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Cut Selected Graphics / Use Selection Origin

By default, LightBurn outputs all graphics in your Workspace when you Preview, Frame, Start, Send, or save a project in a machine-specific file format. This works well if you have one design in each project, but is less ideal when storing multiple designs within the same file.

In order to output only specific design elements, you can enable Cut Selected Graphics instead.

Use Selection Origin allows you to choose whether to orient output relative to the entire project's Origin, or just the Origin of the graphics in your selection.

Both switches are available in the Laser Window.

Cut Selected Graphics and Use Selection Origin switches in the Laser Window

Note

Use Selection Origin will be grayed out if you've selected Absolute Coords as your Start From mode, or do not have Cut Selected Graphics enabled.

Cut Selected Graphics

Enable Cut Selected Graphics to tell LightBurn to only output the portion of your design that is currently selected.

Tip

The Preview window only shows graphics that will be output to your laser — use it to check that you've selected just the graphics you want.

Cut Selected Graphics Preview demo

Use Selection Origin

When used in combination with Cut Selected Graphics, the Use Selection Origin button tells LightBurn to calculate the Job Origin from only the parts that are selected, not the whole design.

  • If you have many different graphics in a project that are intended to be cut completely separately, enabling Use Selection Origin simplifies the process of positioning output to your laser, by excluding unselected graphics when calculating the Origin.

  • If you're looking to rerun just one part of a larger design that didn't cut through, disabling Use Selection Origin will ensure that the cut lines up, by using the entire design to calculate the origin.

The Job Origin is indicated on your design as a green square. You'll see its position move as you toggle Cut Selected Graphics and Use Selection Origin on and off in different combinations.

Use Selection Origin demo

Troubleshooting

If Cut Selected Graphics is enabled, but you have nothing in your selection, and attempt to Preview, Start, Send, or Save a project in machine-specific format, you'll see a warning message, and be given the option to click Ok and abort the process but leave Cut Selected Graphics enabled, or Turn off Cut Selected to abort the process while automatically disabling Cut Selected Graphics at the same time.

Cut Selected Graphics warning message

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