Free Holiday Laser Files: Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah
BeamTracer has three holiday packs of animated laser files: Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah. Each pack has two free files you can download once you confirm your email for Product updates, and every file in all three packs plays free in your browser first. Each one is a standard ILDA Format 5 file for your laser software or projector.
The free Menorah Lights file in the ILDA Viewer, with Cinema — Premium fog beams and the Orbit Mode camera. The beams are a software simulation of a projector in haze.
Which holiday laser files are free?
Two files in each holiday pack are free. They sit at the top of the pack's page, under Free Thanksgiving files, Free Christmas files or Free Hanukkah files.
| Holiday | Free files | Colors | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving | Turkey Line Art, Grateful | Red, orange and gold | 20K scanners and up |
| Christmas | Spiral Tree, Ho Ho Ho | Red, green and gold | 20K scanners and up |
| Hanukkah | Menorah Lights, Happy Hanukkah | Blue, white and gold | Menorah Lights 30K, Happy Hanukkah 20K |
The rest of each pack plays free and downloads with Pro (Laser), Bundle or Studio; Laser Show Files shows everything those plans include. The Thanksgiving and Christmas guides walk through those packs file by file, including the dancing Santa.
How do I download a free holiday laser file?
Open the pack, pick a free file and confirm your email. You can watch every file without an account.
- Open the Hanukkah pack, or the Thanksgiving or Christmas pack, and find the two files under Free Hanukkah files.
- Watch Menorah Lights draw itself on in its preview.
- If you are signed out, enter your email and click EMAIL ME THIS FILE, then confirm from the email to download the file. You can sign in instead.
- Click SUBSCRIBE AND DOWNLOAD FREE to subscribe your account email to Product updates and save
menorah-lighting-hanukkah.ild, an ILDA Format 5 file. If you already get Product updates, the button reads DOWNLOAD .ILD. - Load the file into your laser software, or copy it to your projector's SD card.
Product updates is the email that announces new laser files. One confirmation unlocks all six free files.
What is in the Hanukkah laser pack?
The Hanukkah files are drawn in blue, white and gold. Many draw themselves on in one line, and each one loops without a jump, so you can repeat it as a cue.
| Group | Files |
|---|---|
| Menorahs and candles | Menorah Lights (free), Eight Nights, Menorah Glow, Hanukkah Candle, Oil Cruse |
| Dreidels and stars | Dreidel Spin, Dreidel Line Art, Dreidel Bounce, Star of David, Star of David Line Art, Star of David Pulse, Falling Stars |
| Gelt and food | Gelt Coins, Gelt Drop, Sufganiyah, Latkes |
| Lettering | Happy Hanukkah (free), Happy Hanukkah Stars, Chag Sameach, Festival of Lights, Hanukkah Sameach, Shalom, Miracles, Peace, Light |
In Menorah Lights the shamash lights first, then the eight candles light one by one. Eight Nights lights one more candle on every beat of a 120 BPM track, and Dreidel Bounce, Star of David Pulse and Gelt Drop also move on the beat. In ILDA Files, set TIMING to ON THE BEAT to list every beat cue.
Eight Nights is a premium cue with a free preview. One more candle lights on every beat.
The lettering writes each word on in script, like the free Happy Hanukkah:
The free Happy Hanukkah file in the 2D ILDA Viewer.
Will the holiday files play on my laser?
Every holiday file is ILDA Format 5 (2D true color) at 20 frames per second, and each file's page names the smallest scanner that draws it cleanly. Five of the six free files fit 20K scanners (20,000 points per second) and up; Menorah Lights needs 30K.
In the Hanukkah pack, most files fit 20K. Happy Hanukkah Stars and Gelt Drop need 25K, and Menorah Lights, Eight Nights and Menorah Glow need 30K. The Hanukkah loops run 2 to 8 seconds. The Thanksgiving and Christmas guides list the files in those packs that need a faster scanner.
Set your laser software to play the files at 20 FPS. An ILDA file does not store a frame rate, so another player may run it faster, and played faster it needs a faster scanner than the page says. The files open in any laser software that reads ILDA files; the laser software table lists Pangolin QuickShow and Beyond, LaserCube LaserOS, Laserworld Showeditor and Showcontroller, MadMapper MadLaser and more.
Can I check a holiday file in 3D before the show?
Yes. Click OPEN IN ILDA VIEWER on any file's page, click 3D, then set SCENE → BEAM MODE to Cinema — Premium fog and choose Orbit Mode for a camera that circles the room, as in the clip at the top. Open FILE HEALTH in the left panel to read the frame count and the scan rate the busiest frame needs.
Any plan can preview Cinema; below Studio the view carries a preview watermark. See pricing for current access. The 3D view shows how a drawing reads as beams in haze. It does not tell you a room is safe: keep beams above the audience and follow the laser show safety guide before you work with hardware.
How do I put holiday laser files on a projector's SD card?
Use the library's SD CARD ZIP. Open ILDA Files, click a holiday pack under PACK, choose FORMAT 5 for most current projectors or FORMAT 0 for older SD-card projectors, then click the ZIP button and copy the files to the root folder of the card. With a free account, set PLAN to FREE first; the ZIP button then subscribes you to Product updates and zips the pack's free files. LIST.TXT in the ZIP lists which short name is which animation; the ILDA Files guide covers the options.
Can I make my own holiday laser animation?
Yes. If you have your own artwork, such as a family name under a menorah or a logo for a holiday party, convert it yourself. The Halloween laser guide shows the workflow with free SVG and Lottie art: import the drawing, check the scan, and export ILDA. The SVG to ILDA guide covers static drawings, and where to get free ILD laser files covers free files beyond the holidays.
Watch the menorah light, then download it free with a Product updates subscription.
Try Menorah Lights in ILDA Viewer