Contents

Connect xTool M1 to XCS

Minimum and recommended requirements for iPad

Download and install XCS

Connect xTool M1 to Wi-Fi

Set up xTool M1 in XCS

The supported processing modes

Process materials with Laser Flat

1. Place the material

2. Open or create a project

3. Select the processing mode and material

4. Measure the thickness of the material

5. Design objects for processing

6. Set parameters for processing

7. Preview the processing area

8. Start processing

Process materials with Blade Cut

6. Preview the processing area

Operate xTool M1 with XCS on Your iPad

Updated Feb 22,2024

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

Connect xTool M1 to XCS

Minimum and recommended requirements for iPad

Item	Minimum configuration	Recommended configuration
Processor	A10	A12 or later
Operating system	iPadOS 15 or later (except for iOS15.4.1, at which XCS may have exceptions)
RAM	4 GB	6 GB or more
Storage	32 GB	64 GB or more

With the minimum configurations, all the functions of XCS can be used properly. When you import a complex image, 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) Search for "xTool Creative Space" in App Store or Google Play, or visit xtool.com/software to download and install XCS.

(2) Open XCS. On the top-left corner, tap the icon to open the Settings panel and select the language you use.

Connect xTool M1 to Wi-Fi

(1) Open XCS on your iPad, and tap New project icon.

(2) On the top-right corner of your screen, tap Connect Device.

(3) On the Connect device window, tap + Wi-Fi setting in the top-right corner. Then, select M1 and tap Next.

(4) Long press the button on xTool M1 until the indicator blinks green.

On XCS, tap OK, next.

(5) Enter the Wi-Fi password, click OK, next.

💡 Note: The device supports only 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks.

Then click Go to connect device hotspot to look for the hotspot.

(6) Select the hotspot name of xTool_M1_xxxxxx in the list, and enter the password 12345678.

(7) After connecting to the hotspot of the device, go back to XCS. Click Connection completed.

(8) You can see the page. Just wait until it jumps to the next page.

(9) If the indicator turns solid white or blue, the configuration is successful. Click Yes.

(10) Click Connect device. Go to Device list, select xTool M1.

(11) After xTool M1 is connected, the indicator turns solid green.

💡 Note: If you cannot find your device on the list, you can try tapping Refresh.

Set up xTool M1 in XCS

Tap the setting icon on the right corner to unfold the Working parameters section, and set up xTool M1 based on your need.

Basic information

Device name: sets the name of your device
Laser model: displays the model of the laser module
Serial number: displays the serial number of your device
Plug-in version: optimizes the entire laser processing workflow at maximum efficiency. To know more details, go to Plug-In Functions & Benefits Explained.
Firmware version: displays the firmware version of the device. You can click Check for updates to check for later versions and update the firmware.
Wi-Fi setting: displays the IP address of your device. You can click Setting to enter the Wi-Fi name and password to set a Wi-Fi connection.

Working information

Working time: displays the total time the device processing materials
Operating times: displays the total number of times the device has been operated
Standby time: displays the total time the device is on standby
Work log: You can click Export to export the work log of the device.

Setting

Cut pressure calibration: You can click Reset to restore the factory calibration settings or click Calibrate to execute cut pressure calibration. With cut pressure calibration, the blade cutting function can be improved. For details about the operation, see "How do I perform cut pressure calibration on xTool M1?"
Backlash: You can click Test to test the engraving deviation when the laser module moves in a reverse direction.
Process what you draw: This is an offline function. The device can recognize what you draw and process it without connecting to XCS, and you can set how it works.
Laser engrave black patterns: engraves patterns that you draw in black
Laser cut black outline: cuts outlines that you draw in black
Laser cut red outline: cuts outlines that you draw in red
Export elements on the canvas as Gcode: You can click Export to export all the content on the canvas as a Gcode file. Gcode files can be run on LightBurn.

Working parameters

Fill light brightness: sets the brightness of the fill light for the camera
Time the fan continues to work: sets the time the exhaust fan continues to work after the machine stops processing

The supported processing modes

XCS that runs on iPad supports the following processing modes:

Laser flat: processes flat materials by using laser beams. With this function, you can engrave or cut common flat materials, such as wooden boards, coasters, dark acrylic, and metal sheets.

Processing material size	385 mm * 300 mm
Maximum processing thickness	16 mm
If the baseplate is required	Yes
If the honeycomb panel is required	No
Supported processing modes	Score Engrave Cut
Supported image types	Vector Bitmap

Laser cylindrical: processes cylindrical materials by using laser beams. With this function and xTool Rotary Attachment 2 (RA2) and its accessories, you can use xTool M1 to process 90% of daily used regular and irregular cylinders. For details about how to use xTool M1 with RA2, see How to Use xTool M1 with Rotary Attachment 2 (RA2).

