Align the overlay
Map the calibrated camera image to workspace coordinates so the overlay sits where the bed actually is.
Calibration makes the image undistorted; alignment makes it land in the right place. After both, what you see in the camera overlay matches what the laser would touch at the same canvas coordinates.
What you need
- Camera calibrated. See Calibrate the camera.
- A way to mark known workspace coordinates on the bed, a small burn, a fiducial sticker, a known feature on a fixed jig.
- 10-15 minutes.
Steps
1. Mark reference points on the bed
You need at least 2 points (more is better, 4 spread around the bed gives best accuracy) where you know both:
- The camera-image pixel location.
- The workspace mm location.
Common ways to create them:
- Run a small burn at known workspace coordinates (use Laser Position tool → click the canvas at known coords → low-power test burn).
- Use machine features (corner of the bed, mounting hole, fixed jig screws).
- Place fiducial stickers.
2. Open the Alignment dialog
- Camera panel → Align Camera.
- The Camera Alignment dialog opens.
3. Add point pairs
For each fiducial:
- Click Add Point.
- Camera X / Y: pixel position of the point in the camera image.
- Workspace X / Y: its real workspace position in mm.
4. Solve
Click Solve. The metrics appear: Quality, RMSE (mm), Scale, Rotation, Translation.
Quality > 95% with RMSE < 1 mm is great. RMSE > 3 mm suggests inconsistent points, verify your coordinates and re-solve.
5. Save
Click Save Alignment. The alignment is stored on the active machine profile.
6. Verify
- Place a design on the canvas at known coordinates.
- Look at the camera overlay (visible on the canvas with overlay enabled).
- The design should appear on the camera image at the same physical location.
If alignment is off, redo with more / better-spread points.
When to redo
- You move the camera physically.
- You re-mount the camera at a different angle.
- The bed itself moves (rare).
Calibration alone does not need redoing for these, only alignment.
Tip: use camera-overlay render for verification
If you want a snapshot showing the overlay-plus-design together, use the CLI: beambench-cli camera overlay render --output check.png --view fit. The PNG shows what the alignment looks like.