf files to RDW. If I have to change anything, I rarely find trying to fix things in RDW worth the hassle and end up back in CD. LightBurn is much better for touching up designs and will save me a lot of hassle. And, IT'S IN REAL ENGLISH!!! WITH AN INTERFACE LAYOUT THAT MAKES SENSE! :)
(Take the above with a grain of salt as my use was for less than an hour, although everything I tried worked.)

John Noell
10-14-2017, 12:05 AM
Yes, Jason is adding the feature of 'load to machine and then run' it, along with a bunch of others. It is really looking good, and getting better fast.

Rich Harman
10-14-2017, 1:52 AM
If he suceeds and makes it available, i might be interested in using it, I doubt i would ever use it to design stuff and i don’t think he is doing it for that either, but it could be good for the final manipulation of an image before it gets sent to the laser.

He does intend to make it capable of design, won't be like Corel Draw but if it goes as planned it will be enough that I won't need to be using Corel or RDWorks. Who knows, he may end up making it with the more advanced features too.

Matt McCoy
10-14-2017, 12:16 PM
Well done. He has the chops to make this work. Look forward to his progress.

Michael Ramsey
10-15-2017, 8:52 AM
Definitely interesting for sure. I only have one concern since it will be a for sale software. I read a comment from the developer on the LB facebook page. another fellow was asking about another controller and the dev kind of explained his process on how he does it. He is hijacking the communication between the controller and the software which is obfuscated (protected) by the manufacturer. Can't speak about the legality involved there but thats not my point. You hacked in and made the software work sooo what happens when the manufacturer issues an firmware update or redesigns their controllers functionality. Your software now lost communication with the controller. Maybe that rarely happens with these controllers. The best method would have been to use an API provided by the controller manufacturer, if one was provided, for communicating. This is not a bashing of the developer what HE has written is great just a concern over how he is acquiring the coms which could be problematic with FW updates or redesigned controllers.

John Lifer
10-15-2017, 10:58 AM
Updates do exist for the RDworks software, but not a lot for firmware updates. I'd like to get a firmware on my model but it's not out there yet. Neither are mandatory, just a bit more functionality when the do come thru.

Rich Harman
10-15-2017, 3:46 PM
I've updated the firmware on my controller zero times in six years, not sure it even has the ability to be updated. He will have a demo version so no one should buy it until they know it works, at the price I think he is going to charge, no one should be upset if they find it won't work on a new controller that they upgrade to. I am sure there will be some language about that (unlikely) possibility in the legalese that accompanies the software.

The controller manufacturer should be happy with LightBurn, it won't cut into their sales at all. I don't think anyone buys a Chinese controller because of their software.

John Noell
10-15-2017, 6:09 PM
Jason is literally adding features every day right now. There is a private Facebook group for Lightburn. He is taking suggestions and implementing them daily. If nothing else, it will be far easier (and much less cryptic) for the new user to pick it up and make things. His software also supports other controllers (like Smoothies).

Matt McCoy
10-16-2017, 9:40 AM
I've updated the firmware on my controller zero times in six years, not sure it even has the ability to be updated. He will have a demo version so no one should buy it until they know it works, at the price I think he is going to charge, no one should be upset if they find it won't work on a new controller that they upgrade to. I am sure there will be some language about that (unlikely) possibility in the legalese that accompanies the software.

The controller manufacturer should be happy with LightBurn, it won't cut into their sales at all. I don't think anyone buys a Chinese controller because of their software.

Good post.

The abilty to send raster/vector files directly from CAD software (Illustrator or Corel Draw) to the virtual controller (LB) would be a welcome feature for Chinese and DIY lasers and a long time coming. The added benefits of file optimization (nodes) and a well-designed/speedy GUI is icing on the cake.

It might be a good idea to consider licensing to importers, like Boss, Rabbit, AT, or LO.

Julian Ashcroft
12-29-2017, 3:11 PM
This is now available to download and try out before committing to purchase.

There seems to be a few minor issues that are being raised in the software’s Facebook Group, which isn’t too surprising.

Bill George
12-29-2017, 4:09 PM
The way I look at even the Chinese should embrace. The easier their machine is to use the more engravers they will sell!

Jacob John
12-29-2017, 9:57 PM
Are they eventually going to support big blue and big red? Interesting looking software.

Keith Downing
01-02-2018, 6:10 PM
So, what are the top feature (advances) that Lightburn offers? Or what other improvements does it appear it will offer?

Bert Kemp
01-02-2018, 7:14 PM
I sent an email last night around 10pm asking if they supported Leetro 6535/6565 they responded in less then 10 mins
pretty good huh. But the answer was

"Not yet, no.We have a 6585 to pick at, but the initial look into it says it's going to be a bit of a pain to support. It appears they do a chunk of the motion planning and acceleration handling on the PC side, which hasn't been the case with Ruida or Anywells controllers. That'll make it more difficult than anything we're supporting now, so it'll be a while."

Julian Ashcroft
01-03-2018, 2:39 AM
So, what are the top feature (advances) that Lightburn offers? Or what other improvements does it appear it will offer?

The one feature I’m enjoying the most is the ability to send just part of what’s on your screen to the laser. For example I have six different designs, each is 34mm in diameter, in RDWorks I have to have six different files. In Lighburn I can have them all in the same file and just select which image I send to the laser. This is going to be a real time saver for me.

The look and feel of the programme is well ahead of its Chinese counterpart, it has a way to go with features yet, but updates are rolling out.

I’m hoping one day it will also be able to control my other laser which runs PowerCut, which is a little obscure.