In August 2026 xTool quietly added a feature to xTool Studio for the F Series lasers called ACS, which shows up in Studio as Auto mode. You put your material in, close the lid, and the machine focuses itself, finds the item, and moves your design onto it. With xTool's own materials it can even read a QR code and load the settings for you.
I tested it on my F2 with an xTool material and two of my own, to see how well it really works. Here's how to set it up and use it, step by step. For the newest Studio features, see my latest xTool Studio update guide.
Jump to: Which machines · Check your version · Turn on Auto mode · With an xTool material · With your own materials · Off-center round items · Where it's useful
Which machines it works with
I used the F2. It also works with the F2 Ultra and the F2 Ultra UV. As far as I know it does not work with the F1 Ultra, so check before you rely on it.
1. Check your Studio version
Click the cog at the top right of the Home screen and scroll to the bottom to see About xTool Studio. Mine was 1.8.14 when I filmed this, and you need that version or newer. If you're behind, update first.
2. Turn on Auto mode
- Click New Project at the top right. Studio connects to your F Series machine.
- Click the Device settings button at the top right, next to your machine.
- Choose Device settings on the left and switch on Auto mode. It's probably off by default.
You then pick how it starts:
- Close enclosure trigger: it starts on its own when you close the lid. This is the one I used, and I think most people will want it.
- Manual trigger: you start it yourself.
A tip pops up explaining how it works. The important bit: place your material in the middle of the bed and make sure the red and blue laser dots land on the item. They don't need to be focused, because Auto mode takes care of that.
Back on the workspace you'll see Auto mode at the top of the right-hand panel. To turn it off and go back to normal, click the power button next to it.
3. Using it with an xTool material
Auto mode is designed to work with xTool's own materials, which come with a QR card. I used a cinnamon leaf. One thing I noticed: older xTool QR cards don't seem to work with this. You need the newer cards with the green xTool logo in the middle.
- Add your design to the canvas and roughly size it. Don't worry about the position.
- Place the material in the machine. The F2 bed is quite small for these leaves, so I trimmed mine to fit.
- Put the QR card inside the camera area, next to the item.
- Check the red and blue dots are on the item.
- Close the lid.
The machine focuses itself, works out the size of the item and reads the QR code. Studio then tells you which material it found.
Click Apply. It loads xTool's recommended settings for that material and moves your design to the center of the item. For this leaf it also inverted the image when I clicked auto adjust. Then just click Process. My design came out exactly where I wanted it.
One thing I'd love to see in the future is the picture being adjusted automatically to suit the material it detects. It didn't do that in my test.
4. Using it with your own materials
Before you click away because you don't have xTool materials: it works with other materials too. I used a generic PU leather patch with an "Into the forest I go" design.
- Put your design on the canvas. I deliberately put mine in the top right, away from where the patch would be.
- Place the patch roughly in the middle of the bed, with the dots on it.
- Close the lid. It focuses, scans the item and moves the design onto it.
The one thing you don't get is material detection, because there's no QR code. Studio tells you it found no material information, so you pick the material yourself.
Open the material library, choose your material and click Apply, then adjust anything you want and process it. For tested settings on your own materials, my free Laser Settings Library and the F2 settings page are a good place to start.
The engraving looked great, and when I compared it with the screen it was spot on.
5. Off-center round items
For the last test I wanted to see how well it centers a design on a round item that isn't in the middle. I put a bamboo coaster off-center and put a round target design in the bottom right of the canvas, well away from it.
I closed the lid, it focused, took the picture and moved the design onto the coaster. I changed the material to bamboo by hand and processed it.
It was spot on across one axis and sat a little low on the other, but considering where the design started, I was really impressed. Run a quick test on a scrap if your positioning needs to be perfect.
Where Auto mode is really useful
It has a lot of potential. I think it's best in a fast, busy setting like a craft fair or trade show, where you want quick, repeatable results. Someone puts their item in, you close the lid, the design drops into place, and you engrave with the suggested settings. And because it works with ordinary materials as well as xTool's, you're not tied to one supplier.
What do you think of it? Let me know in the comments on the video.
