SHEET VINYL OPTIMISATION

Cutting Magic

Turn the floor plan into a practical sheet-vinyl cutting layout. Cutting Magic calculates real roll usage, searches alternative packing strategies, respects direction, seams, room rules and installer allowances, and produces cut information the estimator can review before it reaches site.

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FEATURE → ADVANTAGE → BENEFIT

Optimise the roll, not just the square metres.

Sheet vinyl is purchased from a fixed-width roll. Room shape, seams, installation direction, grain continuity, minimum pieces and production allowances all affect the material that actually has to be ordered. Cutting Magic turns those constraints into a practical optimisation problem while keeping the estimator in control.

01 — MATERIAL CALCULATION

Calculate the material you actually need to order.

Cutting Magic treats sheet vinyl as a roll-based cutting problem rather than simply multiplying room area. The engine uses the floor-plan geometry, roll width and installation rules to calculate practical pieces and the linear metres required.

Tool / Image
Feature
Advantage
Benefit
Roll Width
Roll-width based calculation

Use the selected sheet-vinyl roll width as a core constraint when the cut layout is generated.

Advantage

The optimiser works with the physical width of the product rather than assuming square metres alone describe the order quantity.

Benefit

Produces a more realistic linear-metre requirement for sheet vinyl.

Area vs Linear Metres
Separate floor area from roll requirement

Show the true floor area and the linear metres required from the roll as different measurements.

Advantage

The estimator can see why a room's covered area and the amount of vinyl purchased are not necessarily the same.

Benefit

Makes waste and purchasing decisions easier to understand and explain.

Room Geometry
Cut from the actual floor-plan geometry

Cutting Magic uses the room shapes created in Floor Planner rather than reducing the job to simple rectangles.

Advantage

Irregular spaces, openings and connected areas can influence the actual cutting result.

Benefit

Keeps the cut plan tied to the job that will really be installed.

Pieces
Generate individual installable pieces

Break the room geometry into vinyl pieces that fit within the selected roll width and seam rules.

Advantage

The estimator can inspect the actual pieces rather than relying on a single total quantity.

Benefit

Provides a clearer bridge between takeoff and installation.

Multiple Vinyl Products
Keep different vinyl products separate

Optimise multiple sheet-vinyl products in the same project while keeping their quantities and cut layouts separate.

Advantage

Mixed-material jobs can remain one project without combining incompatible materials on the same roll.

Benefit

Reduces duplicate files and keeps complex jobs organised.

02 — OPTIMISATION & SORTING

Search for a better way to use the roll.

Different projects need different packing strategies. Cutting Magic provides room-focused, cross-room and search-based optimisation so the estimator can balance material efficiency with the way the job will be cut and installed.

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Feature
Advantage
Benefit
Sort by Room
Keep room pieces together

Pack pieces in room order so each room's cuts remain grouped as far as the valid layout allows.

Advantage

The roll plan is easier to understand and organise for cutting and site installation.

Benefit

Reduces confusion when installers need to identify which piece belongs to which room.

Cross Room
Mix compatible rooms when it saves material

Allow compatible pieces from different rooms to share roll space where project rules permit it.

Advantage

Unused roll width can be reused by another room instead of automatically becoming waste.

Benefit

Can reduce total vinyl usage on multi-room projects.

Best Sort
Search alternative valid layouts

Search a wider set of valid packing arrangements and compare their material usage.

Advantage

The estimator is not limited to the first acceptable arrangement.

Benefit

Creates an opportunity to reduce total roll length without manually testing every combination.

Room Grouping
Balance room grouping with material savings

Keep room pieces together by default while still allowing approved exceptions where splitting a room group can materially improve the result.

Advantage

The optimiser can respect practical cutting preferences without treating them as absolute when the project allows flexibility.

Benefit

Helps balance installer convenience and material cost.

Single Room Optimisation
Optimise simple projects without unnecessary modes

Use the relevant room-based and Best Sort workflow on single-room projects without relying on cross-room mixing.

Advantage

The interface remains appropriate to the actual project complexity.

Benefit

Makes the optimiser useful for both simple rooms and large multi-room jobs.

03 — DIRECTION, GRAIN & ROTATION

Respect the way the material must run.

Direction can matter because of timber-look grain, pattern continuity, room appearance or installer requirements. Cutting Magic lets the estimator compare, force and link direction rules instead of treating rotation as a purely mathematical decision.

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Feature
Advantage
Benefit
Horizontal Direction
Keep the current horizontal installation direction

Use the project's current horizontal direction as a valid installation option.

Advantage

The optimiser can preserve the intended visual direction instead of rotating material just to improve packing.

Benefit

Protects design intent while still allowing optimisation inside that direction.

Vertical Direction
Compare a vertical installation direction

Test a vertical orientation where the room and product allow it.

Advantage

The estimator can compare material usage between horizontal and vertical layouts.

Benefit

Can uncover substantial savings where the alternate direction packs more efficiently.

Force Direction
Lock a required orientation

Force horizontal or vertical direction when the installation specification requires it.

Advantage

Critical visual or product rules take priority over the optimiser's preference.

