Cutting Sequence Pro
Cutting Sequence is an animated, step-by-step visualisation of the exact order in which cuts should be executed on a sheet. Rather than handing an operator a static diagram and asking them to figure out the cut order themselves, Cutting Sequence walks through each cut one at a time — highlighting the active cut on the canvas as the operator progresses through the job.
The feature is designed for production environments where cuts are made manually on a table saw or panel saw. Operators follow the sequence cut by cut, advancing to the next step only when the current cut is complete.
Cutting Sequence is a Pro feature available exclusively in Guillotine cut mode. See Guillotine Mode Only below for the reason this restriction exists.
Why Cut Sequence Matters
On paper, any cut order that produces the correct pieces might seem acceptable. In practice, cut order has a significant effect on safety, accuracy, and panel stability.
Panel stability during cutting. When cutting large sheets, the sequence determines how much unsupported material is hanging off the saw at each step. Cutting the sheet into roughly equal halves first — rather than slicing thin strips from one edge — keeps the offcut balanced and reduces the risk of binding or kickback.
Offcut handling. If a large offcut piece is separated from the sheet last, it may be difficult to handle safely. An optimised sequence ensures large sections are broken down early so they remain manageable at every step.
Operator accuracy. Operators working from a static plan must track which cuts have already been made and decide what to cut next. That mental load increases the chance of cutting the wrong piece or cutting in the wrong direction. Cutting Sequence eliminates that ambiguity by showing exactly one cut at a time, reducing errors on busy shop floors.
Training new staff. A step-by-step sequence is far easier to follow for inexperienced operators than a full cutting diagram. New staff can be productive sooner when they can follow the visualisation rather than interpret a technical drawing.
Using the Cutting Sequence Player
Make sure your optimization is set to Guillotine cut type in Settings before running. The Cutting Sequence bar will not appear for Nested results.
- Open your project and set the cut type to Guillotine in Settings.
- Enter your stock sheets and demand pieces, then click Run Optimization.
- After the optimization completes, the Results panel opens. At the top of the Results panel, locate the Cutting Sequence bar.
- The canvas displays the first sheet with the first cut highlighted.
- Use the player controls (described below) to step through the sequence or let it play automatically.
- Use the sheet navigator to move between sheets and review the sequence for each sheet independently.
Player Controls
| Feature | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ◀ Previous step | button | Move back one cut in the sequence. The canvas updates to highlight the previous cut. Use this to re-check a step you have already made. |
| ▶ Next step | button | Advance one cut forward in the sequence. Press this after each physical cut is complete to move to the next instruction. |
| ▶ Play | button | Start automatic playback. The sequence advances one step every 0.8 seconds. Useful for previewing the full cut order before starting work, or for quickly reviewing a completed sheet. |
| ⏸ Pause | button | Stop automatic playback at the current step. The sequence remains at that step until you press Play, Previous, or Next. |
Reading the Visualisation
When the Cutting Sequence player is active, the canvas cut plan view updates to reflect the current step:
- Active cut — The cut currently highlighted is drawn in a distinct accent colour (typically orange or blue, depending on your display theme). This is the cut the operator should make right now.
- Completed cuts — Cuts from previous steps are shown in a muted colour, indicating they have already been executed.
- Remaining cuts — Future cuts are shown in a lighter, subdued style so the operator can see the overall plan without being distracted by steps they haven’t reached yet.
- Piece labels — Labels for pieces that have been fully separated by the current step are shown on those pieces, confirming the operator can set them aside.
If the canvas feels crowded on a small screen, zoom into the active cut area using the canvas zoom controls. The Cutting Sequence player continues to work normally at any zoom level.
Guillotine Mode Only
Cutting Sequence is only available when the cut type is set to Guillotine. This is not a limitation of the feature itself — it reflects a fundamental difference between the two cut types.
Guillotine optimization builds a binary cut tree: the full sheet is split by a single straight line, producing two sections; each section is then split again; and so on until all demand pieces are separated. This tree structure has a well-defined top-down execution order that maps directly to physical cuts on a saw.
Nested optimization places pieces into any available free space without following a guillotine cut structure. The resulting layout cannot always be reproduced with a single straight cut per step, and there is no single correct sequence to execute the cuts. Generating a step-by-step sequence for a nested layout would either be misleading or require a CNC tool path — outside the scope of manual cutting.
If you need maximum material yield and are using a CNC router, use Nested mode and export the layout as SVG or DXF for your machine. If you are cutting on a table saw or panel saw and need a step-by-step guide, use Guillotine mode with Cutting Sequence.
Tips
Use Play mode for orientation, then step manually on the floor. Before starting a job, run through the full sequence in Play mode to understand the overall cut strategy. Then reset to step 1 and use the ▶ Next step button at the saw, advancing only after each cut is confirmed complete.
Display on a shared screen or tablet. Mount a tablet or position a monitor near the saw so the operator can see the CutOptim canvas without leaving the machine. The large highlighted cut on the canvas is readable from a metre or more away.
Use Cutting Sequence for operator training. Walk new operators through a job using Play mode before they touch the material. Seeing the sequence animated makes the cut logic intuitive and reduces the chance of mistakes on the first real job.
Print a static backup. Before starting a complex job, export the PDF cut sheet as a fallback. If the screen is unavailable mid-job, the operator can still complete the job from the printed diagram, even without step-by-step guidance.