Rayforge 1.4 - Rotary Axis, PDF Layers, Camera Calibration
Rayforge 1.4 adds rotary axis support for cylindrical workpieces, direct vector import for PDF files with layers, a guided camera calibration wizard, and an improved sketcher with ellipse tools and smarter snapping.
Rotary Axis Support
You can now engrave and cut cylindrical objects like tumblers, glasses, and pens. Rayforge wraps your design around the cylinder surface and shows a 3D preview so you know exactly what the result will look like before you start.
Rotary mode can be toggled per layer, which means you can combine flat and cylindrical work in a single project. A small rotary icon next to each layer makes it easy to see which layers will run on the rotary attachment.
Head over to the Rotary Setup page for details on configuring your module.
PDF Import with Layers
PDF files can now be imported as vector paths instead of being rasterized first. This means cleaner lines, no quality loss, and — if the PDF contains layers — you can pick which layers to import, just like with SVG files.
This is especially handy when someone sends you a PDF that was exported from Illustrator or Inkscape and you need clean cutting paths without re-drawing anything.
Camera Calibration Wizard
Getting a camera aligned to your laser bed just got easier. The new guided calibration wizard walks you through the process step by step using a printed calibration card. Rayforge computes a full distortion model from the card images, correcting for barrel distortion and perspective errors automatically.
The result is noticeably better alignment accuracy, especially with wide-angle lenses or cameras mounted at an angle.
Sketcher Improvements
The circle tool has been replaced with a more general ellipse tool that handles both circles and ellipses. The equality constraint now works on ellipses too.
Drawing geometry also feels smoother now: many tools automatically apply constraints as you create shapes, and a new magnetic snap system replaces the old snap-to-grid behavior. Instead of locking to a fixed grid, magnetic snap pulls your cursor toward nearby geometry — points, lines, and endpoints — making it much easier to connect shapes precisely.
Better Framing Controls
The framing feature has new settings for finer control:
- Frame speed is now configured per laser head
- Corner dwell time lets the laser pause briefly at each corner so you can see exactly where the boundary is
- Repeat count traces the outline multiple times for better visibility
Merge Lines Post-Processor
A new post-processor called Merge Lines detects overlapping path segments and merges them into a single pass. This is useful when you import designs where shapes share edges — think grid patterns or tessellations — and you want to avoid cutting the same line twice.
Other Improvements
- Machine profile for the Acmer S1 has been added
- G-code dialects are now independent copies, so customizing one never affects others
- Dialects support a separate laser-on command for focusing
- Large images are handled more safely to prevent running out of memory
Bug Fixes
- Fixed material test producer issues
- Fixed position reporting for machines with only X and Y axes
- Fixed a sketcher issue where distance constraints could shadow the line underneath
- Fixed memory exhaustion when importing very large images
- Fixed a race condition during worker initialization
See the CHANGELOG on GitHub for the complete list.