Panel optimizer software for a Mac?

[Carol Reed]

Anyone with any experience with http://www.itfsoftware.com/cabinetcut ?

Any other panel optimization software for a Mac?

[Victor Robinson]

Not sure if it's as fully featured as this one, but Google Sketchup (free) + the Cutlist plugin (free) does this for boards and sheets. If you are not already a Sketchup user, there's a bit of a learning curve, but there are plenty of online tutorials available. If all you need to do is specify cabinet part sizes (without putting them together into a model), it's not that difficult.

[Steve Griffin]

Hi Carol,
I'm also in the market for some good panel optimizer software for MAC.

I tried the software you linked for a trial, and found it pretty primitive. There is no way to modify your results to favor ripping or crosscutting for example, and the outputs seem very labor intensive to cut. I also couldn't figure out how to print off cutlist diagrams with more than one sheet per page and still have readable dimensions, even if the font is changed.

My google searching found plenty of advanced optimizer software for PC, but not MAC. I'm considering getting a cheap little PC just for this task unless someone chimes in with a suggestion which works for MAC.

[Dave Richards]

Victor, while the Cutlist plugin does an excellent job of creating cutlists and it can show cutting layouts, it is not intended to do material optimization. That is, there is no means to define grain direction and it may not always create the best fit. It can export a file to import in CutList Pro for that purpose.