Use xTool designs in LightBurn, and LightBurn designs in xTool
You bought a laser design and it came as an .xcs file, but you run LightBurn. Or you made
something in LightBurn and want to open it in xTool Creative Space. LightBurn cannot read .xcs,
and an SVG export loses what makes a laser file useful: which lines are cut, which are scored,
which areas are engraved, and at what power and speed.
This converter reads the project file itself and rebuilds it for the other program, layer by layer, at true size.
What you get
| You upload | You get |
|---|---|
xTool Creative Space .xcs (versions 1.0 – 2.7) or xTool Studio .xcs / .xs | a LightBurn project (.lbrn2) and a layered SVG |
LightBurn .lbrn2 or older .lbrn | an xTool Creative Space project (.xcs) and a layered SVG |
| SVG from Inkscape, Illustrator or a design shop | an .xcs project and a LightBurn project |
Choose a single format under Convert to if you only need one.
- Layers keep their job. Every xTool processing setting becomes a LightBurn layer and the other way round: cut and score lines, fill engraving, image engraving.
- Settings travel with them: power (%), speed (mm/s), passes, line interval / DPI, kerf and image dithering, where the original file stores them. Layers that were switched off or hidden stay in the file, switched off.
- Shapes stay editable: curves stay curves, rectangles and ellipses stay rectangles and ellipses in LightBurn, grouped objects stay grouped, rotations and mirroring are kept.
- Text arrives as outlines (xTool and LightBurn both store the letter shapes), so it looks right even without the font installed.
- Engraving images are embedded in the converted file.
The preview shows the drawing, a table of all layers with their settings, and the size of the design, so you can check the conversion before downloading.
Open the result in LightBurn
- Download the
.lbrn2file and open it with File → Open in LightBurn (1.0 or newer). - LightBurn shows a short note about the conversion; the layers appear in the Cuts / Layers window with their names from the original file.
- Check each layer's power and speed for your laser and material, then frame and run a test on scrap.
Open the result in xTool Creative Space or xTool Studio
- Under More options, pick your xTool machine before converting (when the original is an xTool file, its machine is kept).
- Open the
.xcsfile with File → Open. Each LightBurn layer is a separate colour with its processing type (cut, score, fill engrave, bitmap engrave) and settings already filled in. - Select your material or confirm the parameters, then use Framing before you start.
Open the SVG in Inkscape, Illustrator or other software
The SVG is in millimetres at true size, with one layer per laser operation (named after the layer and its settings). A legend below the drawing lists every layer's settings; it sits on its own layer called "Legend (delete before cutting)". Delete it before cutting, or untick Add a legend to the SVG under More options.
Power and speed: read this before cutting
Settings are copied exactly as they are in the original file. A value that cuts 3 mm plywood on a 40 W diode will burn through on a CO₂ laser, and may not mark at all on a 5 W module. Always test on scrap material first. Layers without saved settings are marked "—" in the preview and get the program's defaults.
Limitations
- Some xTool processes have no LightBurn equivalent: colour engraving, intaglio, relief, blade and pen tools become plain engrave, cut or score layers (you are told when this happens).
- Text that was saved without letter outlines (rare) stays editable text and needs the font; it
cannot be written into an
.xcsfile, so convert it to paths first. - LightBurn "Fill + Line" layers become fill layers, "Offset Fill" becomes a normal fill, and QR codes or barcodes are not converted.
- Projects with several xTool canvases are placed side by side in the LightBurn and SVG files.
- SVG clipping masks, gradients and linked (not embedded) images are not converted.
Design licences
Converting a file does not change its licence. If you bought a design, the shop's terms still decide what you may make and sell with it.
Privacy
Your file is only used for the conversion. The upload is deleted as soon as the conversion finishes, and the converted files are deleted automatically after 30 minutes, or immediately when you click "Delete now". The file is never sent to xTool, LightBurn or anyone else.
xTool, xTool Creative Space and xTool Studio are trademarks of xTool; LightBurn is a trademark of LightBurn Software. This converter is independent and not affiliated with either company.