workroomtools. Language
The workroom toolkit
Turn a list of rectangular foam cuts into a visible sheet plan. Keep material and thickness groups separate, compare available sheets and review every unplaced piece before ordering or cutting.
Fixed rectangular sheets and rectangular cuts only. Up to 8 individual sheets, 40 requirement rows and 100 physical pieces. No contour cuts, thickness slicing, lamination, compression fitting or guaranteed minimum sheet count.
Example inputs: replace with your measured project.
Download example JSON · Private file processing in this browser. Export a backup for other devices.
Select a placed piece on the map, drag it, or move with arrow keys (1 display unit, Shift for 10). Exact coordinates below also work on touch screens. Locked pieces must be unlocked before dragging.
Review thickness, material and every unplaced piece. The plan reports sheets actually used, not a proven minimum. Free regions include cutting gaps; inspect before reuse.
Saving keeps the current positions and locks on this device.
Enter a separate row for every full sheet or usable rectangular remnant that may be used. Measure its usable width, length and thickness and give it a unique identifier. Exclude damaged edges before entering the rectangle. Material names distinguish products or grades that must not be mixed. Adding a second identical sheet means creating a second stock row; it is not assumed from unused area elsewhere.
List the rectangle dimensions, thickness, material and quantity for each requirement. These are foam cutting dimensions, not raw fabric panels with seam allowances. The optional box-cushion import copies cover sewing dimensions only as a starting point. Confirm the fit against foam, batting and the cover construction, then edit the requirement before arranging. The calculator does not make that fitting decision for you.
Use a gap that suits the chosen cutting process and the practical allowance you need between adjacent pieces. It is not an extra amount added to every finished rectangle. Allow an in-plane quarter turn only where the foam product permits it. Turning does not change thickness or combine thinner sheets. No outside-edge margin is added beyond the usable dimensions you entered.
Run the layout, read the unplaced list and inspect each sheet map. You can drag pieces, move them with arrow keys or enter exact coordinates. Lock a checked position before rerunning. If more material is needed, add an appropriate sheet and calculate again. Save the project with positions and locks, export JSON for backup and print the checked coordinate record for the workbench.
Unlike a fabric roll, a foam sheet is purchased or allocated as a fixed rectangle. Its utilization percentage uses the entire entered sheet area, even if only one corner is occupied. The report counts sheets with at least one placed piece and shows the total supplied for comparison. A full-width remainder and smaller free regions may both be useful, but they need a real inspection before reuse.
Two rectangles with the same face dimensions can require very different foam stock. The planner only places a piece when both the material name and the physical thickness match a sheet. That rule remains true after unit changes and JSON import. Store firmness or product references in the material name when they define a separate grade; the tool does not infer interchangeability from color or appearance.
Check the numbers
The English example requests four 20 by 20 inch pieces, each 3 inches thick. Two matching 24 by 72 inch sheets are available, and the cut separation is one-eighth inch.
Use a consistent, specific material reference for each product that may be substituted within the job. Similar-looking foam may differ in density, firmness or cell structure. Those properties are outside the calculation, but the naming system lets you keep them in separate groups. An accidental spelling change can also prevent an otherwise matching placement.
The collision check requires the entered separation along a dividing axis between adjacent rectangles. It does not simulate a blade, tool path, compression or kerf recovery. If a particular cutting method needs more access, enter a suitable gap and check the sequence at the bench. This plan is not a CNC program.
Locked pieces remain in place during a new search, but they still must fit the sheet and match its material and thickness. Editing a sheet around a locked piece can make the plan invalid. Correct the reference, move the piece or clear all positions and locks. A lock never exempts a piece from overlap or boundary checks.
The free-region export partitions unused sheet space into non-overlapping rectangles. It can include narrow cutting gaps and does not establish whether an area is undamaged or practical to separate. Keep only useful, inspected pieces in inventory and record their thickness and material. Do not total all exported regions as guaranteed future savings.
The method, explained
Rule version 1.0.0
Every quantity row is expanded into individual cut identifiers. A candidate sheet must match the material name and thickness exactly. The search preserves validated locks and tests several piece orders with permitted orientations. Candidate positions come from the sheet origin and already occupied edges plus the cutting gap. Every accepted piece must remain inside its usable sheet.
Candidate layouts are ranked first by placed piece count, then placed area, then fewer occupied sheets. This is a bounded heuristic, not an exhaustive proof of the smallest possible purchase. An unplaced item can indicate no compatible sheet, a dimension that cannot fit, or a free position the search did not find. Manual adjustment and different locks may improve the result.
Coordinates record each physical piece’s sheet, material, thickness, position and orientation. A partial plan is explicitly identified, and cutting labels remain unavailable until all requested pieces are placed. JSON preserves editable inputs and validated positions; CSV and PDF are records. Editing while the background calculation runs cancels it so an old result cannot replace newer inputs.
Foam-sheet planning background: Sailrite foam calculator guide
Enter the measured cuts and enough candidate sheets, then inspect the number actually used once all pieces are placed. The current plan gives a feasible sheet count under its constraints, not a proven minimum. If pieces remain unplaced, the displayed used count is incomplete and should not be treated as a complete order.
Area does not describe shape, cutting gaps or group compatibility. A long rectangle may not fit either sheet direction, spare areas may be fragmented, or material and thickness may differ. Review the stated unplaced reason and inspect the map before adding more stock.
Yes, but each cut only goes onto a sheet of exactly the same thickness and material. The tool does not split a thicker sheet into layers or glue thinner layers together. Those operations need separate fabrication instructions and are outside the rectangular face layout.
Yes, after confirming that cover dimensions still need a foam fit check. The finished width, length, depth and quantity become a starting requirement. Fabric cut sizes and seam allowances are not imported as foam rectangles. Check every dimension and the available sheet specifications before running the layout.
No. It provides checked rectangle positions and a schematic sheet view for planning. It does not choose a blade, generate CNC code or establish a guillotine cutting sequence. A maker must determine a practical process and appropriate clearances for the actual material and equipment.
Select its position, enable the lock and apply it before rerunning. Unlocked pieces may move; valid locked pieces stay. You can use exact coordinates on a phone instead of dragging. A rejected move leaves the last valid placement intact and displays the reason.
Review the measurements, keep a backup and print a proof.