Contents

Connect xTool S1 to XCS

Minimum and recommended PC requirements

Download and install XCS

Connect xTool S1 to XCS

Set up xTool S1 in XCS

The supported processing modes

Process materials with flat surfaces

Notes

1. Place the material

2. Open or create a project

3. Select the processing mode and material name

4. Set the laser focus

5. Mark the target processing area on the canvas

6. Design objects for processing

7. Set parameters for processing

8. Preview the processing area

9. Start processing

Process materials with curved surfaces

Notes

1. Place the material

2. Open or create a project

3. Select the processing mode and material name

4. Select the target processing area

5. Set the measurement density

6. Design objects for processing

7. Set parameters for processing

8. Preview the processing area

9. Start processing

Operate xTool S1 with XCS on Your Computer

Updated Jun 12,2024

Connect xTool S1 to XCS

xTool Creative Space (XCS) is an all-in-one software for graphic designing and editing, laser process setting, and machine controlling.

Minimum and recommended PC requirements

Item	Minimum configuration	Recommended configuration
Processor	Intel Core i5-6200U	Intel Core i5-11600
Operating system	Win 10 (64 bit) macOS 10.14 or later
RAM	8 GB	16 GB
Display resolution	1280 × 720 (pixels)	1920 × 1080 (pixels) or higher
Hard drive	8 GB	12 GB

With the minimum configurations, all the functions of XCS can be used properly. When you import a complex image, such as an image larger than 50,000,000 pixels or an SVG image larger than 1 MB, however, XCS may fail to run smoothly.
With the recommended configurations, XCS can run more smoothly when you import and edit a complex image, the software delay may be shorter, and the performance is better.

Download and install XCS

(1) Download the xTool Creative Space software applicable to the operating system that runs on your PC from https://www.xtool.com/pages/software.

(2) Double-click the software you've downloaded to install it.

Note: Click Yes if you are asked "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?" and then continue the installation as prompted.

(3) Open XCS, click the icon in the top-left corner, and select a language in the pop-up window.

Connect xTool S1 to XCS

Use the USB cable to connect xTool S1 to your computer.

Note: If the provided USB cable is incompatible with your computer, you need to use an adapter, which is not included in the pack.

Open XCS on your computer. On the top-right corner of XCS, click Connect device.

On the Devices list, click the name of your device to connect it.

Note: After the device is connected, you can configure Wi-Fi for the device. This way, you can connect xTool S1 to XCS through Wi-Fi next time.

Set up xTool S1 in XCS

On the top right corner of XCS, click the gear icon next to the xTool S1 image to open the device setting window.

2. Set up xTool S1 based on your needs.

Device name: Set a new name for your xTool S1.
Wi-Fi setting: Connect your xTool S1 to a Wi-Fi network.
Flame alarm: If a flame is detected, xTool S1 will pause processing and raise the alarm.
Stops when moved: If xTool S1 is moved or tilted during processing, it will pause processing.
Fill light brightness: Adjust the brightness of the fill light in the working area.
Auto-adjustment for the air assist set:
If you connect xTool S1 with the air assist set (updated version), you can turn on Auto-adjustment for the air assist set.
Set the airflow levels respectively for engraving and cutting. The airflow increases from 1 to 4, and 0 means no airflow. During processing, XCS adjusts the airflow based on your setting.
Note:
For an air assist set that is not of the updated version, you cannot set Auto-adjustment for the air assist set for it.
You are advised to use a small airflow for engraving and a large airflow for cutting.
Exhaust fan: Turn on the exhaust fan, and the fan will work to exhaust smoke during processing.
Exhaust time after processing:
If the exhaust fan is turned on, you can set the duration at which the exhaust fan continues to work after xTool S1 stops processing. By setting this parameter, you can make the exhaust fan work longer to absorb the remaining smoke.
Buzzer reminders: Turn on the buzzer reminders, and the buzzer will make sounds in situations such as when the device is ready for processing, the processing is completed, and so on.
Time the purifier continues to work:
If you connect xTool S1 with the smoke purifier, you can set the duration at which the smoke purifier continues to work after xTool S1 stops processing. By setting this parameter, you can make the smoke purifier work longer to absorb the remaining smoke.
Conveyor feeder (Convey the material back after processing):
If you connect xTool S1 with the automatic conveyor feeder, you can turn on Convey the material back after processing.
After xTool S1 finishes processing, the conveyer feeder will transfer the material back to its original position.