Benefit

Prevents a mathematically efficient layout from producing an unacceptable installation.

Linked Direction Groups
Link connected rooms to one direction

Assign rooms to linked direction groups so connected areas keep the same orientation or grain relationship.

Advantage

Hallways, bedrooms, robes and other related spaces can stay visually consistent.

Benefit

Protects pattern and grain continuity across connected rooms.

Grain Direction
Keep timber-look and directional patterns consistent

Treat directional products differently from non-directional products where grain continuity matters.

Advantage

The optimiser knows that some products cannot simply be rotated without visual consequences.

Benefit

Reduces the risk of an efficient cut plan creating an unacceptable finished floor.

Rotation Control
Restrict rotation where required

Allow the estimator to prevent rotations that are not acceptable for the product or installation.

Advantage

Search results remain inside the real installation constraints.

Benefit

Improves confidence that an optimised result can actually be installed as shown.

04 — SEAMS & CUT LINES

Control where the vinyl is divided.

Seam position is an installation decision, not just a mathematical line. Cutting Magic combines a regular roll-width seam grid with manual seam control so the estimator can refine the layout for real rooms, doors and installer preferences.

Tool / Image
Feature
Advantage
Benefit
Standard Seam Grid
Roll-width seam spacing from a controlled starting line

The default horizontal seam layout can snap the top seam to the inner face of the north wall, with standard cut lines spaced one roll width apart.

Advantage

The initial layout is predictable and tied directly to the selected material width.

Benefit

Gives the estimator a sensible starting point before manual refinement.

Move Seam Grid
Move the regular seam grid together

Drag the standard seam layout as one translated grid so its regular roll-width spacing stays intact.

Advantage

The estimator can reposition the full seam pattern without accidentally changing the relationship between standard cut lines.

Benefit

Makes it faster to test better seam positions while preserving roll-width logic.

Added Seams
Create additional seams independently

Add extra seams that are separate from the regular translated seam grid.

Advantage

The estimator can create special cut columns or local seam conditions without changing every standard cut line.

Benefit

Supports difficult room geometry and more sophisticated packing strategies.

Custom Columns
Build smaller columns for stacking opportunities

Use added seams to create narrower columns where an alternative cut width creates a better packing opportunity.

Advantage

The cut plan can exploit useful combinations that a single full-width seam pattern may miss.

Benefit

Can reduce roll length on awkward room shapes.

Doorway Protection
Prevent seams through doorways

Apply seam rules that stop a vinyl seam being placed through a protected doorway location.

Advantage

The optimiser respects an important installation-quality constraint while searching for savings.

Benefit

Avoids layouts that look efficient on paper but are unsuitable on site.

Manual Seam Review
Estimator can refine the automated result

Move or add seams after the automatic layout has been generated.

Advantage

Automation remains a starting point rather than an irreversible decision.

Benefit

Keeps experienced estimator judgement at the centre of the final installation plan.

05 — ROOM RULES & INSTALLER CONSTRAINTS

Optimise inside the rules of the installation.

A lower material total is only useful if the resulting pieces can be installed. Room-level rules let the estimator protect critical spaces while still giving the optimiser flexibility elsewhere.

Tool / Image
Feature
Advantage
Benefit
Do Not Split
Protect selected rooms from splitting

Mark a room as Do Not Split where it must remain as one continuous piece, subject to the physical roll width and geometry.

Advantage

Critical rooms can be protected without forcing the same restriction onto every room in a linked direction group.

Benefit

Prevents unwanted seams in spaces where continuity is essential.

Minimum Piece Rules
Avoid impractically small pieces

Apply minimum piece dimensions so the optimiser does not create tiny strips simply to reduce theoretical waste.

Advantage

Search results remain closer to the way an installer would actually cut and fit the material.

Benefit

Improves practicality and reduces false savings caused by unusable pieces.

Hallway Continuity
Protect continuous hallway installations

Keep critical hallway geometry and direction rules intact where the project requires continuous material.

Advantage

The optimiser treats the hallway as an installation constraint rather than just another room to split for packing.

Benefit

Supports cleaner visual continuity and avoids inappropriate hallway seams.

Room-Level Flexibility
Let some room groups split when it is genuinely useful

Allow selected room components or related room parts to be packed separately where the project permits it.

Advantage

The optimiser can use targeted flexibility without losing the broader room and direction rules.

Benefit

Creates savings opportunities without turning every project into unrestricted cross-room packing.

Rule-Aware Search
Reject layouts that break project rules

Validate candidate layouts against the active room, direction, seam and piece-size constraints.

Advantage

A low material result is not accepted simply because it is shorter.

Benefit

Helps ensure the chosen layout is both efficient and valid.

06 — REQUIRED VS PRODUCTION

Separate geometric need from installer allowance.

Cutting Magic can distinguish the material that is mathematically required to cover the geometry from the production material an installer needs for trimming, fitting, door cut-outs and other practical allowances.

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Feature
Advantage
Benefit
Required – True Material Only
Show the exact geometric requirement

Display the material needed to cover the source geometry before practical production extras are added.

