User Guide

1. Quick Start

Install CloudLase, create your first workspace, and see laser output in under five minutes.

Install & Launch

1. Download the installer for your platform from the download page.
2. Open CloudLase.app (macOS). It starts a local server and opens your browser to the editor.
3. No account or internet connection required — everything runs locally.

First Project

1. Click + New Workspace in the left sidebar and give it a name.
2. Select the Ellipse tool (E) and draw a circle on the canvas.
3. In the Devices panel, click Play on the Simulator to see your shape rendered in real-time.
4. Open the Effects panel on the right and add a Rotation effect — watch it spin live.

2. Editor Basics

The editor has 11 drawing tools, layer management, transforms, and full undo/redo.

Tools

Layers & Selection

• The Layers panel shows all shapes in the current frame, top to bottom.
• Drag layers to reorder. Later shapes render on top (higher z-order).
• Shift+Click to multi-select. Cmd+A to select all.

Transforms

• Toolbar buttons: Mirror X/Y, Rotate 90° CW/CCW, Scale Up (25%), Scale Down (20%).
• Toggle All Frames to apply transforms across every frame in the workspace.
• Edit exact values (X, Y, width, height, rotation) in the Properties panel.

Undo / Redo

Cmd+Z to undo, Cmd+Shift+Z to redo. Up to 50 history states.

3. Shape Reference

8 shape types and 66+ presets across 9 categories.

Shape Types

Pattern Types (11)

3D Wireframe Types (5)

Cube, Pyramid, Octahedron, Sphere, Cylinder. All support RotationX/Y/Z and Subdivisions (sphere/cylinder mesh density). Add RotateX, RotateY, or Tumble effects to animate.

Preset Library

Click the Shape Catalog button in the toolbar to browse 66+ presets across 9 categories: Shapes, Beam Show, Spectrum, 3D, Lissajous, Rose, Spirograph, Harmonograph, and Cycloid. Click a preset to add it to the canvas.

4. Effects Reference

16 real-time effects with 54 presets. Select a shape, open the Effects panel, and click to add.

Adding Effects

1. Select a shape on the canvas.
2. Open the Effects panel (right sidebar).
3. Click an effect from the catalog or browse presets by category.
4. Adjust parameters with sliders. Changes preview live in the simulator.
5. Stack multiple effects — they apply in order, top to bottom.

Effect Reference

5. Timeline & Audio

Build multi-frame animations, sync to audio, and generate shows from music.

Frames

• Each frame contains its own set of shapes and effects.
• + to add a frame, Cmd+D to duplicate, drag to reorder.
• Set Duration (seconds) per frame, or use Animation FPS for scan-rate content.
• Space to play/pause. Frames advance by duration or audio position.

Audio

1. Click the audio area in the timeline and import an MP3 or WAV file.
2. Beat detection runs automatically — BPM and beat markers appear on the waveform.
3. Toggle Synced mode so the audio playhead drives frame advancement.
4. Use Freerun mode if you want audio and frames to play independently.

AI Show Generation

With audio loaded, click the Generate Show sparkle button. CloudLase analyses the music and creates frames with shapes and effects synced to the beat structure.

6. Performance Mode

Trigger cues live from a keyboard, Art-Net console, or the on-screen grid.

Setup

1. Save frames or animations as cues: select a frame and click Save as Cue.
2. Switch to Performance Mode via the header toggle.
3. Create a Cue Page (top-right) and drag cues from the library into the 26 slots.
4. Start a device, then press a key (Q-M) or click a slot to trigger.

Triggering

7. Live Canvas

Freehand drawing streamed directly to the laser in real-time.

How to Use

1. Switch to Live Canvas mode via the header toggle.
2. Select a device and click Go Live.
3. Choose a brush type, size, and colour from the left bar.
4. Draw on the canvas — strokes stream to the laser instantly.

Brush Types

Pen (standard), Marker (thick), Glow (3-line parallel with falloff), Dotted (spaced points), Rainbow (spectrum colour), Text (type and project text).

8. Projector Setup

Calibrate geometry, colour, blanking, and scanner behaviour per device.

Opening Settings

Click the gear icon next to a device name in the Devices panel. The settings modal opens with 5 tabs.

Geometry

Scale X/Y, Offset X/Y, Rotation X/Y/Z, Mirror X/Y, Swap XY. Use these to align the projection to your surface.

Colour

Master Brightness (0-100%), per-channel Colour Shift (R/G/B), and Invert Colours toggle.

Blanking & Output

Start/End Blank Count, Blank Shift (timing), Blank Interpolation Distance, Corner Dwell, Start/End Anchors, Lit Interpolation Distance, Min Points Per Frame.

Point Rate & Optimization

Point Rate (1k-60k pps) with quick presets. Enable Optimize Path Order and Optimize Entry Points for automatic blanking reduction.

Hidden Line Removal

Set Occlusion Mode to Even-Odd, Winding, or Outer Hull to clip background shapes where foreground shapes overlap. Off by default.

Scanner Optimizer

Enable Advanced Scanner Optimizer for physics-based galvo modelling. Choose a preset (20kpps, 30kpps, 60kpps, CT6215, CT6800) or set custom Frequency, Damping, and Max Acceleration. Optional Pre-Distortion and XY Delay compensation.

Scan Safety

Scan Safety Min Size rejects shapes smaller than 600 DAC units to prevent hot-dot burns. Scan Zone blanks points outside the configured boundary.

Profiles

Save the current configuration as a named profile. Load profiles to instantly recall venue-specific calibrations.

9. Art-Net / DMX

Control CloudLase from any lighting console over Ethernet.

Setup

Open Settings > ArtNet. Enable Art-Net, set the Universe and Start Address, and select the target device. CloudLase listens on UDP port 6454.

Channel Map

10. File Formats

Import and export industry-standard formats.

Import

Drag-and-drop files onto the workspace panel or use the file picker.

Export

11. Devices & Simulator

Connect laser DACs or use the built-in simulator.

Connecting Hardware

1. Connect your EtherDream or IDN DAC to the same network as your computer.
2. CloudLase discovers devices automatically — they appear in the Devices panel.
3. Click Play to start streaming. Click the gear icon to configure per-projector settings.

Simulator

The built-in simulator is always available — no hardware needed. It renders your output at ~30fps with point count and FPS display.

Simulator View Modes

12. Collaboration

Multiple users can edit the same workspace simultaneously.

Open the same CloudLase URL from another browser or device on your network. Shape changes (add, update, delete) sync in real-time via WebSocket. Each user sees the other's edits appear live on the canvas.

13. Keyboard Shortcuts

Editor

Performance Mode