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.

Snap to grid

Click the Grid button in the toolbar to toggle snap-to-grid. When enabled, shapes snap to the grid when drawing and when dragging existing shapes, making it easy to align elements precisely.

Duplicate with offset

Set X and Y offset values in the toolbar's duplicate offset fields (next to the grid button). Select a shape and press Cmd+D to duplicate it, shifted by the specified offset. Press Cmd+D repeatedly to create evenly spaced copies; each new duplicate shifts by the same amount, making it easy to build grids, rows, or stepped patterns.

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. Text data sources

Text shapes can display dynamic content: clocks, countdowns, cycling lists, or text pushed from external systems like Home Assistant.

Setting a data source

1. Add a Text shape to the canvas (T key).
2. In the Properties panel, find the Data Source dropdown.
3. Select a source type. The text updates live on the laser output.

Source types

Tips

• All text effects (scroll, typewriter, wave, bounce, sparkle) work with every data source.
• The canvas shows a placeholder like {List} or {API} so you can still position the shape.
• List and Counter sources support a configurable cycling interval in seconds.

API integration (Home Assistant, etc.)

The API data source lets external systems push text to a laser shape via a simple REST call. This is useful for Home Assistant automations, show control systems, or any HTTP-capable tool.

Setup

1. Add a Text shape and set its Data Source to API (external).
2. Copy the Shape ID shown in the properties panel (click to copy).
3. Save the workspace.

Endpoint

POST /api/Text/Update

{"shapeId": "<your-shape-id>", "text": "Hello World"}

Use GET /api/Text/ListApiShapes to discover all API-driven text shapes and their IDs.

Home Assistant example

Add to configuration.yaml:

rest_command:
  laser_text:
    url: "http://<cloudlase-ip>:5001/api/Text/Update"
    method: POST
    content_type: application/json
    payload: '{"shapeId":"<shape-id>","text":""}'

Then use in any automation:

- service: rest_command.laser_text
  data:
    text: "Now Playing: "

The Shape ID is stable across saves and restarts; you can hardcode it in your configuration. Text can be pushed at any time, even before playback starts.

5. 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

6. 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.

Auto show generation

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

7. Keyframe animation

Animate effect parameters over time with precision keyframes. Choreograph movements, ramps, and transitions synced to specific moments.

Adding keyframes

1. Select a shape and add one or more effects (e.g. Rotation, Zoom).
2. Set the effect sliders to your desired starting values.
3. Click or drag the time scrubber (the dark bar in the timeline) to position the playhead at the start time (e.g. 0s).
4. Click the KF button; keyframes are stamped for all effect parameters at the current time.
5. Scrub to a different time (e.g. 1.5s), adjust the sliders, and click KF again.
6. Press Play; parameters interpolate smoothly between your keyframes.

Viewing & navigating

• Coloured diamond markers appear on the timebar for each keyframe, colour-coded per shape.
• Hover a diamond to see the exact time, shape name, effect, and parameter values.
• Use the < > arrows next to KF to jump between keyframes.
• Effect sliders show the interpolated value at the current scrubbed time.

Editing & removing

• Scrub to a keyframe and drag a slider; the keyframe value updates in place.
• Click KF when at an existing keyframe to remove it (toggle behaviour).
• Click Clear to remove all keyframes from the selected shape.

Multiple shapes

Each shape's keyframes are independent. Select a shape, set up its keyframes, then select the next shape and repeat. All shapes' keyframes are visible on the timebar simultaneously in different colours.

8. 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 64 slots (8×8 grid).
4. Start a device, then press a key (Q to M, slots 1 to 26), use a MIDI grid controller (all 64), or click a slot to trigger.

Triggering

9. 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).

10. Spectra

Put music on, pick a vibe, watch your laser dance. A music-reactive abstract visualiser for relaxed listening sessions and ambient laser art.

How to use

1. Switch to Spectra mode via the header tab.
2. Drag an audio file onto the panel, or pick one from disk.
3. Choose a preset from the library; each loads a different mode and palette.
4. Hit Play. The laser starts reacting to the audio in real-time.
5. Tweak any setting live; changes apply immediately.

Visual modes

A growing library of modes including Spectrum Bars (classic FFT bars), Radial Burst (vertices driven by sub-bands), Waveform (oscilloscope trace), Lissajous (XY phase curves), Concentric Rings (pulsing rings), Time Warp (polygon tunnel), Liquid Loop (band-driven closed loop), and 6-Point Star (radial rays). New modes ship with regular updates.

