Hi Tellef,
The existing tutorials are all outdated when it comes to using the new canvas system for compositing and designing a project. It functions somewhat like Photoshop, with "layers" that are combined to produce a canvas which toolpaths will generate from. The tutorials that exist are from earlier versions of PixelCNC which allowed only loading a single image or model at a time for toolpathing off of. Now you must setup your project size and resolution and then load your images/models into the canvas. BMPs and SVGs may be in an unusual format that's not supported but I'd like to see these files you're unable to create a layer from. Are you seeing an error? Is a layer being created at all in the layers list on the bottom left of the PixelCNC window?
The contents of a log file which has captured your attempts to load images to create layers in the project canvas should provide plenty of information for me to deduce the cause of the problem you're having. Run PixelCNC, create a layer from a BMP that's not working, then repeat but with an SVG that's also not working. From the File menu then select "View Log Files" and open up the newest log file you see. You can copy and paste the contents of the log file over at http://www.pastebin.com and reply with the link so that I can see PixelCNC's diagnostic information that it outputs.
I'd also like to see the BMP and SVG files themselves that aren't working for you. If you'd rather not use pastebin you can email the log file along with the image files that aren't working to charlie@deftware.org.
There are currently no new tutorials or videos of the new PixelCNC interface which explain the canvas system and its usage/methodology because focus has been on getting the program from alpha to beta in time for the new year. A decision was made two years ago to hold back on creating learning resources for the time being because they would become obsolete over the course of development and need to be re-done multiple times, which would take away from actual program development time. Now that the first beta version is about to be released (hopefully on January 1st if I can finish this new toolpath type up by then) I will be changing gears and start creating video tutorials, demonstrations, and example projects in the coming weeks as PixelCNC will no longer be going under any major changes or feature additions now that would make tutorials obsolete in the future. This has been a long time coming!
I'm sure we'll be able to get everything all worked out for you, I just need as much information as you can give me in the meantime - that log file will contain just about everything that's needed to figure out the problem as long as it has captured your attempts to load images into the canvas. The image files themselves would be useful too but the log file is the most important at the moment.
Charlie