: Distribute objects optimaly So I've got a file with loads of simple objects. This will later be used to cut out these shapes out of plastic. So, using the material optimally is of outmost

@Vandalay110

While this is indeed a undecided problem that does not mean you can not do a solver that is somewhat good, albeit not optimal. There is a nifty tool called:


SVGNest, you can use it online here


That does this for you. So lets say I have the following shapes that i want to fit in bin on right:



And i drop that in svgnest and let it run for a while I get:



Which has a 44% utilization of stock. The longer you let it run the better results you get but like I said optimal is a hard problem. For example svg nest only does x degree turns on objects.

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@Holmes874

Use a photo mosaic application. For example, I use Shape Collage to load hundreds (if not thousands) of unique, transparent PNGs. Then the software lets you control the final output size (your sheet size) and how close to proximity each shape is (with or without overlapping) and if you wish for each piece to be scaled. The application re-adjusts all the pieces every time you tweak a setting.

It takes a handful of tries to get the formula just right.

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