How do I save an editable oscilloscope drawing in OSC-1?
To save an editable oscilloscope drawing, open CREATOR → DRAWING in BeamTracer OSC-1 and press SAVE DRAWING. The .beamtracer-drawing file keeps your strokes, unfinished line, drawing mode and trace speed. Use OPEN DRAWING to restore the drawing, then press PLAY DRAWING when you're ready to see the generated XY signal.
Hi, I'm Trina with BeamTracer.com. When a drawing is nearly right, I want to keep the version I can still change. OSC-1 has a drawing file for that, alongside the exports you use to share the result.
The saved triangle and short line playing in OSC-1. This software preview is silent.
How do I make a drawing I can reopen later?
Use FREEHAND for strokes you draw by dragging, or LINES for a shape made by tapping successive points. Each completed stroke remains part of the editable drawing. A line you haven't finished yet can be saved too.
Open OSC-1, select CREATOR, and open DRAWING. With FREEHAND, lift your mouse, finger or pen to finish a stroke. With LINES, press END STROKE to finish that shape before starting a separate one. The shape tools guide explains the available drawing controls.
The drawing tool doesn't close an open shape automatically. If you want a closed outline, draw the last part back toward the start. Keep your first test simple enough that you can recognize whether the reopened drawing matches what you saved.
Two original strokes, authored with FREEHAND and displayed with PLAY DRAWING.
How do I save and reopen the drawing file?
SAVE DRAWING downloads a .beamtracer-drawing file. OPEN DRAWING restores it without starting playback. If you already have strokes on the canvas, OSC-1 asks whether to replace them or keep the current drawing.
- Open OSC-1, select CREATOR, and open DRAWING.
- Choose FREEHAND or LINES and draw a simple shape.
- Press SAVE DRAWING and keep the downloaded
.beamtracer-drawingfile. - Press OPEN DRAWING and select that saved file.
- If a replacement prompt appears, choose REPLACE DRAWING to load the saved strokes or KEEP DRAWING to leave the current drawing alone.
- Press PLAY DRAWING to preview the restored drawing, then STOP DRAWING before editing.
- Use SAVE DRAWING again to export the edited strokes as a
.beamtracer-drawingfile.
Give the download a filename you will recognize later. Keeping an earlier copy is useful when you want to try a different outline or trace speed and compare the result. Reopening the saved drawing restores the authored settings; you choose when playback starts.
If a drawing is already open, choose REPLACE DRAWING to load the saved strokes or KEEP DRAWING to return to the current version. Restoring a file leaves playback stopped.
Should I save a drawing file or a project file?
Save a drawing file when you want the editable strokes and drawing settings. Save an OSC-1 project when you want the wider setup, including the sources, presets and effects around the drawing. Drawings also belong to their projects and recovery snapshots.
The .beamtracer-drawing file contains drawing mode, completed strokes, the unfinished line and trace speed. A .beamtracer project stores the broader OSC-1 setup. The sessions and projects guide explains the browser library and project-file export.
Browser autosave belongs to that browser and machine. Keep a project export if you need a portable copy of the wider setup. A drawing export is a useful smaller choice when you only need the drawing. Try reopening the copy on the receiving computer before depending on it for a performance.
Is an SVG or WAV the same as an editable drawing file?
SVG carries vector artwork, while WAV carries audio. The BeamTracer drawing file retains the drawing-specific authoring state. Choose the format according to what you need to do next.
Use SVG / ICONS for ordinary SVG artwork. Use OPEN DRAWING for a .beamtracer-drawing file. Those controls accept different kinds of material, so keep the file extension visible when organizing downloads.
The export guide covers the separate SVG, WAV, video and ILDA output options. For a vector handoff to Image to Laser, SVG carries artwork; sound and live synchronization do not travel with that SVG. Save the editable drawing too if you expect to return to the original strokes.
The same triangle and short line after the actual SVG import. The picture carries across; the drawing file's editing state and sound do not.
Why can I see faint lines between separate strokes?
Ordinary stereo XY audio uses the left channel for X and the right channel for Y. The signal still travels between strokes, so faint connections can appear. Saving separate strokes preserves the artwork's structure; it doesn't add an independent beam-blanking channel to stereo audio.
Start with a few strokes and watch the result after pressing PLAY DRAWING. Use TRACE SPEED to explore the generated signal, then save the drawing settings you want to keep. Physical laser output has its own requirements, covered in Laser DAC Output and laser safety.
What happens if a drawing file won't open?
Unreadable or unsupported drawing files leave the current drawing intact. The editable format supports up to 1,000 strokes and 100,000 points, and the drawing file must be 5 MB or smaller. A different file extension or malformed content won't become a drawing just by renaming the file.
Check whether you selected a .beamtracer-drawing export or a whole .beamtracer project. Open each through the matching control. For your next drawing, save an editable copy early and reopen it once while the shape is still easy to compare.
Open OSC-1 and try the save-and-reopen workflow with a small drawing before building a larger one.