Creating a cut list from Shapr3D
Shapr3D has become the CAD tool of choice for a lot of woodworkers and cabinet makers, mostly because it stays out of the way. Getting an optimized cut list out of a Shapr3D model is a short workflow: export as STEP, then open the file in Cutlist Evolution.
Step 1: Designing in Shapr3D
Section titled “Step 1: Designing in Shapr3D”Start by building your project in Shapr3D’s clean, touch-friendly interface. A custom kitchen, built-in shelving and a single piece of furniture all work the same way, and the modeling tools let you check every detail in 3D. Rectangular components give the cleanest result, so breaking the design down into individual boards, panels and shelves, exactly how you’d build it in the shop, is worth doing. Shaped parts are no longer a dead end though. Every part is classed as Rectangular, Irregular or Not a panel, with its outline drawn for you. In nesting mode an irregular part is cut as its true shape on a CNC. In rectangular cutting it is squared off to its tightest enclosing rectangle, with the waste that costs stated on the row, so you can decide part by part.
Step 2: Exporting Your Model
Section titled “Step 2: Exporting Your Model”Once your design is complete, exporting takes seconds. Navigate to Shapr3D’s export menu, choose a format, and save.
STEP is the one to reach for. A STEP file declares its own units, so the sizes arrive exact and the import sets the unit for you. Shapr3D also exports STL, which Cutlist Evolution reads too.
OBJ works as well, and preserves the dimensional data while keeping file sizes manageable, but it carries no unit at all. You set the unit yourself on import, and getting it wrong is silent rather than obvious, because every part stays correct relative to every other. A whole cabinet can arrive a thousand times too small looking perfectly consistent. The import guards against this by showing the size of the whole model in the unit you are reading it as, and by offering to re-read the file when the model turns out to be barely wider than your saw blade.
Double-check that every component is in the selection before you export. Exporting everything at once is easier than tracking down the missing pieces afterwards.
Step 3: Importing into Cutlist Evolution
Section titled “Step 3: Importing into Cutlist Evolution”Drop the file into the 3D model cutlist generator and Cutlist Evolution recognizes each component’s dimensions. The 3D model becomes a structured cut list with part names, quantities, dimensions and grain direction indicators.
The generator is a page of its own rather than a panel in the corner of the app. You get the parts table beside a 3D preview, a Checks panel listing anything worth a second look before you cut, and a project name that titles the bill of materials you hand to a supplier.
A job is rarely one export either. Doors from one file and carcasses from another can be dropped together and are read as one model, with one merged parts list.
The import process handles the tedious work of measuring and documenting every piece, eliminating transcription errors and missed components. For detailed import instructions, see importing a model.
Step 4: Refining Your Cut List
Section titled “Step 4: Refining Your Cut List”Cutlist Evolution gives you full control over the imported data. Adjust material thickness, rename components for clarity, specify grain direction, or group parts by assembly. You can also define your available stock sizes and let the optimizer work out the cutting patterns, which is where the material saving comes from.
Benefits of the Shapr3D to Cutlist Evolution Workflow
Section titled “Benefits of the Shapr3D to Cutlist Evolution Workflow”What used to take hours of measuring now takes minutes. Design in 3D, export, import, optimize, done.
Exporting straight from CAD also removes measurement error. The dimensions in the cut list match the design exactly, every time. What comes out the other end goes to the saw station as it is: cutting diagrams, material summaries and part labels.
Optimized cutting patterns typically reduce material waste by 15-20% compared to a layout worked out by hand.
The workflow suits any shop that already models in 3D. The measurements exist in the design. There is no reason to write them out a second time with a tape measure and a notepad.