Projects & Cuts

CutOptim organises your work into two levels: projects and cuts. Understanding this hierarchy makes it easy to keep your jobs organised, find past work, and build up a history of material usage over time.

The Project/Cut Hierarchy

Your account
├── Project: Kitchen Renovation — Smith
│   ├── Cut 1: Wall panels (2D)
│   ├── Cut 2: Cabinet carcasses (2D)
│   └── Cut 3: Kickboard trim (1D)
├── Project: Deck — Jones
│   ├── Cut 1: Decking boards (1D)
│   └── Cut 2: Frame timber (Wood)
└── Project: Shop fitting — ABC Retail
    ├── Cut 1: MDF panels (2D)
    ├── Cut 2: Glass shelves (2D)
    └── Cut 3: Aluminium extrusions (1D)

Project — A named container representing a single job, client, or site. Projects have a name, optional notes, and a creation date. They hold one or more cuts.

Cut — A single optimization scenario within a project. A cut has its own stock list, demand list, settings (kerf, cut type), and results. Cuts can have different modes (2D/1D/Wood).

Creating a Project

1. 1

   Open the Project Panel

   Click the **Projects** icon in the left sidebar, or press Ctrl+P. The Project Panel slides in from the left.

2. 2

   Click New Project

   Click the **+ New Project** button at the top of the Project Panel. A new project is created with the default name 'New Project'.

3. 3

   Name your project

   The project name field is immediately editable. Type your project name (e.g. 'Kitchen Reno — Smith') and press Enter. Use a naming convention that makes projects easy to find: Client Name — Job Type or Date — Client is common.

4. 4

   Add optional notes

   Click the notes field below the project name to add a description, address, or reference number. Notes appear in the project list and on exported PDFs.

Creating and Managing Cuts

Each project starts with one default cut. You can add, rename, duplicate, or delete cuts from the Cut Selector in the toolbar.

Adding a Cut ★ Pro

1. Open the cut selector dropdown in the toolbar (shows the current cut name)
2. Click + New Cut at the bottom of the dropdown
3. The new cut opens as a blank workspace — add stock and demand as normal
4. Name the cut by clicking the cut name in the dropdown or toolbar

Renaming a Cut

Click the cut name in either the toolbar cut selector or the Project Panel list. The name becomes an inline text field. Type the new name and press Enter.

Good cut names describe what is being optimised:

• Wall panels 18mm MDF
• Floor joists 90x45 H3
• Kitchen doors — revised

Switching Between Cuts

Click any cut name in the cut selector dropdown or Project Panel list to switch to it. CutOptim automatically saves the current cut before switching — you will never lose changes when switching cuts.

Duplicating a Cut

Right-click a cut in the Project Panel and select Duplicate Cut. This copies all stock entries, demand entries, and settings to a new cut. Useful when you want to try a variation (e.g. different cut type or kerf setting) without losing the original.

Deleting a Cut

Right-click a cut in the Project Panel and select Delete Cut. You will be asked to confirm. Deletion is permanent — there is no undo for cut deletion once confirmed.

Cloud Sync ★ Pro

Pro users get real-time cloud synchronisation for all projects and cuts.

How Sync Works

Every change you make — adding a piece, running an optimization, renaming a cut — is synced to the cloud within a few seconds. A sync indicator in the toolbar shows the current state:

Accessing Projects Across Devices

Because projects are stored in the cloud, you can open CutOptim on any device (desktop, laptop, tablet) and see all your projects. Sign in with your account credentials to access your data.

Offline Mode ★ Pro

CutOptim works offline with Pro. If your internet connection drops, the app continues to function and queues your changes locally. When connectivity is restored, all queued changes sync to the cloud automatically.

Free Plan Storage

On the free plan, projects are stored in your browser’s localStorage. This means:

• Projects are device- and browser-specific (they do not transfer to another device or browser)
• Clearing browser cache or cookies will erase your projects
• You can have up to 5 projects on the free plan

To protect your work without upgrading to Pro, use the Export → CSV option after each optimization run. The CSV preserves all stock and demand data and can be re-imported to reconstruct a cut.

Deleting a Project

1. Open the Project Panel ( Ctrl +P )
2. Right-click the project
3. Select Delete Project
4. Confirm in the dialog

Deleting a project removes all its cuts, results, and settings permanently. On Pro, the data is also removed from the cloud. This action cannot be undone.