The supported processing modes

XCS that runs on the computer supports the following processing modes:

Laser flat: processes flat materials
Laser cylindrical: processes regular or irregular cylindrical materials
To use this mode, you need to use xTool S1 with the rotary attachment and the riser base (of the ordinary version or the version that supports the conveyer feeder).
For more information on how to use xTool S1 with the rotary attachment in Laser cylindrical mode, see Use xTool S1 with the Rotary Attachment.
Laser curve: processes curved materials
Conveyor feeder: processes long materials
To use this mode, you need to use xTool S1 with the automatic conveyer feeder and the riser base that supports the conveyor feeder.
For more information on how to use xTool S1 with the automatic conveyer feeder in Conveyor feeder mode, see Start processing with XCS in Conveyor feeder mode.

Note: XCS that runs on the mobile phone or iPad does not support the Laser curve and Conveyor feeder modes.

Process materials with flat surfaces

Notes

xTool S1 supports different material thicknesses when working with different accessories.

Combinations of xTool S1 and accessories	Supported material thickness (H)
xTool S1	0 mm ＜ H ≤ 42 mm
xTool S1 + slats	0 mm ＜ H ≤ 34 mm
xTool S1 + honeycomb panel	0 mm ＜ H ≤ 15 mm
xTool S1 + riser base	70 mm ≤ H ≤ 125 mm
xTool S1 + riser base + honeycomb panel	0 mm ＜ H ≤ 99 mm
xTool S1 + riser base supporting conveyor feeder	15.5 mm ≤ H ≤ 133.5 mm
xTool S1 + riser base supporting conveyor feeder + honeycomb panel	0 mm ＜ H ≤ 106.5 mm

1. Place the material

Open the lid of xTool S1, and place the material to be processed on the baseplate.

Note: To cut a material, you are advised to place the slats or honeycomb panel on the baseplate before placing the material. The slats or honeycomb panel can reduce the burned area on the back of the material and protect the baseplate.

2. Open or create a project

You can open a project to start processing or create a new project. If you create a new project, you need to design patterns and set parameters from scratch.

Open a project

In the upper left corner of XCS, click the icon and select Open project... In the pop-up window, select a file of type xTool Creative Space Project (. xcs) and click Open.

Note: The project file can contain information such as processing patterns, processing modes, and processing parameters. However, if the machine model, processing mode, or material thickness used in the project varies from the current situation, you need to reset the corresponding parameters.

Create a new project

When you open XCS, a new blank project will be created by default. You can click the icon and select Save in the upper left corner of XCS to name and save the project.

3. Select the processing mode and material name

(1) On the right side of the XCS home screen, select Laser flat.

(2) In the drop-down list of Material, select the name of your material.

Note 1:
If you can't find your material in the list, you can click + More to search among more materials in the xTool SELECTED online material center.
If you still can't find the name of your material, you can select User-defined material.

Note 2:
After you select a material on the material list or xTool Selected online material center, the software will automatically focus and set other parameters for laser processing.
The default settings apply to xTool materials. You can adjust the settings based on your needs.

(Optional) (3) Turn on or off Laser module position based on your need.

Note: If you turn on Laser module position, XCS will display the position of the laser module in real time. The red cross in the canvas indicates the laser module, and the coordinates of the laser module are shown in the Laser module position section.

