Vector Stacker

Separate any image into laser-ready layered SVGs.

By Scott Bedow, Founder & Lead Developer · Published September 26, 2026

Manufacturing manager who runs CO2, diode and MOPA fiber lasers; builds and maintains every Reticle Red tool.

Method — Documents the shipped behaviour of the current build. Updated when the tool changes, and dated so you can tell how far behind the build it may be.

Vector Stacker opens in Guided mode on six recipes: Painted Wall Art, Stepped Sign, Shadow Box, Photo Bands, Mandala and Shape Scene. Bring a picture, try a sample or describe one, choose Layered Wood (one wood, no paint) or Painted sheets, read THE CHECK, and export one numbered file per sheet. Switch to Pro for repair brushes, puzzle cuts, kerf, registration, nesting and alternate exports.

How to use Vector Stacker

Step 1: Pick a Recipe

Choose by what you want to hang on the wall: Painted Wall Art (black line sheet over painted colour sheets), Stepped Sign (colour boards resting on each other), Shadow Box (a depth map in nested sheets with a frame), Photo Bands (light-to-dark bands of a photo), Mandala (a new round design around your picture) or Shape Scene (a new scene drawn inside a shape you pick, such as a US state).

Step 2: Bring a Picture or Describe One

Upload a PNG, JPG, WebP, SVG, DXF, Illustrator .ai or PDF (DXF and Illustrator outlines set Part Size from the drawing), open a sample that already passes, or describe the art and let MASTER 2.0 draw it in flat colours; the price is on the button and a failed draw is refunded. Flat art with bold outlines on a plain ground separates most cleanly.

Step 3: Choose Layered Wood or Painted

Layered Wood cuts every sheet from one stock and gets its depth from the shapes. Pick its style by the live previews: Progressive detail (the finest windows close first), Terraced windows (every window steps down like a well) or Stepped edge (the outline itself steps in like a topo map). Painted puts a black line sheet over one painted sheet per colour.

Step 4: Keep Your Shape or Make a Mandala

Use my picture as-is and Keep this shape stack the picture you already have, in its own outline, free: line art or flat colour art such as a finished Shape Scene. Make it a mandala is a paid redraw that puts your picture inside a new round design, so its own outline is not kept.

Step 5: Read THE CHECK

Every sheet is measured against the material: narrow spots under its minimum feature, pieces too small to glue, loose pieces and near-duplicate sheets. Each card offers only fixes that were re-run and shown to help. Wait for READY TO CUT before exporting.

Step 6: Set Size, Stock and Sheet Count

Enter the finished width and choose the sheet material; 3 mm birch plywood is the Layered Wood default. Four to eight Layered Wood sheets, with 5 or 6 a good start. The stack depth is the sheet count times the stock thickness.

Step 7: Export and Glue Up

Export a ZIP with one SVG per sheet, numbered from the front, the assembly guide and the plan. Dry-fit the stack, then glue the backer first and each sheet onto the one behind it; loose pieces glue in place on the sheet behind.

Tactical Tip

For Layered Wood, start with 3 mm birch and 5 or 6 sheets, and choose the style by its preview: Stepped edge for shapes such as states, Shape Scenes and logos; Progressive detail for mandalas and lace. The Layered Wood guide covers glue-up and what every message in THE CHECK means.

Stacked — Layered Reveal

Solid layers pile on top of each other. Each layer above is cut with openings that reveal the material below — the classic tiered look. Lower layers stay solid, so pieces deliberately overlap underneath.

Puzzle — Coplanar Inlay

Every region becomes a separate piece that nests into its neighbours in a single plane. Each piece is auto-inset by half the Kerf Width so the laser's cut removes no shared material and the pieces fit together with zero overlap.

Brush / Eraser Tools

Paint directly on the canvas to add or remove areas from any selected layer's mask. Supports mouse and touch on mobile. Adjust brush size with the Brush Size slider.

3D Preview

Click the 3D button to see your sign as a stacked mesh in Three.js. Orbit with click-drag, zoom with scroll. Layer Thickness and material colors are reflected live.

Before a production run with Vector Stacker

Save the source file before changing geometry or parameters, confirm the final physical dimensions, and inspect the smallest details at the intended output size. Use matching scrap to test focus, speed, power, frequency, and layer order. Record the settings that worked with the material and machine so the next job starts from a verified result.

Open Vector Stacker Tool Workspace