Which ILDA Format Should You Export: 0, 1, 4 or 5?
Choose an ILDA format by checking the formats your intended player accepts, whether the drawing needs Z coordinates, and whether it needs true color. In BeamTracer, Formats 0 and 1 use indexed color; 4 and 5 use true color. Open an existing file in ILDA Viewer to inspect it and convert its format.
Hi, I’m Trina with BeamTracer.com. The number is not a quality score. It describes how the file stores coordinates and colors. Choose a format that preserves the information you need and works in the player you will actually use.
The bundled test suite lets you compare reference files in the browser before making a converted copy.
What changes between ILDA Formats 0, 1, 4 and 5?
The four coordinate formats combine two choices: 2D or 3D coordinates, and indexed or true color. Indexed frames refer to a palette. True-color frames carry their color values directly. Formats 0 and 4 include Z; Formats 1 and 5 keep X and Y only.
| Format | Coordinates | Color | Main decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | X, Y, Z | Indexed palette | Preserve depth for a player that expects indexed color |
| 1 | X, Y | Indexed palette | Use a 2D indexed file when the receiver supports it |
| 4 | X, Y, Z | True color | Keep depth and RGB color |
| 5 | X, Y | True color | Keep RGB color for a 2D drawing |
Format 2 supplies palette entries for indexed frames; it is not another coordinate-frame choice. Do not infer that every number from 0 through 5 appears as an export option. BeamTracer’s dialog offers the coordinate formats above, plus Original (keep as-is).
Compatibility belongs to the receiver
Check the documentation for the exact projector, controller or software you will use. An SD-card preset is a starting point, not a guarantee that every SD-card projector accepts the same file.
How do you inspect an ILDA file before converting it?
Open the file in ILDA Viewer and read FILE INFO and FILE HEALTH before changing anything. The viewer can report the formats, frame count, point count and file issues. Use its bundled patterns to learn the interface if you do not yet have an ILDA file.
- Open ILDA Viewer from BT Laser Studio.
- Drop a
.ildfile into CLICK OR DRAG ILDA FILE HERE, or choose PATTERN under TEST SUITE to inspect a reference file. - Open FILE INFO to identify the file and its reported format information.
- Read FILE HEALTH and distinguish structural issues from point-count warnings.
- Open EXPORT ILDA and review the filename, frame count and total points in Export ILDA File.
- If you choose to save a conversion, select the output format and finish with Convert & Download to save
.ild; review any warnings before the final download.
The bundled PATTERN currently reports a missing terminating EOF marker and indexed color without an embedded palette. Those messages are useful examples of why a familiar picture alone is not a complete file check. A different source file can show different messages.
How do you convert a file to Format 0 or Format 5?
Use EXPORT ILDA in ILDA Viewer for conversion. BeamTracer’s creation tools download Format 5 directly; their direct-download buttons do not open this format chooser. Keep the original file, load it into the viewer, and make a separate converted copy for the intended receiver.
- Load the source
.ildfile in ILDA Viewer and open EXPORT ILDA. - Choose Custom under Quick Presets to set the format yourself.
- In Output Format, choose Format 0 (3D Indexed Color) or Format 5 (2D True Color) to match the receiving player’s requirements.
- Keep point limiting separate from format choice; do not remove detail merely because the format number changed.
- Review the file summary and any conversion warnings, especially color mapping or discarded depth.
- Choose Convert & Download to save the
.ildcopy. If a results summary appears, read it before choosing Download.
Keep an original copy
A conversion to indexed color maps colors to palette entries. A conversion from 3D to 2D removes Z. Keep the source if you may need those details again; converting back cannot recreate information that was removed.
The SD Card, Legacy and Modern quick presets combine useful defaults. Check their settings before saving, because a preset can change point limits as well as the output format. Format selection and drawing simplification solve different problems.
Does changing the ILDA format fix flicker or ghost lines?
Changing the coordinate or color encoding does not by itself solve scanner timing, an excessive point budget, or blanking behavior. Inspect those separately. A compatible file can still demand more points per frame than the chosen playback rate allows, and a clear browser preview does not measure physical scanner performance.
For a concrete point-budget example, read LaserCube point rate. For unwanted travel lines, read laser blanking and ghost lines. Those articles address different questions from whether a player can read Format 0 or Format 5.
An ILDA file also does not store a playback point rate. Use the intended player’s settings and the device’s documented limits. The export guide explains why the rate chosen while preparing the file should match the rate used for playback.
Is ILDA Viewer free, and what does export require?
ILDA Viewer is free to inspect files without an account. Clean ILDA exports are included with Studio. Signed-in users below Studio share three clean exports per calendar month across the laser tools, OSC-1 and the viewer. Check current pricing and allowances before beginning a conversion batch.
Can you inspect a BeamTracer drawing without downloading first?
Yes. In Image to Laser or Animation Studio, choose OPEN IN ILDA VIEWER → to send the generated frames to the ILDA Viewer in the same tab. This lets you inspect the result before spending time preparing a file for another player.
The triangle started in Image to Laser and became an editable Animation Studio layer. The Viewer receives 90 frames at 30 FPS. Repeated still frames preserve the drawing; they do not create movement or contain a soundtrack.
Read FILE HEALTH and inspect the whole sequence. WITHIN is a point-count estimate, not a physical scanner test or eye-safety approval. Use EXPORT ILDA for a portable converted copy; follow the SVG handoff walkthrough to see the source and destination together.
Which format should you choose first?
For a new 2D RGB drawing, Format 5 is BeamTracer’s direct-download default. For an existing file, start by identifying its current format and the intended receiver’s requirements. Use Format 4 when you need to preserve 3D true-color data; choose an indexed format when the receiver requires it.
Open ILDA Viewer to inspect a file, consult the format comparison, or start with the SVG-to-ILDA workflow when you still need to create the drawing.