Does anyone know of a decent program (preferably free or cheap) that will optimize cutting sheet goods? I want to be able to enter the quantity and dimensions of the pieces and have the program figure the best layout on the plywood.
1 – measure the board twice, 2 – cut it once, 3 – measure the space where it is supposed to go 4 – get a new board and go back to step 1
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That's an interesting problem, because ideally it'd be able to let you specify grain orientation, and also specify pieces that would be adjacent if possible (for grain continuity).
I'll have to think about that.
I haven't had a project to put it to use on yet since I bought it, but based on quite a few recommendations from WW'ers on another forum I picked up Cutlist Plus a few months ago. The LT version is only $30. I've only browsed through it, but it seems to be a pretty complete package.
http://cutlistplus.com/
If you build it he will come.
The "Cutlist Plus LT" program will handle 25 pieces, not quite adequate for a project of any size, so if your project is small, one may well not bother with the Cutlist.
I design my projects on CAD and use an Excell spead sheet. Enter L and W and piece count. I number the pieces on my CAD drawing, enter that on my sheet along with a description. I let the program calculate board feet. A quick study tells me about how wide my boards should be. I buy the BF required plus 10%. My cutlist and Cad drawing accompanies me to the shop.
eCabinet is free and is the best software available for cabinets and nesting.....
http://www.ecabinetsystems.com/
Dan.. How difficult is E cabinets as far as a learning curve. I have never worked with any type of cad program before. What I am looking for is a program that will give me a drawing to present to a client for a kitchen or any other type of casework. Cutlist is not a priority.
TIA
Brian
I've been using "Sheet Layout" from Productivity Software for a very large project for about 4 months now. (This project included some 60 furniture units, which I merge into groups of 8-10 cabinets each for cutting purposes) The cost of the program varies with the capacity you need, but it seemed reasonable to me. The program has a few quirks, but no real difficulty to get the hang of in an hour. I could suggest some improvements, but basically it has done the job I need.
DR
I downloaded a trial version of "Cutlist Plus" which lays out sheet material and board stock. Take a look at the following site:
http://cutlistplus.com/
I understand there is an application that allows you to draw cabinets (and other furniture) on a computer and also generates a cut list and sheet layout. Would anyone have any other ideas?
I use powerpoint. All I do is create a 4x8 inch box. I then create the individual pieces that I need to cut out and size them where inches equals feet. For instance a 24 x 30 inch piece would be 2 x 2.5 inches. I then can drag it over on top of the first 4x8 box. If you want a reference to grain, use a woodgrain fill on the main box. You can then clone pieces as you need (copy, paste) and modify the dimensions through the format properties. Create a label for each box and you know what you are cutting. If you need to rearrange, drag them off and move them around. Rotate or flip as necessary. I'm sure there are other better software packages out there, but most pc's have office loaded with powerpoint. Pretty easy and straightforward.
I was hoping to find something fairly simple that would work with 4x8 and 4x4 sheets and where I just put in the dimensions and quantity of the parts and tell it what the kerf of the blade is and it will then figure out the optimum layout of the pieces. In an ideal program, I could input the size and quantity of my sheet goods (including smaller cutoffs) and it would choose from my inventory to determine best usage of pieces.1 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go 4 - get a new board and go back to step 1
This method takes a bit more time and doesnt do things automatically, but it is pretty much a freebie and will show what works and doesnt when it comes to laying out all your cuttings for a sheet or multiple sheets of plywood. I just offer it as a suggestion, it works for me.
I used Cutlist on a couple of projects and really liked it. There are three levels of the package based on features and number of pieces allowed.
I have evaluated a dozen or so Optimizing pgms. so far. Each gets there a little differently.
Check-out a program called "SnapIt". It's written by the Drummond brothers who have been producing optimizing programs for near 20 years.
"SnapIt" was the only program that not only allowed one to "pluck off" a piece or two and reposition them elsewhere; but it has the ability to rotate the part placement. A great feature when working with either Melamine or MDF. When repositioning a piece, it "snaps to" the piece adjacent to where you insert it.
Practice...'till you can do it right the first time.
Here's the download page for SnapIt and the Drummonds other program Itemizer:http://www.rrdrummond.com/demo1.htmforestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I use Delta CAD and simply enter the outline of the wood and then play with the sizes of the boards to arrive at the cut plans
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