# Lumen

> Native macOS app for controlling GRBL-based laser engravers over USB or WiFi — built with SwiftUI. Includes a built-in shape and text editor, so simple jobs don't need Inkscape or Illustrator, and an MCP server so Claude and other AI assistants can design a job in plain language.

Lumen is the only native macOS laser engraver controller. It connects to any GRBL-based laser engraver over USB or WiFi (GRBL-over-TCP, for network-capable ESP32/ESP3D controllers) and provides image engraving, SVG vector cutting, a built-in vector editor for shapes and text, and full machine control from a single app. A guided Simple mode and a full Advanced mode let both first-timers and power users work at the depth they want. Lumen also exposes a local MCP (Model Context Protocol) server, so an AI assistant such as Claude can read the project and build a design on the canvas — strictly design-only: the AI never moves the head or fires the laser.

## Key Details

- Price: €14.99 one-time purchase (no subscription)
- Author: Dimitri Giani
- Requires: macOS 15 Sequoia or later
- Universal binary: Apple Silicon and Intel
- License: via LemonSqueezy, up to 3 devices

## Features

- Claude & AI integration via MCP (Model Context Protocol): a local, loopback-only server (off by default, licensed feature) that lets Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or any MCP client read the machine + project state and build a design in plain language — add shapes/text, import an image or SVG, set material presets, duplicate/align/distribute/array, center and fit to the work area, screenshot the work area, and validate the design. Scope is strictly read + design-prep: no tool moves the head, homes, sets origin, frames, starts a job, or fires the laser
- Built-in shape and text editor: 5 drawing tools (Select, Rectangle, Ellipse, Line/Polyline, Text) drawn directly on the canvas, with anchor-locked resize handles, free rotation, and Shift to constrain to square/circle or aspect-locked resize
- Multi-line text engraving: pick any font installed on the Mac, with separate Width (Condensed / Compressed / Normal / Expanded) and Style (Regular / Bold / Italic / Bold Italic) variant pickers; font size in millimeters via TextField + stepper; alignment left / center / right
- Per-item Fill and Stroke intensity (0–100 %) on the engrave layer, mapped directly to laser power as a multiplier of the layer's configured power
- Color-coded layers on canvas: blue for engrave (matches the rasterized toolpath), red for cut (matches the imported SVG); blue alpha tracks intensity at a glance
- Multi-item dual layer system: each layer (engrave + cut) holds any number of shapes, text, images, and SVGs; Photoshop / Figma-style two-level layer panel with contextual + menu
- Image engraving with 7 dithering algorithms: Floyd-Steinberg, Atkinson, Burkes, Jarvis-Judice-Ninke, Sierra, Sierra Lite, Stucki — plus grayscale mapping and threshold modes; brightness/contrast adjustments with live preview
- SVG vector cutting: paths with Bézier curves, rectangles, circles, ellipses, lines, polylines, polygons, nested transformations, M3 constant power, configurable speed/power/passes (1–20)
- Precise position, size, rotation: numeric X / Y / W / H / angle fields in mm and degrees for layers and individual items; engrave image rotation is baked into the G-code, not just visual
- Editable project files: native v2 .gcode format embeds every shape, text, style, and rotation as JSON — reopen and find every item still editable, no flattening; remains compatible with generic G-code senders
- 18 material presets (paper, cardboard, plywood, solid wood, bamboo, aluminum foil, cork, leather, silica gel, felt, tin sheet, acrylic, ABS/plastic, marking spray on metal; cutting presets for paper, plywood 3 mm, balsa 2 mm) plus user-defined custom presets
- 14 machine presets (SCULPFUN, Ortur, Atomstack, TwoTrees, NEJE) plus custom machines
- Power/speed test grid generator for material calibration (2–10 steps per axis, configurable cell size and resolution)
- Real-time overrides: ±1 % / ±10 % / reset on feed rate and laser power during a running job
- USB or WiFi connection: same GRBL command stream over either transport; WiFi (raw TCP socket, GRBL-over-TCP) targets ESP32/ESP3D-class controllers such as the Algolaser Pixie — enter the machine IP and port to connect
- Two sidebar layouts: a guided Simple mode (five numbered steps — machine & material, design & cut, position, frame, engrave, with per-step done/current/todo state) and a full Advanced mode (collapsible cockpit sections); same engine, switchable any time, choice remembered
- GRBL streaming with character-counting and 127-byte buffer tracking; optional Reliable mode sends one line at a time and safely recovers a dropped acknowledgement (for long jobs that stall on no-flow-control USB-CDC links), switchable mid-job; a non-destructive stall warning surfaces a muted/hung job without draining the buffer
- Resume engraving from any G-code line after a stop
- Full GRBL serial console with color-coded entries, command history, and log export
- Laser pointer (S10) for alignment; Frame command traces the job boundary, with the pointer active uses G1 S10 for visible outline
- Flexible work origin: Machine Home (with end-stop limits) or Custom Origin, which is fully WYSIWYG — the canvas crosshair is the zero point and artwork engraves exactly where it's placed (no anchor/alignment concept); Set Zero Here saves the machine position for reliable return after stop, and the custom origin is saved in the project and auto-restored on reopen
- Safety: 5-second cancellable countdown before each job, automatic laser-off, work-area clamping, overscan clamping, jog limits, GRBL alarm decoding

