Export Nesting DXF — one file per sheet

What does this tool do?

Export Nesting DXF writes each nesting sheet (both top and bottom sheets) to its own DXF file — DXF R12 format, mm units, outlines as LINE entities on layers named after the SketchUp tags — ready to feed into CNC software.

Use it when: nesting is done (sheet groups named …-sheet-N exist, including -bottom copies) and you need the DXF files for the machine.

Basic steps

1. Make sure the model has nesting sheets (run Nest first). With no sheets, the tool reports No nesting sheets found (named `…-sheet-N`).
2. Click the Export Nesting DXF icon.
3. The tool verifies TOP/BOT first (see below) — if it passes, a save panel opens with the folder name pre-filled as <model>_<date time>.
4. Pick the destination — the tool creates the new folder and writes one DXF per sheet into it.
5. A final message reports Exported N DXF file(s) to: <folder>.

TOP/BOT verification before export

For each top/bottom sheet pair (the two faces of the same board), the tool cross-checks every part by its ABF board index:

• A part on the BOT sheet shifted from its TOP counterpart by more than 0.1 mm (in X or Y) → export is blocked, with a dialog listing each offending part and its X/Y offset.
• A part present on BOT but missing on TOP → also blocked. (A part that exists only on TOP is fine.)

When blocked: fix the part positions (or re-nest), then export again. This protects you from cutting the bottom face misaligned with the top.

Inside the DXF file

• DXF R12 ASCII, mm units, outlines as LINE entities.
• DXF layers are named after the SketchUp tags (whitespace becomes _); cut layers use ACI color 7 (black); the label layer ABF_Label is #d081d4.
• Injected annotations: the sheet index (green text 300 mm tall at the sheet centroid, layer ABF_sheetId — N for one-sided sheets, N - 0 top / N - 1 bottom for two-sided) and the material classification (red text 150 mm tall, 800 mm above the centroid, layer ABF_sheetMaterial — from the sheet type, e.g. “Color A01 - 17.5 mm”).

Common problems

• “No nesting sheets found”: nesting has not run, or the sheet groups were renamed away from …-sheet-N — re-nest or keep the sheet names.
• Blocked by TOP/BOT mismatch: read the dialog — it names the part and the exact X/Y offset; fix positions or re-nest, then export again.
• “Could not create export folder”: pick a destination you can write to (avoid system folders).
• Missing files: if a sheet fails to write, the final message lists the failures separately — check that sheet in the model.