GPath Laser
Absolute vs Current origin
Last updated Sep 8, 2026, 6:57 PM
1. What this setting controls
When you Run, Frame, or save G-code, GPath Laser needs to know where the laser head is in relation to your drawings. For this, we have absolute and current modes.
Open the Laser machine panel in the right sidebar → Origin tab. Choose:
| Mode | In short |
|---|---|
| Absolute | Machine work zero matches the project reference point on the bed. |
| Current | The current laser head position is the work zero |
Take a look at how the setting looks on the canvas:
| Absolute | Current | |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
Both modes have a red cross in the corner to show the Reference point (Top Left, Center, Bottom Left, and so on). The reference point defines where (0, 0) is in the drawing, in this example, the bottom left. This is the location the laser returns to when clicking the home button (if enabled on your machine).
This will always be used for drawing purposes, both examples draw a square at x=50, y=50. Meaning the squares center is placed 50mm across and 50mm up from the reference point. Absolute mode will draw the square with this 50mm inset from the 'home' position.
Current introduces the green dot. This is your work x=0, y=0, currently set to the bottom-left. Meaning wherever your laser head is currently placed, it will engrave this square 'up' and 'right' to the current position.
2. Absolute — bed-aligned jobs
Use Absolute when the material is registered to a known place on the bed (home, fixtures, stops, camera overlay, full-sheet layouts).
How it works
- Set the machine profile Reference point to match your machine (see Machine setup).
- Draw and place artwork in those coordinates.
| Action | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Run | Cuts/engraves at the canvas positions |
| Frame | Outlines the visible job bounds at S0, starting from the reference-origin corner of that box |
| Go to origin | Moves to work coordinate (0, 0) |
3. Current — place from the laser head
Use Current when you want to jog to a piece of material anywhere on the bed and run the job from that spot. The earlier example set the laser position based on the bottom-left, you can also adjust this by selecting a new position:
For example, clicking the central dot will reposition the green marker (and expected laser position) to the middle of the drawings:
How it works
- On the Origin tab, select Current.
- Pick a Job origin anchor on the 3×3 grid (corners, edge midpoints, or center).
- On the Move tab, jog the head to where that anchor should land on the material, and Set origin.
- Frame to check the outline, then Run.
When connected over USB, the Origin tab shows the live Work position.
Simulator
In Current mode the Laser Simulator shifts the preview so (0, 0) is at the job-start marker (green dot).