MP21263-L

Hands-on Training: TruNEST Multi-Tool for Sheet

Metal from Inventor
Matt Thorn
Autodesk

Learning Objectives
 Discover Nest Inventor assembly in TruNest Multi-Tool
 Learn how to import designs from Inventor/Vault into TruNest Multi-Tool
 Learn how to order scheduling for production of assemblies
 Discover basic functionality and use cases in TruNest Multi-Tool

Description
A 2D sheet metal design using Inventor software is easy, scalable, and cheap. After the sheet
metal design process is complete, production of the sheet metal design needs to be optimized
to reduce cost and time. The same part/assembly designs that are created and stored in
Inventor software can be used to drive cutting tools for all types of cutting machines. This
session will cover the process of programming cutting tools to cut material in the most efficient
manner possible using TruNest Multi-Tool software. The specific topics covered will include:
maintaining design intent and revision control through direct link to Inventor software or Vault
software; extracting 2D flat-pattern shapes from each sheet metal part automatically; nesting
shapes together on each material to get maximum material efficiency using TruNest Multi-Tool
software; and post processing the nested result for a variety of different styles of cutting
machines. The postprocessor optimizes the machine cycle to maximize machine throughput
and reduce wear on consumables. This session features TruNest Multi-Tool, Inventor
Professional, and Vault Professional.

Your AU Expert(s)
Matt Thorn is a Product Release Manager at Autodesk. Matt received his BS in Mechanical
Engineering and Mathematics from Rutgers University and Stockton University respectively
after completing a five year Dual Degree program. He began his expertise in Advanced
Manufacturing with Magestic Systems Inc. which was then acquired by Autodesk in July 2014.
Matt has been teaching and advising companies around the world on how to optimize their
nesting, laser projection, and fiber placement manufacturing processes for over 3 years.

[email protected]

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Introduction
Nesting
What is nesting? Nesting is the optimization process of trying to fit a small object or objects inside a
larger one. Nesting for manufacturing involves fitting as many parts, pieces, or plies (small objects) into
the given material constraints (larger objects).

FIGURE 1: EXAMPLE OF A NEST USED IN MANUFACTURING

Why is nesting important? The nesting process drives the production of parts and assemblies on the
shop floor. The nesting system knows how much material will be consumed and left over to make a
product.

TruNest User Interface

Tree
The Tree serves as the main entry to every workspace within TruNest. Each node in the tree indicates
how many other nodes are underneath it. Clicking a node in the tree will open that workspace. You can
open multiple workspaces at a time by using the center mouse button when clicking a node in the tree.
If you use a standard left click, it will replace the current workspace with the workspace chosen in the
tree. Some of the nodes, like the Nests node, are automatically populated based on certain criteria
within the system. The tree has a search feature that will automatically expand the nodes in the tree
that match the search criteria. It also has a refresh option in case something within the configuration has
changed and the tree needs to be updated.

FIGURE 2: ADMIN LEVEL EXPANDED TREE (SPLIT INTO 3 PIECES)

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Ribbon
The ribbon is another navigation tool within TruNest. The ribbon has more specific options to choose
from that are easily accessible, rather than trying to find the correct node in the tree. One distinct
difference about the ribbon is that each button opens up a separate workspace instead of overwriting
the currently selected workspace.

FIGURE 3: ADMIN LEVEL RIBBON TASK SET

Workspaces
Workspaces are the main action areas of the interface. There are various different types of workspaces
that each serve a specific purpose in TruNest. Some serve specific purposes like the Order Entry
workspace and the Schedule Orders workspace. These two workspaces are highly customized to easily
allow the user to queue parts and schedule them for nesting. There are also three general types that you
will see heavily used within TruNest.

Grid Workspace
The grid workspace allows the user to view a table within the TruNest database. There are
several tool bar options that allow the user to copy, past, insert, and delete current records in
the table. There is also support to import and export data to and from specific formats. Inside of
the grid, you can also filter columns by specific criteria. This can also be used in conjunction with
the grouping mechanism which groups the whole table by one or more columns. If a table has
many columns that do not fit on the screen, you can also lock or freeze columns. This feature
keeps important columns in view when you scroll the table. Lastly, you can resort columns to
see information side by side for comparison.

Viewport Workspace
The viewport workspace allows the user to view part files in 3D. In this workspace the user can
fully inspect the geometry with the tools given in the tool bar. There are entity, shape, and part
inspection options that bring up a contextual menu that updates based on what geometry is
selected. This will give the user information about what layer, color, and line style the selected
geometry is on. It will also allow the user to see information about area, perimeter, and center
of gravity. There is also a measuring option for inspection purposes.

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 Action Workspace
The action workspace allows the user to launch specific processes based on the contents of a
table. This workspace is similar to the grid workspace, but with action buttons on the right-hand
side. This workspace is commonly used for nesting and part import functions.

