Supported imports

Beam Bench imports vector and raster files via File → Import (Ctrl+I). The supported formats and the things that commonly go wrong:

Vector formats

SVG

Beam Bench's first-class vector format. Supports paths, basic shapes, text (some), groups, transforms.

Watch for:

• Unit mismatch: SVGs without a viewBox or with viewBox in non-mm units may import at the wrong scale. See SVG came in wrong size.
• Text: fonts embedded by name. If you do not have the font, the text uses a fallback.
• Open paths: common in CAD-exported SVGs. Use Close Paths With Tolerance to close them if you intended a fill.
• Fills and strokes: color maps to a layer; stroke vs fill mapping depends on the layer's mode.

DXF

CAD interchange format. Widely used for laser work, especially for CNC-adjacent shops.

Watch for:

• Many DXF dialects exist; Beam Bench supports AutoCAD-compatible variants.
• DXF colors map to layer assignments by color index.
• Splines and ellipses are converted to Bezier approximations.

PDF

Imports the vector content of the PDF page (paths and text).

Watch for:

• PDFs that are scans (i.e. just an embedded raster) do not provide vector paths for Beam Bench to import. Export the page to PNG or JPG first, then import that image.
• Multi-page PDFs typically import the first page only.
• Text may come through as outlines (fonts converted to paths) depending on the PDF source.

AI (Adobe Illustrator)

Newer Illustrator files are PDF-compatible and import via the PDF path. Older AI-specific structures may not import cleanly.

EPS

Encapsulated PostScript. Treated similarly to PDF.

Raster formats

PNG, JPG / JPEG

The two common raster formats. Both import directly as image objects.

Other raster formats

GIF, BMP, WebP, TIFF, TGA are supported through the same import path.

Watch for:

• Color profile mismatches can change apparent brightness. The default raster mode (Grayscale) treats the image as grayscale regardless.
• Very large images can slow the canvas. Consider downsampling before import for engraving, you do not gain quality from resolution beyond your DPI / interval.

Where imports go

By default, imports land on the current active layer (or a new layer if the color does not match). The Settings, File & Import tab controls whether imports can target tool layers.

For images specifically, the import flow may offer raster-mode preview / adjustment before commit.

Related

• Settings, File & Import
• Adjust Image dialog: tone settings for raster
• Trace Image dialog: vectorize a raster
• Close Paths With Tolerance
• Import failed troubleshooting
• SVG came in wrong size troubleshooting
• Supported exports