Advantage

The estimator can see the underlying material requirement independently of fitting allowances.

Benefit

Makes waste and allowance decisions transparent.

Production – Installer Allowance
Add practical production extra

Apply configured extra material to strips or pieces where the installer needs more than the exact room boundary.

Advantage

The production cut reflects how material is really prepared and fitted on site.

Benefit

Reduces the risk of a theoretically exact cut arriving too short for practical installation.

Allowance Settings
Control the extra material rules

Configure the additional vinyl allowed for selected strip or piece conditions.

Advantage

Different businesses and installation methods can use their own practical allowance standards.

Benefit

Keeps the optimiser aligned with the way the organisation actually installs flooring.

Allowance Visualisation
See production extra against required geometry

Use a dotted production outline to distinguish installer allowance from the true required shape.

Advantage

The estimator can visually understand where extra material has been added.

Benefit

Makes the production result easier to audit and explain.

07 — REVIEW, APPLY & VALIDATION

Know what has been tested before you commit the cut list.

Cutting Magic separates search and review from the final applied result. The estimator can compare options, inspect the geometry and then apply the chosen layout before producing installer output.

Tool / Image
Feature
Advantage
Benefit
Tested Layout
Review the optimiser result before applying

Generate and inspect a candidate layout without immediately committing it to the project.

Advantage

The estimator can compare the result and decide whether it is suitable.

Benefit

Prevents an optimisation search from silently changing the production cut.

Apply Result
Commit the chosen layout

Apply the selected cut geometry once the estimator is satisfied with the result.

Advantage

The project has a clear transition from a tested option to the production layout.

Benefit

Improves workflow clarity and reduces accidental output from an unapproved search result.

Applied State
Clear visual confirmation after apply

The Apply control changes state after the selected layout has been committed.

Advantage

The estimator can immediately see whether the project is still in review or has an active production layout.

Benefit

Reduces uncertainty before generating PDFs or 3D output.

Geometry Validation
Validate the applied result against the tested result

Check that the geometry rebuilt for production agrees with the layout that was validated by the optimiser.

Advantage

Mismatches can be detected instead of being silently accepted.

Benefit

Protects material accuracy between optimisation and final output.

Output After Apply
Enable PDF and 3D output after the layout is applied

Keep production outputs disabled until a layout has been committed.

Advantage

The estimator follows a controlled sequence: optimise, review, apply, then export.

Benefit

Reduces the chance of issuing installer information from an unapproved layout.

08 — CUT LIST, PDF & 3D OUTPUT

Turn optimisation into installer-ready information.

The final cut layout can be presented as roll summaries, individual pieces and project documentation so the estimator and installer can understand exactly what the optimiser produced.

Tool / Image
Feature
Advantage
Benefit
Roll Summaries
Show the full material rollout first

Present overall roll usage before the individual room or polygon details.

Advantage

The total production requirement is easy to review before looking at piece-level information.

Benefit

Gives purchasing and cutting teams a fast high-level material summary.

Multi-Vinyl Output
Keep each vinyl product clear in the PDF

For multi-material projects, show combined roll summaries first and then start each vinyl's detailed pieces on a new page.

Advantage

Different products are not mixed together in the installer documentation.

Benefit

Makes complex projects easier to cut, order and hand over.

Individual Piece Diagrams
Show each production piece with dimensions

Create piece-level diagrams with dimensions, area and installation direction information.

Advantage

Installers can identify the intended cut without translating a single overall total into pieces themselves.

Benefit

Reduces ambiguity during cutting and installation.

Direction Arrows
Display install direction on individual pieces

Show directional arrows on piece diagrams where orientation matters.

Advantage

The piece carries its own orientation context.

Benefit

Helps prevent a correctly sized piece being installed in the wrong direction.

Project-Named Output
Use the project name throughout documentation

Use the project name rather than a primary room name as the main document identity.

Advantage

PDF output stays associated with the real job even when it contains many rooms.

Benefit

Improves document control and reduces site confusion.

Cut List Detail
Dimensions, area and notes in a consistent format

Present cut information with consistent dimensions, area and notes alongside the piece geometry.

Advantage

The installer can read the information without relying on hidden development metadata.

Benefit

Produces cleaner professional documentation.

3D View
Review the applied project in 3D

Generate a 3D view after the cut layout has been applied.

Advantage

The production information can be considered alongside a visual representation of the floor plan.

Benefit

Makes room relationships and project context easier to understand.

Installer Job Pack
Combine cut information with the installer handover

Optionally include Installer Job Pack information after the visual and cut-list pages.

Advantage

Products, quantities and installation guidance can travel with the same project PDF.

Benefit

Creates a more complete site handover without exposing commercial quote pricing.

The core principle: the shortest layout is only useful if it can actually be installed. Cutting Magic searches for material savings inside the direction, seam, room and installer rules that apply to the real job.
NEXT STEP — QUOTE MAGIC

Turn the approved takeoff into a working quote.

Once the cutting result and quantities are approved, Quote Magic can use the same project measurements, business products and pricing rules to build the commercial quote.

Explore Quote Magic →