Class phrase

Ask your teacher for today's phrase. Your laser lines appear after you enter it.

Layers

Material

My material × mm

Runs top to bottom. Cut through is always last.

Laser

Start from: laser head · Job origin: top-right

Join touching lines

The lid is closed and I will stay with the laser the whole time.

Shortcuts and tips

Keyboard

`Ctrl`+`Z`	Undo
`Ctrl`+`Y` or `Ctrl`+`Shift`+`Z`	Redo
`Ctrl`+`A`	Select everything
`Ctrl`+`C` / `Ctrl`+`V`	Copy / paste (it lands a little down and to the left)
`Ctrl`+`D`	Duplicate the selected parts
`Shift`+click	Add or remove a part from the selection
`Delete`	Remove the selected parts
Arrow keys	Nudge 1 mm (`Shift`: 10 mm)
Double-click, `Enter` or `Esc`	Finish a line or curve (keeps what you drew)
Type a number while drawing	Exact length for the next point, e.g. 50. Press `Tab` to type the angle too (0 = right, 90 = up), then `Enter`.
`Tab` while drawing	Type just an angle; the length is where the pointer is
`Esc`	Stops the laser when it's connected. Also finishes drawing, closes a window, or unselects.

Mouse and touch

Scroll wheel / pinch	Zoom
Drag empty space	Box select. Left to right picks parts inside the box; right to left also picks parts it touches.
`Shift`+drag or middle button	Move around the bed (one finger on a touchscreen)
Right-click	Menu: colours, Group, Ungroup, Rotate, Delete, Hide/Show a colour
White squares	Resize. Corners keep the shape when 🔒 is on; sides stretch one way.
Size labels (↔ ↕ ⌀)	Click one and type a new size. Circles show their diameter, lines their length.
Purple round grip	Move the selected part(s)
`Shift` while dragging a corner	Flip the lock for that drag
`Shift` while drawing a line	Straight or 45° lines

Tips

Black cuts through, red marks a line, blue engraves (fills). The laser always runs Engrave, then Mark, then Cut through.
The green dot is the top-right corner of your design. Move the laser head there on the machine.
Send to laser only loads your design. Then, on the laser, press Frame (the head traces the outline with the beam off) to check it fits your material, and press Start.
The File, Edit, Arrange, Make and View menus at the top hold every command; right-click the bed for the common ones.
Open starts over with a file. Import adds a file next to what's there. Save keeps your whole design as a .uml file to open again later.
Box maker (left tools) makes a finger-joint box for your material. Measure your board; if the fingers are too tight or loose, change Fit.
A name keychain: type your name, then under Selected part tick Cut an outline around it and Keyring hole.
Cutting out a joined-up (script) name? Tick Weld so the letters join into one shape.
Mirror flips a design, for engraving the back of glass or acrylic. Align lines up several parts.
Photo (beta): Import a PNG or JPG. Start small: photos take a while to engrave.
Image trace: Import a PNG or JPG and pick Trace to outlines. Threshold, Detail, Smooth and Clean up change the outlines; download them as SVG or DXF too.
Type your board's size under My material to see it on the bed.
Group ties parts together. Ungroup unties them, or splits a file into its separate shapes.
Hide on a colour only hides it on the screen. Hidden lines still run on the laser.
No laser here? Export for teacher saves one file with your design and the laser file.
Text inside an SVG must be converted to paths first, or use the Text tool.
Cutting out letters? Use the Stencil font so O, A and B keep their middles.
Type a size, or a Scale % (100 = original size). Switch between mm, cm and inches at the right of the size bar.
Change the material from the panel on the right or the buttons at the bottom.
Click a colour (bottom bar or the Layers list) to change the selected parts to it.
Pattern makes rows and columns of copies, like a sheet of keychains.
Your design is saved on this computer, so a reload won't lose it.
Stay with the laser the whole time, and know where the red emergency stop is. This site is not a safety system: your teacher checks every job and watches the laser.

Laser not found?

Laser switched on, USB cable plugged in. Try another USB socket on the laptop.
Connect laser lists every USB port. The laser is often called USB Serial Port (COM…). Picked the wrong one? Choose USB port… shows the list again.
Stuck, or a Send that never ends: ↻ Reset USB. Still stuck: unplug the USB cable, plug it back in, and reload the page.
Windows laptop that never had the laser plugged in: Windows sets the laser up the first time, which takes about a minute. Wait, unplug the cable, plug it back in, then press Connect laser.
For teachers, Windows laptops: still never in the list? Student accounts cannot install drivers, and some laptops are not allowed to fetch them. An administrator installs the FTDI USB driver once (IT can push it to every laptop): on FTDI's driver page, take the setup executable in the Windows row and run it. Then a new laptop finds the laser in seconds instead of waiting for Windows Update. If the laser is never in the list, plug it in and open Device Manager. Under Universal Serial Bus controllers, open USB Serial Converter → Properties → Advanced, tick Load VCP, OK, then unplug and replug. It should now show under Ports (COM & LPT). A yellow warning sign there means the FTDI driver is missing (ask IT).

What units did you draw in?

That name is already on the laser

Shapes

About uploadmylaser

Shortcuts and tips

Keyboard

Mouse and touch

Tips

Laser not found?

Picture

Box maker

Pattern

Class phrase