A real nest
3 boat biminis on 11.01 m of a 1520 mm roll, 89% of the canvas used
Bimini tops with a curved front edge, scalloped valances, side curtains with window openings, zip flaps, pockets and patches: 60 panels. The coated face stays up and the weave runs along the roll; panels only turn half round. Zip flaps are cut from inside the window openings, and the valances' scallops interlock. Its first marker was 12.03 m; the search kept going and cut it to 11.01 m.
| Part | Per set | Rotation | Tilt | Mirror |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bimini-top | 2 | 180° steps | – | no |
| side-curtain · 1 cut-out | 2 | 180° steps | – | no |
| valance | 2 | 180° steps | – | no |
| 2 | 180° steps | – | no | |
| zip-flap | 4 | 180° steps | – | no |
| patch | 8 | 90° steps | – | no |
- parts placed
- 60
- material used
- 89.3%
- marker length
- 11.01 m
- gap between parts
- 3 mm
- search time
- 5 min
Want to see how Lescut nests your own parts? Start a free trial or send us your parts.
The problem
Long panels and coated fabric that cannot turn over
Panels as long as the roll is wide
Covers and awning panels are often longer than the roll is wide. Fitting them along the roll is easy; filling the space beside them is where the material goes.
Coated face, printed face
PVC-coated fabric, acrylic canvas with a printed stripe and sailcloth with a finish have a face. A panel cut mirrored is scrap.
Windows and openings
Side curtains and tents have windows and doors cut out of them. That cloth is waste unless smaller parts of the same job are cut from it.
Applications
Where tent and awning nesting software is used
Tents and marquees
Long wall and roof panels in coated fabric, face up.
Awnings and sun shades
Panels and valances in acrylic canvas with a printed stripe.
Boat covers and biminis
Covers, tops and side curtains with windows filled by small parts.
Sails
Sail panels on the sailcloth roll.
Truck tarpaulins and curtainsiders
Large PVC panels and reinforcements from wide rolls.
Tensile membranes
Patterned membrane panels developed by your design software.
Inflatables
PVC and TPU panels for boats and structures, welded after cutting.
Settings to start from
A starting point for tents, awnings and covers
Rules per part come from text in your file (NAME, QTY, GRADE, ROT, TILT, FLIP) or the parts table; the rest is saved once in a nesting profile that starts every job.
| For | Setting | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Coated and printed fabric | ROT:180, FLIP:N | along the weave, face up |
| Patches and reinforcements | ROT:90 | small square parts that fill gaps |
| Window openings | closed outlines inside the panel | cut, and filled with small parts |
| Gap | 2–3 mm | hot knife or blade on heavy cloth |
| Time | 2–10 minutes | long panels leave few good choices; longer searches find the ones that matter |
Preparing your files
From your CAD to Lescut
Lescut reads DXF and SVG from cover, tent and sail design tools or from AutoCAD; each closed outline is a panel.
- Include seam, hem and weld allowances in the outline: Lescut nests the outline as drawn.
- Put grommet holes on DRILL, weld and seam lines on STITCH or MARK so they are marked, not cut.
- Draw windows and door openings as closed outlines inside the panel.
Good to know
What Lescut does not do
- Lescut does not design or flatten panels: that stays in your design software.
- It nests on one roll width per job, and on a roll only: rigid sheets are nested with sheet nesting.
- It does not join panels that are longer than the roll is long; each panel must fit the length you cut.
Savings
What better nesting is worth in tents, awnings and covers
The same parts need the same area of material however they are nested, so a better yield means buying less of it. Coated fabric and canvas are bought by the running metre, and long panels leave wide offcuts. The starting figures are an example for a canvas loft; enter your own.
78% today → 82.0% with nesting. This is your assumption; the trial measures it on your own files.
Engine time: how the plan is chosen
Count every lay cut from a marker; most markers need 2 to 5 minutes, and longer jobs keep shortening them. Your monthly volume divided by this gives the jobs a month, and the calculator picks the cheapest plan whose engine minutes and job length cover them.
The yield gain is your assumption; the trial measures it on your own files. More on how the fabric savings calculator works.
Pricing
Tent and awning nesting software plans, free for 7 days
Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial with engine minutes to nest your own parts against the rolls you would have used. Add a card when you sign up; you are charged only if you keep the plan.
Textile Starter
€29 per month
120 engine minutes, 8 vCPU per job, jobs up to 2 min
- Roll nesting: fixed width, shortest marker
- Rotation, grain and flip rules per part
- Part-in-part nesting
- DXF / SVG in, DXF / SVG out, layers kept
- Stripe and plaid matching, folded and tubular markers
- 1 user
€0 for 7 days. Card required. Cancel any time.
Extra engine minutes are €0.50 each, with up to 30% off. All fabric nesting plans.
Tent and awning nesting software: questions
Can panels be longer than the roll is wide?
Yes. Panels lie along the roll, so their length is not limited by the width; only their shorter side has to fit across it.
Can small parts be cut from window openings?
Yes. A closed outline inside a panel is a cut-out, and smaller parts of the job are nested inside it when they fit with the gap.
Does Lescut work for sails?
Yes, for cutting the panels your sail design software has already made, nested on the sailcloth roll. Panel layout and fibre direction come from your design; Lescut keeps each panel's rotation rule.
Which cutters can use the files?
Any cutting table, plotter or laser whose software imports DXF or SVG. Each marker comes back with your original layers and curves.