Sometimes you do not want an optimizer. You want to put that one bracket exactly where you know it fits, tuck a test piece into a corner of an offcut, or build a quick one-off layout without running a nest at all. Manual mode is for exactly that.
What it does
- Standalone editor. Pick a sheet (uploaded, manual size, library, or a saved offcut), then drag parts from the tray straight onto it. No nest run required.
- Real collision checks. Parts snap against the actual outlines, not bounding boxes, so concave shapes interlock the way they will on the machine.
- Full editing toolkit. Rotate in configurable steps, duplicate, nudge with arrow keys, multi-select, undo and redo. The same shortcuts as the post-nest touch-up editor.
- DXF export. Download the hand-built layout as a DXF with the same cut-path ordering the automatic exports get.
Manual mode complements the existing post-nest touch-up: run the optimizer and refine by hand, or skip the optimizer entirely. You will find it as the new Manual entry in the sidebar.