Users, Groups, and Logins

TruNest has a user authentication system. Each user inside of TruNest has a certain amount of privileges
depending on what group they are assigned to. A user in the admin group typically has access to all
types of workspaces, read and write access, and user tasks. Other groups, like engineering, may only
have access to user tasks like part importing and order entry. Each user and group assignment is fully
customizable in regards to what the user can access, change, and see within the environment. If a user is
assigned to multiple types of groups, the user can seamlessly change between the different groups using
the profile dropdown menu.

FIGURE 4: USER PROFILE MENU

Utilizing Material Data and Machine Management

Inventory Management
The Inventory management feature tracks materials, inventory IDs, remnant IDs, and other inventory
information. The information you set up here automatically prefills many of the part, order, and nesting
data needed to schedule and cut parts within TruNest. In Figure, the table shows the different inventory
available. The material and inventory ID allows the system to track like material types of varying sizes.
The remnant ID allows the system to track pieces of material that are left over from the cutting process
to potentially be used again by nesting.

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 FIGURE 5: INVENTORY WORKSPACE

Nest Default Management

The Nest Default management table looks at the material from a nesting and machining perspective. It
contains parameters like material thickness, separation of parts, nesting frame, and grain constraints.
The nesting process uses these parameters to optimize part placement for the machine. Depending on
the machine configuration, the nesting defaults vary greatly.

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 FIGURE 6: NEST DEFAULT WORKSPACE

Machine Management
Under the Machine Management node in the tree, there are various tabs that define the critical
components of the machine configuration. Depending on whether you have a punch, router, laser, etc.,
this machine configuration will reflect the necessities in tooling information and machine settings to
support that machine type.

Tool Defaults
The tool defaults table contains information about each tool in regards to the CNC process. On a
punch or router machine, each punch tool or router head is going to have a unique default that
defines how the tool can be used by the machine. This table defines parameters like tool
priority, cut speeds, rapid speeds, and which materials each tool can be used on.

Tool Library
The tool library table contains information about the design of the tool. It defines parameters
like tool size, tool wear, machine range, and tooling pre-stations. This information allows the
post processor to classify which tool is best for the parts it is trying to manufacture.

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 Machine Settings
The machine settings table associates the tools defined in the library to a specific station on the
machine. It also allows the user to define the range of the tool and any potential offsets the tool
may have.

Machine Info
The machine info table describes the characteristics of the machine to the nesting system. An
important parameter in this table is the workable area of the machine. This area defines the
maximum length and width of material that can be processed by that machine.

FIGURE 7: MACHINE MANAGEMENT WORKSPACES (MACHINE SETTINGS SHOWN)

Importing Designs
Translating Data
CAD data is one of the primary resources for the nesting system. Depending on the CAD system, the
data be as minimal as a single geometry defining the part periphery or can be as complex as containing
information about geometry, part name, material, assembly structure and even tooling information.
This “input data” can even be legacy nest files or machine code. TruNest handles all of these different

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data type through its universal translator. All of the functions of importing CAD data into TruNest can be
found in the Part Import section of the tree.

FIGURE 8: TRUNEST TREE WITH PART IMPORT NODE EXPANDED

As you can see in Figure 2, there are a few different ways to import part information. The first option is
Translate. Clicking Translate opens the Translate workspace where part files can be added into the
window. Once they are added via one of the Select Files options, they will show up in the workspace
table. The different options for selecting files indicate to TruNest where to put the results of the
translation. The files will either end up in the base of the parts folder, one sub-directory level within the
parts folder (Level 1), or two sub-directories within the parts folder (Level 2).

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 FIGURE 9: TRUNEST WITH MULTIPLE CAD FILES SELECTED IN THE TRANSLATE WORKSPACE

After selection of the files is completed, the Translate options are now enabled. Depending on the data
you’re bringing into TruNest, you can select the appropriate option for the universal translator. Once the
translation is complete the results are displayed in the graphical workspace. There are other options
available to import part data. The node labeled Translate and Compress will apply compression settings
on the geometry to reduce the amount of unnecessary points contained in the original geometry.

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 FIGURE 10: TRANSLATION RESULTS WORKSPACE

Adding Parts
The node labeled Add Parts is the next step in TruNest to go from original CAD data to nesting data. The
Add Parts workspace allows the user to customize how the part data is inserting as nesting data. At this
point in the process, the user can control what assembly and subassembly each part belongs to, what
material is associated to the part, what machine that part is allowed to be manufactured on, and what
nesting constraints will be applied to the part. In the Add Parts workspace we have the same Select Files
option. This button will open up the same Windows Explorer dialog before, but it will open up to the
location of where the results of the translation are stored. The files selected via the Windows Explorer
dialog will be inserted into the Add Parts table upon clicking Open.