Controls

Sensitivity: pre-envelope gain on the audio signal. Increase if the visual looks flat; decrease if it clips. Smoothing: temporal smoothing on the spectrum (0 = snappy, 0.95 = molasses). Gamma: non-linear curve on the response. Beat Reactive: sync size pulses to the detected beat. Detail: bar/vertex count (3 to 32). Variation: mode-specific tweaks (waveform shape, lissajous ratio, etc.). Scale and Rotation: geometry transform applied after generation. Mirror: symmetry around the X axis (Spectrum Bars only).

Colour

Five colour modes: Spectrum (rainbow across frequency), Gradient (palette stretched along geometry), Palette Cycle (cycles through palette over time), Beat Pulse (steps palette on each beat), Rainbow Sweep (rotates a rainbow gradient). The palette holds up to 8 colours; click a swatch to change it, the + button to add, hover and click × to remove.

On the timeline

Spectra presets work as timeline clips too. Drag any preset from the Spectra library onto a timeline track to schedule a visualiser segment in your show. Hover the clip and click Edit to tune that clip's own settings; changes don't affect the live-device preset or other clips.

Tips

• Smoothing 0.5 to 0.7 looks great for ambient music. Drop to 0.2 for percussive tracks.
• Gradient + Palette Cycle is the chill-out combo: slow rotation, mellow colours, you barely have to touch it.
• Concentric Rings or Lissajous on a fog-filled room is the laser-lounge classic.

11. 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 to 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 to 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.

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.

Calibration wizard

A guided 10-step process that walks you through tuning every critical blanking and timing parameter. The wizard projects a specific test pattern for each step and shows reference images of correct vs incorrect output so you know exactly what to look for.

Starting the wizard

1. Open Projector Settings for your device (gear icon on the device card).
2. Scroll to the Test Pattern section at the bottom and click Calibration Wizard.
3. A safety warning appears; confirm you have proper safety measures in place.
4. Click Start Laser & Begin Calibration to begin.

The 10 calibration steps

Each step shows a test pattern on the projector. Adjust the slider while watching the output, comparing it against the good/bad reference images shown on screen.

Tips

• Changes apply in real-time; adjust the slider and watch the projector update instantly.
• You can jump between steps using the progress bar at the top.
• Click Save at any point to persist your settings.
• The laser stops automatically when you close the wizard.
• Start with Step 1 (Point Rate) since it affects all subsequent steps.

12. 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

13. File formats

Import and export industry-standard formats.

Import

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

Export

14. 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

15. Virtual DACs

Software-emulated laser DACs that appear on the network as real hardware. Any EtherDream or IDN compatible software can discover and stream to them. Received output is previewed live and can be recorded to ILDA files.

What are virtual DACs?

Virtual DACs are software servers that speak the same network protocols as real laser hardware. When you enable a virtual DAC, it broadcasts on the network just like a physical EtherDream or IDN device. Any laser software on the network that supports EtherDream or IDN will discover it and can stream laser data to it.

This is useful for:

• Testing without hardware: design and preview shows without a physical DAC connected.
• Recording to ILDA: capture real-time laser output from any software as standard .ild files.
• Cross-software preview: see what another laser application is outputting, live in CloudLase's preview window.
• Multi-machine workflows: run the virtual DAC on one machine and stream to it from another on the same network.

Enabling a virtual DAC

1. Open Settings (gear icon in the toolbar).
2. Go to the Devices tab.
3. Toggle Virtual EtherDream DAC or Virtual IDN DAC on.
4. The virtual DAC starts broadcasting immediately. It appears in the device list as a regular device (e.g. "Ether Dream EFxxyy").
5. Connect to it like any other device; click to accept, then press Play to stream.

Available protocols

Recording output

1. Enable a virtual DAC and start streaming to it (from CloudLase or any other software).
2. In the bottom-right preview window, a Rec button appears when a virtual DAC is active.
3. Click Rec to start capturing. The button pulses red while recording.
4. Click Stop to finish. The recording is saved as an ILDA file.
5. Access recordings in Settings > Devices > Virtual DAC Recordings; download or delete from there.

Live preview

When any software streams to a virtual DAC, the output automatically appears in CloudLase's preview window (bottom-right of the editor). This works even when a third-party application is driving the virtual DAC; you can use CloudLase as a live monitor for other laser software.

Device identity

Each virtual DAC gets a unique identity based on your machine name, so multiple users running virtual DACs on the same network won't collide. The EtherDream virtual DAC names start with "Ether Dream EF" to distinguish them from real hardware.

16. 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.

17. Keyboard shortcuts

Editor

Performance mode