True-shape nesting, online and free
Gain access to advanced true-shape nesting software at zero cost. Optimise material usage and minimise waste to achieve cost savings and maximise productivity, for laser, plasma and router cutting. Runs online.
Opens online in a click. Nothing to install.
More parts, less material
True-shape nesting fits more parts on every sheet, so your stock goes further and your cost per part comes down.
Scrap becomes stock
When a sheet is not full, the leftover crops off as one clean piece you can rack and reuse. Less waste in the scrap bin, more free material next job.
No software bill
Paid nesters charge a monthly fee for true-shape nesting. Here it is free, with a built-in 2D editor and 49 ready-made shapes thrown in.
Open it and go
No install and no setup. TrueShapeNest runs online, so you can nest your first sheet the moment you land.
Packs the real shape, not a box
TrueShapeNest packs the actual shape of each part, not a rectangle around it. Curved and concave parts slot together, so you fit more on every sheet and buy less stock.
A clean, reusable offcut
When a sheet is not full, TrueShapeNest drops one straight cut between your parts and the empty stock, and marks how far it sits from your origin. What is left comes off as one clean piece. Rack it and use it on the next job instead of buying new stock.
What is nesting?
Nesting is the way parts are arranged on a sheet of material so they use as much of it as possible and leave as little scrap as possible. Wherever material is cut to shape - sheet metal, plywood, acrylic, foam or fabric - a tighter nest means more parts from the same sheet and less waste. On a CNC laser, plasma or router table, the nest is simply the layout the machine follows when it cuts.
What is nesting software?
Nesting software arranges 2D parts on a sheet automatically to reach the highest possible material yield. Instead of positioning every part by hand, you load your shapes, set the sheet size and spacing, and the software finds a tight layout in seconds. True-shape nesting software goes further: it packs each part by its real outline rather than a bounding rectangle, so curved and irregular parts interlock and even less material is thrown away. TrueShapeNest is free, online true-shape nesting software.
Why is nesting important in manufacturing?
In cut-to-shape manufacturing, material is usually the single biggest cost, so how tightly parts nest goes straight to the bottom line. A better layout means fewer sheets bought, less scrap, and a lower cost per part. Tighter nesting also shortens jobs and produces cleaner offcuts, so a shop is both more profitable and less wasteful. Across a production run, even a few percent of extra material yield adds up to real money saved.
Questions
- What file formats can I import?
- DXF and SVG. Splines, ellipses and arcs come in as true curves, and you can choose which DXF layers to include and set the units per file.
- What can I export?
- The nested layout as a DXF (R12) or SVG, ready for another CAD/CAM package.
- Can I control rotation and grain direction?
- Yes. Let parts rotate freely, lock the grain axis so brushed or rolled stock runs one way, or set fixed angles - per part or for the whole sheet.
- Can I draw my own parts?
- Yes. Pick from 49 parametric shapes, or draw a part in the built-in 2D editor with lines, arcs, fillets and trims. It checks the outline is cut-ready before you nest.
- Does it nest across multiple sheets?
- Yes. It fills as many sheets as you allow, flags which parts did not fit, and can crop a reusable offcut from the leftover.
Nest your first sheet
Add parts, press Nest, and watch them pack. It opens instantly - no sign-up.