Background capture
Capture a still image of the bed as a layout reference. Useful when working offline or wanting a stable backdrop.
A background capture is a frozen frame of the bed used as a canvas backdrop for layout. The overlay updates only when you capture a new frame, which is useful when you want to position a job over a printed sheet or labeled fixture.
What you need
- Camera installed, calibrated, and aligned. See the previous Camera guides.
- The material or fixture in place on the bed.
Steps
1. Stage the bed
Place the material / fixture exactly where you want it for the job. Make sure the camera sees the whole area.
2. Capture
- Open the Camera panel.
- Click Update Overlay (this captures a fresh frame and writes it to the overlay).
3. Use the captured image as backdrop
The canvas now shows the captured frame behind your design. Position your design over features in the image.
4. Refresh when the bed changes
If the fixture or material moves, click Update Overlay again. Toggle the overlay show / hide via the Camera panel or the overlay controls.
CLI
For automated or programmatic capture (e.g. the docs site uses this):
beambench-cli camera capture --camera <device-id> --output /tmp/frame.pngCaptures a single frame from the named camera.
Verify it worked
- The canvas shows the camera image as a backdrop.
- Features on the image (fixtures, material edges) align with where you placed them physically, confirming calibration + alignment is still correct.
When the captured frame is stale
If the material moves, the captured frame no longer matches reality. Update Overlay again. The previous frame is replaced.