How Do I Put Laser Show Files on a Projector's SD Card?

To put laser show files on a projector's SD card, open BeamTracer's ILDA Files library, filter to the files you want, and use SD CARD at the end of the FILTERS panel. Pick FORMAT 5 or FORMAT 0, download the ZIP, unzip it, and copy every .ILD file and LIST.TXT to the card's root folder.

The free Christmas files, with PACK set to Christmas and PLAN to FREE. SD CARD zips exactly the files the filters show.

How do I download ILDA files as one SD-card ZIP?

The SD CARD section zips every file the library is showing, so set the filters first. Choose a PACK such as Christmas, or a CATEGORY, and set PLAN to FREE if you want only the free files. The button names how many files the ZIP will hold.

Free files need a confirmed email with Product updates. Signed out, with only free files showing, SD CARD shows an EMAIL ME form; the link in that email confirms the address, and that browser can then download the free files. Premium files need Pro (Laser), Bundle or Studio. With a free account, set PLAN to FREE to zip only the free files.

Should I choose Format 5 or Format 0?

Choose FORMAT 5 unless your projector's manual says it needs Format 0. Format 5 is true color: every point keeps its exact red, green and blue. Format 0 is indexed color, which older SD-card projectors read: each color moves to the nearest entry of a fixed palette, so some colors shift slightly.

If you are not sure, put one file of each format on the card and play both. For more on the two formats, read which ILDA format to export.

What is inside the SD-card ZIP?

The ZIP holds one .ILD file per animation plus a LIST.TXT, all in its root. The file names are short DOS-style names, up to eight letters and digits and then .ILD, so every name stays unique and readable on a player that shows only short names. LIST.TXT tells you which file is which and the speed to play it at.

This is the LIST.TXT from a ZIP of the free Thanksgiving files:

BeamTracer ILDA Files - https://beamtracer.com/laser/ilda-files
ILDA Format 5 (true color), 2 files; play each at the FPS shown

TRKYTGV.ILD  Turkey Line Art - Thanksgiving - 20 FPS
GRATETGV.ILD Grateful - Thanksgiving - 20 FPS

Beat-timed files add their length in bars and their BPM, such as 1 bar at 120 BPM, so you can match them to a song.

How do I copy the files to the SD card?

Unzip the download first: a projector reads the .ILD files, not the .zip. The ZIP keeps everything in one folder, ready for the card's root. Your projector's manual sets the card format, the folder and how many files it reads.

How do I check a file before the show?

Open one of the unzipped .ILD files in ILDA Viewer and set FPS under PLAYBACK CONTROLS to the FPS in LIST.TXT. You see the exact file that goes on the card, at its intended speed: the drawing, its colors and its frame count. Under FILE HEALTH, choose your projector's speed as DEVICE; the badge reads WITHIN, NEAR LIMIT or OVER LIMIT.

SPTREXMS.ILD, the free Spiral Tree, opened from the unzipped ZIP and played at 20 FPS: FILE HEALTH reads WITHIN for a Standard 30k scanner.

Select a file in the library and the INSPECTOR names the smallest scanner it fits under FITS, such as 20K and up. If a file flickers on your projector, check that it plays at the FPS in LIST.TXT, then choose files whose FITS rating your scanner meets.

Can I put my own animation on the same card?

Yes. Export your animation from BeamTracer as a .ild file, check its format and point count, and copy it beside the library files. How do I prepare an ILDA animation for an SD-card laser? shows the SD Card export preset and how a point limit changes a drawing. Physical projection also needs laser safety preparation.