## Compatible Devices

Works with any GRBL-based laser engraver connected via USB, including:

- Sculpfun: S30, S10, S9, S6, C1 Mini
- Ortur: Laser Master 3, LM2 Pro S2, LM2
- Atomstack: A20 Pro, X20 Pro, S10 Pro, A5 Pro
- TwoTrees: TS2, TTS-55
- NEJE: 3 Max, 3 Pro, Master 2S Plus
- Any custom GRBL machine

WiFi-capable GRBL controllers (ESP32 / ESP3D-class, e.g. Algolaser Pixie) can also connect over the network via GRBL-over-TCP — no USB cable required.

## Comparison

- vs LightBurn (one-time license, $99+ for the Core tier, with paid renewals for continued updates): Lumen is a much cheaper one-time purchase with free updates for life
- vs LaserGRBL (free): LaserGRBL is Windows only; Lumen is the macOS native equivalent
- vs LaserWeb (free): LaserWeb is unmaintained; Lumen is actively developed

## Pages

- [Homepage](https://lumen.dimix.it/): Overview of Lumen, features, and purchase link
- [Features](https://lumen.dimix.it/features): Deep dive into every feature — shape and text editor, dithering, dual layers, work origin, safety, and more
- [Downloads](https://lumen.dimix.it/downloads): Download page with all releases
- [Support](https://lumen.dimix.it/support): Contact and support info (dimix@dimix.it)
- [FAQ](https://lumen.dimix.it/faq): Frequently asked questions — troubleshooting and setup help
- [Mac Doesn't Detect Laser Engraver](https://lumen.dimix.it/faq/laser-engraver-not-detected-mac): Fix for engravers not showing up in the device list on macOS — USB-C detection quirks (e.g. Creality Falcon 10W), charge-only cables, powered hubs, CH340/CP210x serial drivers
- [Can't Connect Over WiFi](https://lumen.dimix.it/faq/wifi-laser-not-connecting-mac): Troubleshooting WiFi (GRBL-over-TCP) connections — controller support (ESP32/ESP3D only), same network, IP and port (typically 23), macOS Local Network permission
- [License Won't Activate](https://lumen.dimix.it/faq/license-activation-issues): License activation troubleshooting — internet required, full key with dashes, 3-Mac limit, moving to a new Mac, 30-day offline grace, lost keys, refunds
- [Guides](https://lumen.dimix.it/guides): Article index with tutorials and comparisons
- [Laser Engraver Software for Mac](https://lumen.dimix.it/guides/laser-engraver-software-for-mac): Comparison of laser engraver software for Mac
- [LaserGRBL Alternative for Mac](https://lumen.dimix.it/guides/lasergrbl-alternative-for-mac): LaserGRBL alternatives for macOS
- [Sculpfun Software & Drivers for Mac](https://lumen.dimix.it/guides/sculpfun-mac-setup): Sculpfun software and driver setup on macOS — C1 Mini, S30, S10, S9, S6
- [WiFi Laser Engraver on Mac](https://lumen.dimix.it/guides/wifi-laser-engraver-mac): How to connect a GRBL laser engraver over WiFi on Mac (Algolaser Pixie / ESP32, GRBL-over-TCP)
- [Laser Engraving with AI (Claude & MCP)](https://lumen.dimix.it/guides/laser-engraving-with-ai-claude): How to design laser jobs with an AI assistant via MCP — set up Claude Desktop/Code with Lumen, what the AI can and can't do (design-only, never drives the machine)
- [What You Can Do with Claude in Lumen](https://lumen.dimix.it/guides/laser-design-ideas-with-claude): Practical MCP workflows and ideas once Claude is connected — compose shapes and text, engrave a photo from the clipboard, lay out batch grids, apply material presets, screenshot and validate the design
- [Laser Engraving Settings Chart](https://lumen.dimix.it/guides/laser-engraving-settings-guide): Power, speed and resolution charts by material (wood, leather, paper, acrylic, anodized aluminium, slate), starting values for 3W/5W/10W diode lasers, M3 vs M4 and multi-pass cutting, and how to run a test grid
- [Dithering Algorithms for Laser Engraving](https://lumen.dimix.it/guides/dithering-algorithms-laser-engraving): Visual comparison of 7 dithering algorithms
- [LightBurn Alternative](https://lumen.dimix.it/guides/lightburn-alternative): Affordable LightBurn alternatives
- [Terms & Conditions](https://lumen.dimix.it/terms): Terms and conditions
- [Privacy Policy](https://lumen.dimix.it/privacy): Privacy policy