4. Set the laser focus

xTool S1 has a distance sensor, which can measure the distance between the laser module and the material surface. You can also manually measure and calculate the distance between the laser module and the material surface, and input the obtained values into XCS. Before processing, xTool S1 will perform auto-focus based on the Distance parameter.

Auto measure

(1) Move the laser module over the material. Ensure that the locating spot falls on the surface of the material.

(2) On the right side of XCS, click the icon under the Distance parameter, and xTool S1 will automatically measure the distance from the laser module to the material surface.

Note: Before auto-measure, ensure that the probe of the distance sensor is not extending.

Manual measure

(1) Use a ruler to measure the distance from the surface of the material to the top of the laser module.

(2) Subtract 100 mm (3.937 inches) from the measured value from step (1), and input the calculated value into the Distance parameter on the right of XCS.

5. Mark the target processing area on the canvas

(1) On the right side of XCS, click Start Marking.

(2) Select a marking mode based on the shape of the target processing area, and click Start marking.

(3) Manually move the laser module to make the red cross spot fall at a vertex of the target processing area, and press the button on the device to record the position. Then, repeat the same steps to record the other required vertex(es) for the target processing area.

(Here the Rectangle mode is used as an example.)

(4) Click End marking > Done, and then the target processing area will be marked out on the canvas.

(Optional) (5) After the processing area is marked, you can turn on Auto-snapping to help you position elements. When you move an element close to the center of the marked area, the element will be pulled to the center.

To turn on Auto-snapping, click the button on the top-left corner of XCS and toggle on Auto-snapping in General.

6. Design objects for processing

Note: The target processing area is marked out by a green perimeter as a rectangle. You can design objects within this area.

(1) Use the tools to the left side of the canvas to create objects. You can import images, insert shapes, enter text, or draw vector graphics.

Note: XCS supports importing the following image formats: SVG, DXF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, BMP, etc.

(2) Select the objects and use the toolbar above the canvas to further edit the objects.

Note: If you select an image object, you can edit the image by using the tools on the right side of the canvas.

7. Set parameters for processing

Select objects on the canvas. Then, on the right side of the XCS home screen, set parameters for the selected objects.

Note:

You need to set parameters for every object. A missed object may fail to be processed.

The parameters that can be set for bitmap objects and vector objects are different. You can select multiple objects of the same type and set parameters for them at once.

For bitmaps

For vectors

8. Preview the processing area

(1) At the bottom right corner of the software, click the icon next to the framing button to set the framing speed.

Note: You can tap the arrow buttons to control the movement of the laser module. The other three parameters allow you to configure how the laser module moves with every tap on an arrow button.
XY speed (mm/s): The moving speed of the laser module in X and Y directions.
XY distance (mm): The moving distance of the laser module with each tap on an XY arrow button.
Z distance (mm): The moving distance of the laser module with each tap on a Z arrow button.

(2) Close the lid of xTool S1, and then click Framing in the software. Press the button on xTool S1 to start framing. The laser spot will move along the boundary of the processing pattern on the material so that you can preview the processing area.

(3) After you confirm that the processing area is proper, click Framing completed in XCS. If the area is not ideal, you can adjust the material position or adjust the element positions in the software, and then preview the processing area again.

9. Start processing

Note: If you use the infrared laser module at a temperature of 10 ℃ or below, please preheat the laser module for 2 minutes to ensure better processing results.

(1) On the bottom right corner of the software, click Processing.

(2) Preview the processing objects in the software. Then, in the upper right corner of the software, click Start.

(3) Close the lid of xTool S1. Then, press the button on xTool S1 to start processing.

Process materials with curved surfaces

Notes

Supported material thickness

xTool S1 supports different material thicknesses when working with different accessories. To process a material with curved surfaces, ensure that the overall height of the material does not exceed the supported material thickness.

