# Running nesting

Last updated: October 25, 2026

Nesting is laying the parts to be cut out on sheets with the least waste; moducut lays parts out on sheets by material and shows the result sheet by sheet. This page explains the Nesting Settings window and starting the layout.

> **Short answer** Press **Production › Nesting** on the ribbon (Alt + W). In Nesting Settings, check the part list, sheet sizes and general settings and press **Run Nesting**; the results open in the Nesting Results window.

## The Nesting Settings window

The window has three sections: the Part List on the left, Board Size by Material below it and General Settings on the right. Below the title it says how many part groups and how many parts will be laid out. If a connector or hardware setting changed after nesting, the bottom of the window says the holes on the sheets are outdated.

## Part List

Each row is a part group; the columns are INCLUDED, QTY, CABINET, PART, MATERIAL, GRAIN, WIDTH x LENGTH and PVC 1–4.

- **INCLUDED.** A group you untick does not go into the layout.
- **GRAIN.** Ticked parts are not rotated on the sheet; the grain direction is kept. The box in the header turns all visible rows on or off at once.
- **WIDTH x LENGTH.** The button next to the size swaps width and length.
- **PVC 1–4.** Band boxes with edge names; turn a banded edge on or off for nesting.

The buttons below the list: **Select All**, **Remove All**, **Delete Selected**, **Add Back** and **Add Part**. For a part that came from a carcass, Delete Selected only takes it out of the list; parts you added by hand with Add Part are deleted.

## Sheet sizes and offcut sheets

In the Board Size by Material section, each material is a row; change the sheet’s width and length here. Add the offcut sheets you have on hand with the row’s **Part** button: nesting fills offcut sheets first, then moves on to full-size sheets.

## General Settings

- **Kerf.** The gap left between two parts; never used smaller than the cutter diameter.
- **Edge Margin.** The margin left from the edge of the sheet.
- **PVC Allowance.** The allowance reserved for banded edges.
- **Layout method.** Layout for CNC Cutting, Guillotine — Mixed (find the best), Guillotine — Vertical Cut First or Guillotine — Horizontal Cut First.
- **Offcut preference and Search.** No preference, Strip along the long edge or Strip along the short edge; search Fast or Deep.
- **Offcut recovery.** When on, usable strips left on the sheets are listed in the results.
- **Grain matching.** On by default; on a patterned sheet, the doors and drawer fronts in the same column are cut one after another, and the fronts of side-by-side modules are lined up like a single facade.
- **Part categories.** Carcass parts, back panels, shelves, dividers, plinth, notching, drawer box and base, doors, drawer fronts, crown and light strip are separate boxes.
- **CNC Layout.** Layout order (By length, By width, By area) and fill direction (Row by row, Column by column); only applies to the CNC method.
- **Door, Back Panel and Sizing.** Doors and back panels are laid out Together with the carcass or On a separate sheet; sizing is done With contour or Without contour.

## Starting nesting

1. Press **Production › Nesting**.
2. Untick INCLUDED for groups that should stay out of the layout, or turn off the category.
3. Check the sheet sizes and offcut sheets.
4. Enter the General Settings and press **Run Nesting**.

If you moved parts by hand in Nesting Results, moducut asks for confirmation before laying them out again.

> **Tip:** If another workshop makes your doors, turn off the Doors and Drawer Fronts categories; nesting lays out only the carcass.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I send just one module to nesting?

Yes. Right-click the module in the room and choose Send to Nesting. If you right-click a part in design mode and choose Send Only This Part to Nesting, only that part is laid out.

### What is the difference between the guillotine and CNC methods?

Guillotine methods split the sheet into strips with straight end-to-end cuts, as on a panel saw. Layout for CNC Cutting arranges parts to be cut with a router; L-shaped or corner parts are placed in their real shapes.

### What happens if I enter a kerf smaller than the cutter?

moducut never uses a gap smaller than the cutter diameter in the layout; a narrower gap would cut into the neighboring part. You enter the cutter diameter under CNC Settings › Cutting Settings.