Add parts and quantities
Drop one or several files. Each file is split into its pieces; every piece gets a quantity. Sizes are read from the file, so a 300 mm plate stays 300 mm.
Nesting & layout · 17 tools
Nesting and sheet layout
Fit the most parts on a sheet or roll, with true-shape or rectangle packing, rotation, quantities, multi-sheet runs and the waste figure for the quote.
Material is most of the cost of a cutting job, and the layout decides how much of it becomes product. Twelve acrylic plates laid out by hand on a 1220 by 2440 mm sheet might leave a third of it as offcut; nested properly, with the parts rotated and the small ones tucked into the gaps, the same sheet takes sixteen. The difference is the margin on the job.
The nesting tools take parts from SVG, DXF, CorelDRAW CMX or traced images, give each a quantity, and pack them onto a sheet or roll with the gap and margin you set. True Shape Nesting lets parts interlock; rectangle nesting is faster and predictable for signage; roll nesting packs along a fixed width; multi-sheet runs spill onto extra sheets and report utilisation for each.
Try it here
Sheet Nesting
Multi-sheet nesting with utilisation.
How a nesting & layout job runs
Choose the packing
True Shape Nesting for irregular parts, letters and templates. Rectangle Nesting for plates and boxes. Roll Nesting for vinyl and fabric. Rotation Optimization tries the angle step you allow.
Set the sheet, gap and margin
Presets for A4, A3, acrylic 600 by 900, MDF 4 by 8 ft and common laser beds, or a custom size. Gap is kerf plus clearance; margin keeps parts off the clamped edge.
Review utilisation and export
Sheet Utilization and Waste Percentage are reported per sheet. Export each sheet as a complete SVG or DXF at true size, ready for the laser, router or plotter.
All nesting & layout tools
17 tools · Fit the most parts on every sheet or roll and know the waste.SVG NestingNest SVG parts on a sheet with true-shape packing.DXF NestingNest DXF parts on a sheet with true-shape packing.True Shape NestingShape-aware nesting that tucks parts into each other, any rotation.CMX NestingNest CorelDRAW CMX letters, logos and parts on a sheet.CorelDRAW Sheet NestingFrom a CorelDRAW export to nested sheets with waste figures.Rectangle NestingFast bounding-box nesting with rotation.Sheet NestingMulti-sheet nesting with utilisation.Roll NestingNest along a roll of fixed width.Auto ArrangeOne-click arrangement with spacing.Best Fit LayoutTry rotation for the best fit.Quantity LayoutLay out N copies of a design.Rotation OptimizationRotate parts 90° where it saves space.Part-in-Part NestingPlace small parts inside the holes of large ones.Multi-Sheet NestingSpill onto as many sheets as needed.Sheet Utilization CalculatorUsed area versus sheet area.Waste Percentage CalculatorWaste from part and sheet areas.Material Usage CalculatorSheets or metres for a batch.
On the machine
Gap by process
2 to 3 mm for vinyl so the weeding lines have room; 3 to 5 mm for laser so cuts do not char the neighbour; 8 to 12 mm for CNC to leave room for tabs and the bit diameter.
Rotation
Allowing 90-degree rotation is free; finer steps (15 or 5 degrees) improve utilisation on irregular parts at the cost of nesting time. On plywood or brushed acrylic, lock rotation so the grain stays consistent.
Part-in-part
A letter O or a frame has a hole large enough for another part. Part-in-Part Nesting places small parts inside those holes, which on jali and frame work recovers a surprising amount of sheet.
CorelDRAW users
CMX Nesting and CorelDRAW Sheet Nesting read CMX files exported from CorelDRAW directly, keep the curves and units, and return an SVG or DXF that imports back into Corel or goes straight to the cutter.
What usually goes wrong
- Nesting with zero gap. Adjacent cuts merge and the parts fuse or burn.
- Ignoring the margin. Parts within 10 mm of a laser bed edge often fall outside the honeycomb or under a clamp.
- Mixing units. A DXF in inches nested with an SVG in millimetres gives parts 25 times the wrong size; the size readout at load time catches it.
- Quoting a sheet count from area. Irregular parts rarely pack to their area; the tool's sheet count is the real number.
- Nesting text before welding. Each unwelded letter becomes a separate part and the layout explodes.
Common questions
How good is the nesting?
True-shape nesting reaches 70 to 85 percent utilisation on typical sign work, rectangle nesting 55 to 75. Commercial nesting engines do a few percent better on large mixed batches; for a sign shop's daily jobs the difference is small.
Can I nest across several sheets?
Multi-Sheet Nesting fills the first sheet, spills to the next, and reports utilisation per sheet. Export one sheet at a time with the selector; each export is complete on its own.
Does Quantity Layout differ from nesting?
Quantity Layout arranges one design in a grid to a target count, which is faster and gives an even layout for stickers and identical plates. Nesting handles mixed parts.
What does Best Fit Layout do?
It tries several sheet sizes from your presets and reports which one wastes the least for the job, which is the question to answer before ordering material.