Image Mode

Image Mode lets you load files and display them on your laser. Modulaser supports vector formats (ILDA, SVG, OBJ) as well as raster images (PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP, WebP).

Vector files go straight to the output pipeline since they already contain points and paths. Raster images are vectorized automatically. In the node graph, the File node provides the same file loading capabilities with full patching control.

Importing Files

Click Browse in the File input panel to open a file picker, or use the folder icon next to it to load a folder of SVG or OBJ files as an animated sequence.

You can also import any file by dragging them into Modulaser. They're added to your clip library and ready to load.

ILDA Files

ILDA is the standard file format for laser content. Almost all laser show software can export it, so you can build content in another tool and bring it into Modulaser.

ILDA files contain one or more frames, each with a sequence of points that include coordinates, colors, and blanking markers. Files can use indexed color (palette-based) or true color (direct RGB per point). Modulaser handles both.

Use Color Override to replace the file's native colors with a single color that matches your show's palette.

Playback

ILDA files with multiple frames play back as an animation. The Speed knob controls frame advancement: 1.0 is normal, higher values run faster, and negative values play in reverse. Use the frame scrubber to jump to any frame.

Five playback modes are available:

Mode	Behavior
Loop	Wrap around at boundaries (default)
Bounce	Reverse direction at boundaries
Random	Jump to pseudo-random frames
1+Clear	Play through once, then output an empty frame
1+Hold	Play through once, then hold the final frame

SVG Files

Modulaser converts SVG paths to laser points. If you have a vector file in another format, convert it to SVG first. In Adobe Illustrator, go to File > Save As and select SVG.

Modulaser's SVG parser supports "micro-SVG": basic paths, shapes, and transforms. JavaScript is not supported, and CSS support is limited. If your file uses a font, convert it to outlines first. In Illustrator, select your text and go to Type > Create Outlines.

Illustrator to outlines

Points and Sharpness

The Points knob controls how many laser points are used to draw the image. Points are distributed across all subpaths proportionally to their lengths. Fewer points means less flicker but rougher curves. More points means smoother curves but the laser has more to draw per frame. Finding the right balance depends on your scanner speed and the complexity of the image.

The Sharpness knob adjusts how long the laser dwells between disconnected parts of the image. Higher values produce a more precise image on the projector, but can increase flicker if the total point budget is tight.

Modulaser automatically reorders subpaths to minimize blanked travel, the invisible jumps between disconnected shapes. Near-black colors in the SVG are converted to white, since a black point on a laser is simply invisible.

SVG Sequences

To animate with SVGs, place multiple .svg files in a folder and load the folder using the folder browse button. Files are sorted naturally, so frame1.svg, frame2.svg, frame10.svg sort correctly. SVG sequences share the same playback controls and modes as ILDA files.

Raster Images

If you load a raster image (PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP, or WebP), Modulaser vectorizes it automatically using edge detection. Several controls shape the result:

Aspect: stretch to fill, or contain within the frame.
Threshold: edge detection sensitivity (0–255).
Gamma: optional gamma correction before edge detection (0.2–3.0, off by default).
Smooth: smoothing iterations to reduce noise in the detected paths (0–10).
Order paths: reorder detected paths to minimize blanked travel between shapes.

Raster images need more tuning than vector files to get a clean result. Start with Threshold and work from there.

OBJ Files

Modulaser can display 3D models from OBJ files as wireframe laser output. Edges are extracted from the mesh and projected to 2D.

An imported OBJ cube rendered as a wireframe laser frame, with oscillator modulators driving rotation — A cube imported as OBJ, rendered as wireframe with oscillators driving its rotation.

Four edge types are detected automatically:

Silhouette: edges where a front-facing and back-facing triangle meet. These define the object's outline and update as the camera moves.
Crease: edges where adjacent faces differ by more than the Crease Angle threshold. Structural features like the edges of a cube.
Boundary: edges belonging to only one face (mesh borders).
Non-manifold: edges shared by three or more faces.

Enable Suggestive Contours for additional surface detail on curved objects. The SC Strength knob controls how prominent these lines are.

Two visibility modes control which edges are drawn:

Mode	Behavior
Backface	Skip edges whose adjacent faces all face away from the camera (default)
Hidden Line	Also remove edges occluded by front-facing triangles

Six knobs control the camera: Pan, Tilt, Roll (in degrees) and X, Y, Z translation. All support MIDI and OSC modulation.

OBJ sequences work the same way as SVG sequences. Load a folder of .obj files and they play as animation frames with the same playback controls.

Color Override

All file types support color override. When enabled, the file's native colors are replaced with a single color, useful for matching your show's palette or working with files that have no color information.

The Fade Ends knob fades the color at path endpoints for a softer look. In the node graph, the Colorize node provides the same color override with additional routing flexibility.