Filling Holes

Many parts have holes in them: a flange with a bore, a plate with a cut-out, a ring. Those holes are wasted material unless you put something in them. NestMaxx can nest smaller parts inside the holes of larger ones, and it helps you do the same by hand.

Holes are real space

NestMaxx treats a hole as genuine free space on the sheet, not as part of the solid. A small part that fits inside a hole can sit there, and it does not count as a collision with the part around it. This is part of true-shape nesting: the tool works with the actual outline of each part, holes and all.

Nesting into holes automatically

When you run a nest, NestMaxx will place small parts inside larger parts’ holes where they fit. You do not have to set anything up for this; it is part of how the nest packs. The tighter the nest, the more it will make use of holes. See Quality and Speed.

Dropping a part into a hole by hand

You can also fill a hole yourself. Drag a small part over the hole of a larger one and it will settle into place, centred in the hole rather than fighting the edges. This is handy when you want a specific small part to live inside a specific hole.

Because a part inside a hole is not a collision, it will not be flagged red. See Collision Flags.

When it will not fit

If a part is too big for a hole, it will not drop in, and trying to force it will simply leave it where it can legally sit. Choose a smaller part for the hole, or leave the hole empty.