How to use it
- Add a PNG. Solid shapes on a transparent or white background work best.
- Set the output width in millimeters. This is the width of the artwork itself, and the height follows its proportions.
- Adjust the threshold until the red cut lines follow the edges you want.
- Download the DXF and check the size in your CAD or CAM software before cutting.
What the DXF contains
Every shape in your image becomes a closed outline, and each outline is saved as a polyline. Curves are converted into many short straight segments, small enough that cuts look smooth. The file is a plain-text R12 DXF, an older version that CAD, CAM and laser software commonly read.
DXF holds outlines, not pictures. Color, shading and gradients are not stored. What you get is the boundary of each dark shape, with holes kept as separate outlines inside it.
Before you cut
Open the file and measure something. Some programs assume inches when a DXF has no unit information, which would make a 100 mm part come out about 25 times too large. If that happens, change the import units to millimeters.
Check for tiny islands and thin bridges. A feature narrower than your cutter or laser kerf will not survive, so raise Remove small specks or edit the artwork. Run a test cut on scrap first.
What the settings do
- Output width (mm)
- The finished width of the artwork itself, measured across its outermost edges. Height is calculated from the proportions.
- Threshold
- Pixels darker than this become shapes. Raise it to catch lighter lines, lower it to leave out gray areas.
- Trace light shapes
- Use this when the artwork is light on a dark background.
- Smoothing
- Higher values give smoother outlines and fewer points. Lower values follow the pixels closely.
- Remove small specks
- Drops shapes below the size you choose, so stray dots do not become cut paths.
What people use it for
- Sign shop and laser cutting outlines from a customer logo
- CNC router and plasma cutting paths for silhouettes and lettering
- Stencils, templates and wooden inlays
- Bringing a raster sketch into a CAD drawing as a reference outline
Questions
How do I get the right size in my CAD software?
Enter the width you want in millimeters before you download. The DXF is written in millimeter units. If your software imports it at the wrong scale, set the import units to millimeters.
Why are there so many small segments in the outline?
DXF polylines are made of straight segments, so each curve is split into short pieces. They are fine enough that the cut path looks smooth. Raising Smoothing reduces the point count.
Does it work with color PNGs?
The default black and white mode treats dark pixels as shapes and light pixels as background, which suits cutting. A color mode is available in the style menu if you want one layer per color, but neighboring colors share an edge, so the cut line would be doubled there.
What happens to transparent areas?
Transparent areas count as background. Only the opaque, dark parts of the PNG become outlines.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. Tracing and file creation happen in your browser, using code that is part of this page. Your image is not sent to a server. You can check this in your browser's network tab while you use the tool.