Laser Control

Connect, frame, start, pause, stop, save GCode, and configure how the job starts.

Laser Control is the job-running surface. It manages the connection, frames and starts jobs, saves generated G-code, and exposes the per-project placement settings that decide where a job starts.

Machine positioning lives in the Move panel: home, unlock, jog, Go, saved positions, user origin, finish position, and manual Fire.

Opening it

Default dock zone: lower-right
Visible by default: yes
Hotkey: no default

What you see

The panel rearranges based on the connection and job state. Roughly top to bottom:

Connection bar

A color-coded gradient at the top showing the current session state:

Green, connected and idle (ready)
Yellow, connecting or paused
Red, alarm or error
Grey, disconnected

Below the bar, a status label gives the same information in text: Connected, Disconnected, Pause, Running, etc.

Job control buttons

Visible only when connected.

▶ Start: runs the current project.
▶ Resume: replaces Start when a job is paused.
⏸ Pause: pauses the running job. Disabled when no job is running.
■ Stop: cancels the running or paused job.

Frame

Visible only when connected, idle, and no active job.

Frame: walks the head around the bounding box of the job. Repeated names if armed: Frame: Laser On, then Confirm Frame. Confirmation times out after 3 seconds.
Box / Outline: toggle for framing shape. Box frames the axis-aligned bounding box; Outline frames the tighter outline path around the job.

Show Last Position + Optimization

Show Last Position: toggles a visual marker on the canvas showing the head's last known position. Can be pressed during a job.
Optimization...: opens the Optimization Settings modal (see below).

During a running or paused job, the red Stop button cancels the job and sends the machine stop/reset path through Beam Bench. It is a software stop, not a replacement for the physical emergency stop on your machine.

Job progress

When a job is running, a progress bar shows percent complete plus elapsed and estimated remaining time.

Override controls

During a running or paused job, sliders let you adjust power, speed, and rapid-rate overrides in real time without stopping.

Save GCode

When connected and a project is loaded, exports the current job as G-code to a file you choose instead of sending it to the machine.

Devices row

Machine profile: choose the active profile while disconnected. Disconnect before switching profiles.
Manage Machine Profiles...: opens the Device Settings dialog.

Start From + Job Origin

These determine where on the machine the job ends up.

Start From (dropdown): Absolute Coords, Current Position, or User Origin.
A status line below the dropdown explains what the current mode does (e.g. "Job Origin anchors output relative to the current head position").
Job Origin grid (3×3 buttons: TL/TC/TR/CL/C/CR/BL/BC/BR), pick the anchor point on the bounding box. Disabled when Absolute Coords is selected.

See Job origin vs workspace origin for what each mode means.

Opened via Optimization.... Movable, resizable.

Enable: master toggle for path optimization.
Order by: group cuts before reordering: Layer, Group, Priority.
Within each:
- Cut inner shapes first
- Direction: None / Top → Down / Bottom → Up / Left → Right / Right → Left
- Choose best starting point
- Choose corners if possible (depends on best-starting-point)
- Choose best direction
Travel:
- Reduce travel moves
- Hide backlash
- Reduce direction changes
Cleanup:
- Remove overlapping lines + Tolerance (mm)
Output:
- Custom start point + X / Y
- Finish position: Return to origin / Don't move / Custom X,Y

Settings save with the project.

Frame the job. Adjust if it does not land where you expect.
Start. Watch the head. Pause or Stop if anything looks wrong.

Configure job placement

Pick Start From (Absolute Coords / Current Position / User Origin).
For non-Absolute modes, pick a Job Origin corner.
Frame to verify.

Recover from an alarm

If GRBL goes into alarm (limit switch hit, reset during motion, etc.), use Move → Unlock after addressing the underlying cause. Then home before running anything.

Behavior worth knowing

The connection bar gradient updates from the live machine session state. Use it for at-a-glance status.
The Frame button has a two-stage confirmation when laser-on framing is requested (Shift-hold or machine profile setting). Visual highlight goes red when armed.
The Start button is disabled while preview is regenerating, wait a moment after edits.
Settings under Optimization persist per project, not per machine.

Move: home, unlock, jog, set origin, save positions
Console: raw G-code
Material Library: drop saved settings onto layers
Device Settings dialog: machine profile editor
Preview dialog: simulate the job before starting
Job origin vs workspace origin