A clean file means an instant, accurate quote. CUTL flags most file problems on upload with its AI Reviewer, and the AI DXF editor can repair them in one click, but a tidy DXF, or a proper STEP model, always quotes faster and with fewer surprises. This page covers both inputs.
Which format should I send?
Send a DXF for a flat part you already have as a 2D drawing. Send a STEP file for a 3D model: a tube or profile, or a bent sheet-metal part you'd otherwise have to unfold by hand. A PDF drawing also works: CUTL extracts the cut contours from each view into DXF candidates you pick from. Only a photo or sketch needs a different route, the AI DXF editor traces those into quotable geometry.
Preparing a DXF
Six habits turn a messy export into a file that quotes in seconds:
01
Set the right units
Export in millimetres at 1:1 scale. A part drawn in inches or at the wrong scale quotes at the wrong size.
02
Close every contour
Each cutting contour must be a closed polyline (marking and bend lines can stay open). Open cut contours and tiny gaps confuse geometry detection, so join them before export.
03
Keep the drawing lean
Remove dimensions, title blocks, hatching and construction lines, they are not part of the cut. Note that CUTL reads operations from line types, not from layers.
04
Remove duplicates
Overlapping or doubled lines get counted twice. Run a clean-up / overkill pass so each edge exists once.
05
Explode text & blocks
Convert text to outlines (or remove it) and explode blocks so every entity is real geometry, not a reference.
06
One part per file
A single part per DXF quotes cleanest. If a drawing holds several parts, CUTL can split it into individual candidate parts for you (20 coins per extracted part), or split it in CAD.
Do
- Millimetres, 1:1 scale
- Closed polylines for every cut
- Cut geometry kept clean, with bend and operation lines on their own line types
- Text converted to curves
- Arcs kept as arcs, not faceted into segments
Avoid
- Inches or unknown units
- Open or overlapping contours
- Dimensions and title blocks left in
- Live text or unexploded blocks
- Hatching or fill inside parts
PDF drawings and multi-part files
Two common real-world inputs need no manual conversion:
- PDF drawings. Upload the PDF and CUTL's extractor reads each view, derives the cut contours, and offers them as DXF candidates. Pick the view that represents the part and it becomes a normal, quotable drawing (20 coins per extracted part).
- Multi-part DXF files. A drawing that contains several shapes can be split by CUTL into individual candidate parts, each priced separately (20 coins per extracted part). One part per file is still the cleanest input, but a customer's combined sheet no longer has to be redrawn.
Minimum hole size
As a rule of thumb for laser cutting, keep internal holes at least as large as the material thickness (thin gauge tolerates a little less, thick plate needs more). The AI Reviewer flags holes below your machine's minimum cutting capability, see the AI DXF editor.
Marking bend lines
If the part will be bent, give bend lines a distinct line type (Dashed is the convention), map it to your Bending operation under Dictionaries, Line Types, and tick Exclude from cutting so bend lines are never counted as cutting length. Exporters vary: SOLIDWORKS, for example, puts bend lines on their own layer with the line style following your drafting standard, so upload a test part and check the Contour Table's Line Type column before trusting automatic detection. See Quoting & cost calculation for how line types drive operations.
Preparing a STEP file
Besides flat DXF drawings, CUTL accepts STEP files (.step / .stp) as a 3D input for a single part. On upload, CUTL reads the model, turns it into a flat cutting pattern, and costs it like any other part:
- Pipes and profiles: round and rectangular tubes, angles, channels and beams. CUTL reads the true length and cross-section and costs them per metre.
- Sheet-metal and bent parts: flat plates and bent parts are unfolded into their flat blank (with bend lines) and costed by area, the same way a DXF part is.
CUTL detects a STEP file by its content, so a part is handled as 3D even if the file was renamed.
What CUTL does with a STEP model
- 3D visualisation: rotate and zoom the part (with a full-screen view) to confirm it before quoting.
- Flat pattern & dimensions: for a tube or profile it extracts the true length and cross-section and weighs it per metre; for a sheet-metal part it unfolds the model and weighs it by area × thickness × density.
- Cost calculation: once the flat pattern is ready, material, cutting and any configured operations apply, and the part flows into the project total and the quote exactly like a DXF part. One production caveat: nesting works on flat cut outlines, so to nest a STEP part or run it through a production shift you need its flat-pattern DXF.
Assign the right material
Give a tube or profile a profile material (priced and weighed per metre) and a flat or bent part a sheet material (area × thickness × density), so the weight and the cost are computed correctly.
How the flat length is derived
When CUTL unfolds a bent part, the flat blank already accounts for the bend deduction, so its length reflects the bends rather than the outside dimensions added together. A plain STEP solid carries no sheet-metal feature tree, so the unfolder reconstructs the bends from geometry using a standard K-factor assumption; it cannot read your press-brake's own deduction table. If the exact blank size is critical for your material and tooling, confirm it against your own flat pattern, or upload a flat-pattern DXF instead.
What STEP does not support
CUTL analyses one part per file and won't guess when a model can't become a single flat pattern:
- Multi-part assembly: export one part per file and upload them separately.
- Geometry that can't be flattened: a freeform 3D shape that isn't a profile or sheet-metal part. Simplify the model, or upload the flat pattern as a DXF instead.
- Undetermined part type: when CUTL can't confidently tell what the part is, it stops rather than guess. Provide a cleaner model or a DXF.
STEP vs DXF, which to use
| Part | Best input | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tube or profile | STEP | CUTL reads length and cross-section straight from the 3D model |
| Sheet-metal / bent part | Either | Upload the STEP and CUTL unfolds it, or send a flat-pattern DXF |
| Several parts | One file each | Assemblies are not analysed as a single part |
Once your file quotes cleanly, move on to Quoting & cost calculation.