Combinations of xTool S1 and accessories	Supported material thickness (H)
xTool S1	0 mm ＜ H ≤ 42 mm
xTool S1 + slats	0 mm ＜ H ≤ 34 mm
xTool S1 + honeycomb panel	0 mm ＜ H ≤ 15 mm
xTool S1 + riser base	70 mm ≤ H ≤ 125 mm
xTool S1 + riser base + honeycomb panel	0 mm ＜ H ≤ 99 mm
xTool S1 + riser base supporting conveyor feeder	15.5 mm ≤ H ≤ 133.5 mm
xTool S1 + riser base supporting conveyor feeder + honeycomb panel	0 mm ＜ H ≤ 106.5 mm

Supported curve angle

Only smooth surfaces with an angle of no more than 15 degrees are supported.

Software requirement

Only XCS that runs on the computer supports the Laser curve mode. XCS that runs on mobile phones or iPads does not support the Laser curve mode.

1. Place the material

Open the lid of xTool S1, and place the material to be processed on the baseplate.

Note: When measuring the curved surface, the distance sensor touches the material surface by its probe. To ensure the stability of the material, you can use other objects to secure or support the material.

2. Open or create a project

You can open a project to start processing or create a new project. If you create a new project, you need to design patterns and set parameters from scratch.

Open a project

In the upper left corner of XCS, click the icon and select Open project... In the pop-up window, select a file of type xTool Creative Space Project (. xcs) and click Open.

Create a new project

When you open XCS, a new blank project will be created by default. You can click the icon and select Save in the upper left corner of XCS to name and save the project.

3. Select the processing mode and material name

(1) On the right side of the XCS home screen, select Curve process.

(2) In the drop-down list of Material, select the name of your material.

(3) Turn on or off Laser module position based on your need.

4. Select the target processing area

(1) On the right side of XCS, click Curve-measure.

(2) Move the laser module until the locating spot falls on the upper left corner vertex of the target processing area. Click Mark to mark it as vertex 1.

Tip: You can manually move the laser module or click the arrow buttons on the software to move the laser module. If you use software control, you can set the distance the laser module moves with each click of the arrow button through Distance.

(3) Move the laser module again until the locating spot falls on the vertex at the bottom right corner of the target processing area. Click Mark to mark it as vertex 2.

(4) After you finish marking the two vertices, click Next.

5. Set the measurement density

(1) XCS provides recommended measurement density based on the size of the marked area. You can adjust the measurement density as needed.

Tip: The more rows and columns, the higher the measurement density, the more precise the model, and the longer the measurement time.

(2) Click Start measuring, and the laser module will measure the height of each point on the selected surface. You can see the measurement progress on XCS.

(3) After the measurement is complete, XCS generates a model. You can rotate and view the model by dragging it with the mouse. You can also adjust the Smoothness and Tension of the model to make it closer to the actual object.

(4) Click Done. The selected and measured area is displayed normally on the canvas, while the other area becomes grey.

6. Design objects for processing

Note: The gray area on the canvas are unmeasured area. Do not place processing elements in this area.

(1) Use the tools to the left side of the canvas to create objects. You can import images, insert shapes, enter text, or draw vector graphics.

Note: XCS supports importing the following image formats: SVG, DXF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, BMP, etc.

(2) Select the objects and use the toolbar above the canvas to further edit the objects.

Note: If you select an image object, you can edit the image by using the tools to the right side of the canvas.

7. Set parameters for processing

Select objects on the canvas. Then, on the right side of the XCS home screen, set parameters for the selected objects.

Note:
You need to set parameters for every object. A missed object may fail to be processed.
The parameters that can be set for bitmap objects and vector objects are different. You can select multiple objects of the same type and set parameters for them at once.

For bitmaps

For vectors

8. Preview the processing area

(1) At the bottom right corner of the software, click the icon next to the framing button to set the framing speed.

9. Start processing

Note: If you use the infrared laser module at a temperature of 10 ℃ or below, please preheat the laser module for 2 minutes to ensure better processing results.

(1) On the bottom right corner of the software, click Processing.