FIGURE 11: ADD PARTS WORKSPACE AFTER IMPORTING TRANSLATED FILES

Once the table appears, the user can begin editing the data about each part. This is a workspace where
the Insert, Delete, Copy and Paste function in the tool bar are heavily used. After all edits have been
made, selecting the Add Parts button will insert this information into the TruNest Part Assembly. The
Part Assembly is a library of all the available part and assembly data ready to be used for nesting.

Automatic Translation
There are two more available options under the Part Import node; Automat and Automat and
Compress. These two options merge the Translate and Add Parts steps into one. That means that with

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one click, TruNest is able to translate the CAD data and automatically insert assembly information,
material information, and nesting constraints into the Part Assembly for each part and each assembly.
However, certain file formats do not carry all of the required information to construct the Part
Assembly. For these cases, TruNest allows the user to manually define these characteristics in the first
step so that they will be carried over.

FIGURE 12: AUTOMAT WORKSPACE WITH IMPORTED FILES

Supported CAD Formats

TruNest supports native data from many various CAD platforms. It will import Inventor Part and
Assembly files, Solidworks Assembly files, NX part files and FiberSim data and CATIA CPD and DXF files. It
also supports universal CAD types like DXF, DWG, and IGES. TruNest can even read in machine code and
legacy nest files in various formats. Having an easy translation process of CAD data closes the gap
between design and manufacturing.

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Performing an Optimal Nesting Process
Part Assembly Review
The first step in an optimal nesting process is reviewing the part assembly. The part assembly table
contains information about the assembly-part relationship, material association, and various nesting
constraints. TruNest provides a split viewport and grid workspace to verify part information and
geometry information in the same step. By selecting a record in the table, you can scroll through the
records using arrows keys and the display will automatically update based on the record that is currently
selected.

FIGURE 13: PART ASSEMBLY SPLIT WORKSPACE INSPECTION

Order Entry
The Order Entry node in the tree is a dedicated workspace to queueing orders. This custom workspaces
allows the user to enter in the exact parts, assemblies, and subassemblies that are necessary for the
particular job they are trying to fulfill. As you type in the assembly, subassembly, or part name you
would like to order, TruNest begins actively filtering on your selection making it easy to select the
correct information. After filtering on the selection of parts you want to order, clicking add orders in the
Order Details window will populate the queue at the bottom of the workspace for any final editing
before scheduling the order.

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 FIGURE 14: ORDER ENTRY WORKSPACE

Scheduling Orders
The schedule orders node in the tree is another dedicated workspace to provide the user with a helpful
environment to start scheduling queued orders to be nested. Scheduling orders is a process in TruNest
that groups all parts and assemblies of like materials and machines. This workspaces is also in charge of
assigning dates for the parts to be cut by, estimating how much time it will take to machine the parts,
and how much inventory will be used to nest these parts together. By providing this information the
user get a sense for how much time an effort may be consumed by producing these parts. The group
name and nest prefix fields inside this workspace allow the user to define the tree structure that will
contain the selected orders. Once the appropriate orders are selected, the Schedule button will place
these orders in a scheduled status and associate the group name and a nest id to the orders and remove
them from the previous queue we constructed.

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 FIGURE 15: SCHEDULE ORDERS WORKSPACE

Create Nests
The Create Nests node exists for every group name under the Nests node in the tree. The group names
are constructed by the user during the scheduling process. The Create Nests node in the tree opens the
designated action workspace which enables the nesting functions. The options available in this
workspace are regular nesting, common line nesting, part review, and manual nesting. You can also view
the nesting report of any nests that have been completed using the nesting algorithms or manually.
Some customized create nests workspaces have special nesting options that run additional optimization
routines to further improve how the parts are handled by the machine. Clicking the Yes button will run
the selected nests in the table.

TruNest provides the user with an order status that provides information on what state that order is
currently in. All orders that have only been scheduled will have a status of SCHD. This lets the user know
that nesting hasn’t been performed on these nests. Once nested, the status can change to either STAG
or RJCT which is a staged or rejected status. This status lets the user know if the nest has reached the
efficiency goals setup for the material. From here, the next status is SENT which indicates that the NC
code has been sent to the machine. The last status is CUT which is a final state that signifies that nest
has been successfully processed by the machine.

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 FIGURE 16: CREATE NESTS WORKSPACE

Manage Nests
The Manage Nests node also exists for every group and is located just below the Create Nests node. This
workspace is only populated with records once the orders have been nested using the Create Nests
node. The Manage Nests workspace is an actions workspace that executes post nesting processes. From
this table populated in the grid, the user can see what status each nest is in. The user can also see how
many plates, or sheets of material, were used by the nesting system to fit all the parts that were
ordered. Some of the available actions in the workspace include status manipulation, post processing,
and report generation. TruNest has a vast post processor library to suit the needs of the configuration. It
also support generic outputs of nesting like DXF format. The back plot function is a useful tool that re-
interprets the NC code into graphical form to allow the inspection of what processes will be run by the
machine.

