NotchCad
ACM panels · flat patterns · nesting

A rectangle in.
Machine files out.

Type the finished panel size. NotchCad derives the notched blank, the V-groove fold lines, the folded solid, the nest with part IDs and the cut list — the numbers your router and brake need.

Free to design. Files, nesting and revision diffs on the paid tier.

The same part the DXF is generated from — drag it, fold it, check the return.

Parts this makes today sign pansspandrelscolumn wraps canopiessoffitsrainscreen panels
panel

Derived, not drawn

Blank = face + 2×return, corners notched through, one closed V-groove rectangle on the back with 0.5 mm of skin left as the hinge. Any return depth, 3, 4 or 6 mm ACM, optional reveal. The drawing, the folded solid and the DXF are the same geometry.

job

The whole job, nested

Paste a schedule, get per-panel DXFs, sheet nests with the part IDs burnt into the layout, printable labels, a cut list and a manifest — one zip, no add-on modules.

revision

What changed, priced

Load v1 and v2 of a schedule and NotchCad says what to re-draw and re-cut, what to cut more of and what not to cut. Change orders are where the money leaks.

A nest sheet with four ACM panel blanks, part IDs and V-groove rectangles
Sheet nest, part IDs burnt in — 29 panels, 7 sheets, 64% material use.
Folded ACM pan rendered as a shallow tray with folded returns
Folded solid with the ACM skin/core/skin edge — exported as OBJ.

How it compares

ShapeMaster+ EzyNest + GigaDXFNexus CladNotchCad
Runs in a browser, no install———✓
Parametric panel + 3D fold view✓✓✓✓
Layered DXF per part✓✓✓✓
Sheet nestingextra program✓ true shape✓✓ shelf
Part labels / job fieldsextra program✓✓✓ included
Revision diff / re-cut list———✓
Quote from the panel✓—✓✓
Elevation DXF import——✓soon
Price$137/mo per seat+ separate licencesenterprise quote $89/mo per shop

Competitor lines are from their own published pages (ShapeMaster annual price $137/month, nesting and labelling sold as EzyNest and GigaDXF; Nexus Clad sold with the Endades Nexus suite). Corrections welcome — we would rather be accurate than flattering.

Reference

Pricing

Free

$0 no card
  • Design any panel size
  • Live drawing with the exact numbers
  • Fold it in 3D
  • Drawings are marked as previews
Start designing

Project pass

$39 30 days
  • Everything in the Shop plan
  • One job, thirty days
  • No subscription to cancel
Ask for a project pass

Shop

$89 a month
  • Unlimited seats for your shop
  • DXF, OBJ and spec for every panel
  • Sheet nests, labels and cut list
  • Revision diff and re-cut list
  • Facade breakdown with the tolerance stack
  • Mount holes on the drill layer
Request a licence

Questions shops ask

Does it do our extrusion, or only a plain pan?

Plain 90° returns on all four sides, square butt corners, any return depth and any reveal. Profile-specific rabbets for a particular extrusion system are the next build — tell us which system and it gets templated.

Can we check it against a file we already cut?

Yes — send one job's schedule and a DXF you trust and we will run both, then hand back the diff. If our numbers disagree with yours, that is a bug worth having.

What do the DXF layers mean?

OUTLINE through cut, VGROOVE partial-depth fold lines on the back, REVEAL decorative groove, LABEL text, BORDER sheet edge on nests. Millimetres, 1:1, R2010.

Is the nesting as good as a true-shape optimiser?

No, and we say so: it is shelf/guillotine nesting, which keeps rows whole and is easy to follow at the saw. True-shape packing is on the roadmap.

Built by someone who has re-cut a panel because of a bad drawing.

That is the whole thesis: the file the shop gets should already be right, labelled, and honest about what changed.

Try a panel