Cut list, nesting and export
Cut list
In a room, open Cut list & Export. Each cabinet is listed with its number, size, type and
face (e.g. #3 Sink base — 33 × 34.5 × 24 in · base · 2-door).
Click Parts to expand the cabinet. Every part is drawn with its machining:
| Colour | Operation |
|---|---|
| Orange | Dado / rabbet |
| Green | Notch |
| Grey dot | Shelf pin (5 mm) |
| Blue dot | Hinge cup (35 mm) |
| Red dot | Hinge plate (5 mm) |
Click a part to enlarge it and see its operations.
Each cabinet also has its own DXF ↓ link, useful for a one-off.
Nesting
Nesting lays every part out on your sheets. It's on the project's Nesting tab (whole project) and on each room's Nesting tab (starts with just that room ticked).
- Rooms to nest: tick the rooms to include.
- Materials to nest: tick the materials. Each material nests separately.
- Between parts: the gap between parts. Make it at least your cutter diameter plus a margin.
- Sheet edge margin: how much of the sheet edge to keep clear.
- The preview updates as you change these. Save default keeps the gaps for the project.
Each material shows its sheet count and % yield (how much of the sheet ends up as parts).
- Click a sheet (⤢ open) to see it full size.
- Numbers on the parts match the table underneath: number → room → part → qty → size.
- Click a piece or a row to see its machining.
"Parts won't fit this sheet"
If a part is bigger than the sheet allows at your gaps, you'll see a red warning listing the parts and the largest size that fits. Export is blocked until every part fits, so you never get a short file. To fix it:
- reduce the part or edge gap
- use larger sheet stock (set in Materials)
- split the part, e.g. make a tall end panel two pieces
Export
Each material has a DXF ↓ link. You get one file per material, covering all its sheets.
DXF
Labelled DXF of every nested sheet, for Vectric VCarve/Aspire or any CAM that reads DXF. You set the toolpaths in your CAM. The file is always drawn in inches, whatever units you design in, so set your CAM job to inches when you import it.
Each kind of cut is on its own layer, so you can make one toolpath per layer:
| Layer | What's on it | Typical toolpath |
|---|---|---|
CUTOUT | Part outlines and through-cuts | Profile, outside, full depth (with tabs if you use them) |
POCKET | Dados, rabbets, grooves and notches | Pocket to the depth of the joint |
UNDERMOUNT | Notches for undermount drawer runners | Pocket, through |
DRILL_5MM (etc.) | Holes, one layer per diameter, e.g. shelf pins | Drill |
BORE_35MM (etc.) | Large bores, e.g. hinge cups | Drill or pocket with a boring bit |
GROOVES | Rough pockets for dovetail joints | |
MACHINE_PATH | Dovetail tails and sockets, already shaped for the bit | Follow the line (no offset) |
LABEL | Part numbers and names | Don't cut. Hide it or engrave |
SHEET | The sheet outline | Don't cut. Reference only |
Layers only appear when they're used. A sheet of doors has no POCKET layer, for example.
G-code
Coming soon for Mach4 and Avid. Until then, export DXF and toolpath it in your CAM.
When G-code arrives it will be ready to run, grouped by tool, with Z-zero on the top of the material by default. An option for zeroing on the spoilboard will come later.
CNC tools
Set these up now. Your tool diameters matter for G-code, and the dovetail tail bit is used for the joint geometry even in DXF. CNC tools is shown above the nest:
Tool library: your bits, with the actual measured diameter. Toolpaths compensate for it, so a worn or undersized bit still cuts parts to size.
Tool assignment: which bit runs each operation:
- Inside cuts · dados / notches
- Shelf-pin drill
- Hinge bore
- Profile cut
- Dovetail · tails (new ¼″)
Click Save assignment.
Which export should I use?
- Today: DXF, into VCarve/Aspire or your usual CAM.
- Once G-code ships (Mach4 / Avid): G-code if you want to load the file and cut. Zero Z on top of the material.
- One cabinet, not the whole job: the per-cabinet links on Cut list & Export.