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 FIGURE 17: MANAGE NESTS WORKSPACE

Optimization
Optimization of nesting and post-processing allows users to go from the nesting system to the shop floor
without a headache. TruNest provides many different optimization techniques that allow easy tooling
and cutter optimization for the type of machine defined.

FIGURE 18: OPTIMIZATION TABLES (AUTOMATIC TABBING SHOWN)

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Automatic Tabbing
Automatic Tabbing is an optimization routine that places tabs of varying types around the
nested parts in order to hold the parts to the material skeleton as they are being processed by
the machine. Some of the types of tabs are skin tabs which are a very thin tab that breaks very
easily and hold down tabs which are tabs that are bigger in order to make sure the part doesn’t
break free from the skeleton without a secondary process to remove the tabs. Tabbing is
commonly used on punch presses, routers, laser cutters, and water jet machine tools.

Automatic Riveting
Automatic Rivets is an optimization tool that places ideal rivets locations within the nest. The
rivets locations are used by the machine tool, typically a routing machine, tool allow multiple
sheets of material to be stacked together. A drill tool is used at each rivet location to pierce
through all of the sheets of material in order for the machine tool operator to place a rivet in
that location. The rivets prevent the different sheets of material from sliding out of places when
cutting the parts.

Sheet Cutting
Sheet Cutting is an optimization routine that instructs the machine tool to cut the nest skeleton
(material left over after parts are cut) into smaller pieces that are easy to handle by the machine
tool operators. This is especially useful when cutting large sheets of material or thick (heavy
plate) materials.

Minimum Piercing Logic

Minimum Pierce logic is a routine that optimizes the cutting path of the machine so that it
minimizes the amount of times the machine needs to perform a pierce cycle. A pierce cycle is
when the cutting machine piercing though a portion of the material in order to be able to cut a
part. This cycle takes more time than standard cutting of the parts and also uses a larger
footprint on the material than the kerf of the cutting tool. Minimizing the number of pierces of
the material during the cutting process allows more throughput of nests and more material
savings. Pierce cycles are standard processes for gas and plasma cutting machines.

Head Down Logic

Head Down logic is a routine that optimizes the cutting path of the machine to keep the head or
tool cutting material as much as possible. This routine optimizes the cutting path and off-part
motion of the machine from part to part.

Bridge Cutting
Bridge cutting is a routine that inserts a special bridge between parts. This optimization
technique joins contours of parts into one so that the machine tool can cut multiple parts with
the same path.

Chain Cutting
Chain cutting is a routine that optimizes the first and last segment of parts in order to optimize
the cutting path of the machine. This routine is used for parts that do not have any internal
contours.

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 FIGURE 19: NEST WITH HEAD DOWN OPTIMIZATION PERFORMED

Special Features
TruQuote
TruQuote is a special feature within the TruNest interface that provides a very specific type of nesting.
TruQuote is a feature developed to nest single parts as efficiently as possible within the specified
material constraints. This is very useful when nesting to produce progressive part dies. This system will
also generate a quote based on cost information to produce the die that is generated by the software.
TruQuote can also produce dies with multiple parts, but the speed at which the die is calculated is
significantly increased as more parts are added.

Vault Add-in
Autodesk Vault is a product where you can organize all your files and keep them in one location for easy
access. All file versions are retained, so you never misplace or replace past versions. The vault stores
each version of a file, along with all the files dependencies, giving you a living history of the project as
you work on it. The vault also stores file properties for rapid searching and retrieving. TruNest uses Vault
as an add-in to retrieve part and assembly files locally to import the information into the nesting system.
TruNest does not need to update revisions or checkout parts because it only uses a read-only copy of
the file.

ODBC Connectivity
TruNest supports access to either a standalone database in the standalone version or access to a master
SQL Server database or Oracle Server database in the enterprise version. The enterprise version
connects to the master databases through an ODBC (online database connection). An enterprise version

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allows a customer to use multi-user, simultaneous access into TruNest. This is highly effective for
companies with multiple levels of users that need to access information in the system at the same time.

Highly Configurable
TruNest is a highly customizable product. Each user and user type can be customized to serve a specific
function. TruNest provides functionality to customize read/write access of information, tree and ribbon
structure and icons, user and group privileges, and even interface themes. These customizations provide
an optimized workflow and interface friendliness.

Summary
Autodesk TruNest is a product that provides an end to end solution for nesting. On the front end,
TruNest interfaces with PLM systems and ERP/MRP systems to optimize input data and scheduling of job
orders. On the back end, TruNest optimizes machine processes and integration completing the entire
workflow from the front office to manufacturing within the same product.

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