Regular carpet refers to carpet product without pattern matching requirement for installation. For pattern carpet layout, visit next section: Pattern Carpet and Vinyl Layout.

 

Layout Estimating Buttons: When room measurement and material assignment are done, simply click on one of the layout estimating buttons on toolbar to have program generate the cut sheet, estimation data, and seam cut diagram automatically.

 

 

·         Button: layout and automatically choose layout direction with smaller waste (comparing vertical/horizontal directions)

·         Button: layout in horizontal direction (East/West)

·         Button: layout in vertical direction (North/South)

·         Button: switch from layout estimating to room drawing mode (no seam layout is displayed). To come back from drawing mode, click on  button (to keep current seam changes)

·         Button: re-estimate and re-allocate stock cut sheet while keeping all current cut piece size and seam locations

·         Button: when toggled on (default), the program re-estimate automatically upon any seam adjust or room editing changes; when off, one needs to click on  button to re-allocate the stock cuts and generate new estimate.

 

 TIP 1: When working on bigger projects, turn  off (so as to avoid re-estimating upon each seam adjustment), make all necessary seam adjustments, then click on  Button to re-allocate stock cut sheet while keeping all current changes (instead of using three layout buttons ,  ,  that would clear all current change and estimate the computer way).

 

 TIP 2: After exit estimating mode by , use re-estimate  button to come back that will keep all current seam changes.

 

Layout Estimating Window Framework:

·        Stock Cut Sheet Window: Stock cut view from laid roll of carpet/vinyl

·        Estimation Data Panel:  Linear length (LF), material usages (SY/SF), net floor area, floor perimeter (less door openings), waste ratio.

·        Cut List Panel: contains both roll cut list and piece cut list views (click on pulldown list to switch two views)

·        Seam Diagram Window: Seam layout on top of rooms

 

 

 

Three Seam Editing Approaches:

·        Seam Edit Menu: Right-click over the room, on pop-up menu, select Seam Edit to access the editing commands

·        Seam Editing Buttons on right-side toolbar (the shortcuts of commands on Seam Edit menu) accessible when room is selected  (as depicted below)

·        Drag-and-Drop Seams directly on Seam Diagram

 

 

 

Seam Editing Commands:

·         Add Length Seam : add and place a seam in roll length layout direction

·         Add T-Seam : add and place a cross seam against roll layout direction

·         Add Even T-Seam : add and place any specified number of even-length T-seams

·         Add Butt Length Seam: add and place butt length-seam at roll layout direction (shown in Red solid line).

·         Add Butt T-Seam : add and place a butt t-seam (shown in Red solid line)

·         Delete Seam : pick and delete a seam

·         Switch Seam Side : switch seam start to one side to another side (for example, to left to right, or from top to bottom, vice versa)

·         Switch Seam Layout Direction : switch layout direction to perpendicular direction (for example, from vertical to horizontal, vice versa)

·         Change Step Per Break for Stairway : set number of steps per cut for stairway ( button active only when a stairway is selected).

 

 

 What is Butt Seam? Butt seam is used to divide a room into separate areas so that seams within each area can be placed and edited independently. This feature is helpful in layout complicated rooms shapes such as long hallways with connected areas of various shapes.

 

 Set smaller steps per break on stairway to fully use room cut waste.

 

 

Cut Sheet Manipulation:

Cut sheet window shows the roll stock cuts from the layout arrangement on room floor. The allocations are generated by the program. However, the program allows a user to manually adjust the cuts on the cut sheet window by drag-and-drop the cut pieces to optimize the waste and roll cuts.

 

 

The re-arranged stock cut sheet. Observe that the Linear Length, Material Usages and Waste Ratio change as well.

 

 

 To drag and shift a block of cut pieces: hold Shift key, drag and move a whole section of cuts (from selected one to the end of the roll)

 

 

 

Align Layout Direction with Any Selected Wall:

In many cases especially in commercial buildings, not all rooms are aligned east/west or north-south way and their layout directions need to be re-aligned to a particular wall direction.

 

Here are the steps:

·        Step 1: Right-click over the room, select Set Layout Direction

·        Step 2: Select Pick an Edge to Set Layout (allow to pick wall of any direction) or Input or Select a Layout Direction (enter or pick any 45/90 direction)

·        Step 3: if Pick an Edge to Set Layout, pick on the edge of wall to select, the degree of that wall shows on the center field of the window. Click on OK to complete. If Input or Select a Layout Direction, pick any of eight direction buttons or simply enter a degree at center field.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 To reset direction of multiple rooms at once: highlight multiple rooms; use the same process of resetting the layout direction.