Processing material size	270 mm * 385 mm
Focusing range (initial position of the baseplate is 0)	-19 mm – 16 mm
If the baseplate is required	No
If the honeycomb panel is required	Optional
Supported processing modes	Score Engrave
Supported image types	Vector Bitmap

Open plane: processes large-area or thick materials, with the baseplate of xTool M1 removed. It is recommended that you process it with the riser base.

Processing material size	385 mm * 270 mm
Focusing range (initial position of the baseplate is 0)	-19 mm – 16 mm
If the baseplate is required	No
If the honeycomb panel is required	Optional
Supported processing modes	Score Engrave Cut
Supported image types	Vector Bitmap

Blade cut: processes materials by using the blade module. With this function, you can cut kraft paper, stickers, leather, and so on. Note that when using this function, a cutting mat is required to protect the baseplate of xTool M1.
Print & blade cut: processes materials where one or more patterns are printed by using the blade module. For details about how to use the print & blade cut function, see Use the Print & Blade Cut Function of xTool M1.

Processing material size	365 mm * 300 mm
Maximum processing thickness	1.5 mm
Knife pressure	45 g – 360 g
If the baseplate is required	Yes
If the honeycomb panel is required	No
Supported processing modes	Blade cut
Supported image types	Vector

💡 Note 1:

Before using the print & blade cut function, ensure that a printer is available.
The maximum processing area is 269 mm × 182 mm. Ensure that the pattern to be printed is within the processing range.
When you use the print & blade cut function, the design elements to be processed must include both a bitmap image and vector path. The bitmap image is to be printed, and the vector path is to be cut.

💡 Note 2:

There is a fixed focusing range of xTool M1 laser module. If the surface of the material is beyond the range, processing may fail. It is important to ensure that the surface of the material to be processed is within the focusing range when processing. For more details, go to User Guide for Riser Base with Honeycomb Panel.

Process materials with Laser Flat

1. Place the material

Open the lid of xTool M1, and place the material to be processed on 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

On the home screen of XCS, tap My projects, and then select the project you want to use in the list.

💡 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

To create a new project, you can tap Create project, Camera, Album or Cloud projects on the home screen of XCS.

Create project: creates a blank project
Camera: allows you to take a photo with your smartphone camera and use it as a processing pattern
Album: allows you to choose a photo from your smartphone album and use it as a processing pattern
Cloud projects: Log in your xTool account to get your cloud projects

3. Select the processing mode and material

(1) On the project screen, select Laser flat for the Processing mode.

(2) Select your material to be processed. (If you can't find the name of your material, select User-defined material.)

4. Measure the thickness of the material

To measure the thickness of the material to be processed. You can select the recommended material and the thickness is measured automatically.

If you have raised your material by using triangular prisms, select Height raised -> Triangular prism. Or click the Auto-measure icon to measure the thickness.

5. Design objects for processing

(1) Use the tools to the left side of the canvas to create objects. You can import images, insert shapes, enter text, or generate QR codes or barcodes.

💡 Note:

If you already have an image taken by camera or chosen from an album, you can skip this step or add more elements to the canvas based on your need.

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.

6. Set parameters for processing

Select objects on the canvas and 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

7. Preview the processing area

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

(2) Click Framing in the software. Close the lid of xTool M1 and press the button on xTool M1 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.

8. Start processing

(1) On the bottom of the Preview screen, click Start.

(2) Close the lid of xTool M1. Then, press the button on xTool M1 to start processing.

Process materials with Blade Cut

1. Place the material

To use the Blade cut function, you need to use the adhesive cutting mat. Or the baseplate may be scratched by the blade.

Open the lid of xTool M1, and place the kraft paper on the cutting mat.

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

On the home screen of XCS, tap My projects, and then select the project you want to use in the list.

Create a new project

To create a new project, you can tap Create project, Camera, Album or Cloud projects on the home screen of XCS.

Create project: creates a blank project
Camera: allows you to take a photo with your smartphone camera and use it as a processing pattern
Album: allows you to choose a photo from your smartphone album and use it as a processing pattern
Cloud projects: Log in your xTool account to get your cloud projects

3. Select the processing mode and material

(1) On the project screen, select Blade cut for the processing mode.

(2) Select the material to be processed. (If you can't find the name of your material, select User-defined material.)

4. Design objects for processing

(1) Use the tools to the left side of the canvas to create objects. You can import images, insert shapes, enter text, or generate QR codes or barcodes.

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

💡 Note:

If you already have an image taken by camera or chosen from an album, you can skip this step or add more elements to the canvas based on your need.
XCS supports importing the following image formats: SVG, DXF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, BMP, etc.