Choose an export

Compare the five downloadable exports and the local projector workspace, prepare the current design, and know what each action should produce.

Compare the formats

Action	Current job	Scale and medium	Choices before download
Panel DXF	Open or plot one full-size panel layer at a time in CAD	1:1 DXF in millimetres	Annotation options
Cloth Layout DXF	Place panels on roll-width strips	Full-size DXF in millimetres	Active panel colours, temporary cloth width, and annotation options
Corner Patches DXF	Export the tack, head, and clew reinforcement patterns	1:1 DXF in millimetres	None
Offset PDF	Reconstruct panels from measurements on A4 sheets	Dimensioned, schematic A4 PDF	File-menu dialog defaults to a 2,400 mm workbench limit
Projector Workspace	Trace every nested panel from a saved cloth-layout roll	Calibrated 1:1 projection from local DXF	Usable projection height; live calibration and alignment
Prototype PDF	Pack grain-aligned panels onto shared paper pages	A3 or A4 PDF; default Fit to page	Paper, scale, annotations, and a checklist when panels are already generated

Every download can start directly from the current design. Panel exports reuse a matching generated set when available; otherwise they calculate panels and produce the file in one request. Corner Patches DXF uses the current mould and patch settings. Projector Workspace loads a previously saved Cloth Layout DXF locally.

File-menu panel export dialogs offer Panel generation > Mesh. New jobs default to XYZ mesh (more accurate); UV mesh (faster) remains available. A matching generated job keeps its original mode. Selecting another mode explicitly generates new panels for that export without replacing the viewer's job. Viewer exports always use the displayed job. This choice is not saved.

When Prototype regenerates in another mode, it exports all panels and computes Fit to page from the new geometry. Generate that mode first if you want to inspect or select individual panels.

Prepare the design

Before you start

Every downloadable export needs a network connection and a signed-in account. A free account can use all five. After a Cloth Layout DXF has been saved, Projector Workspace reads it locally without the current design, a live account session, or a backend request.

1. Inspect panels first if needed

   To inspect the flat shapes or select individual prototype panels, choose Panels > Generate Panels > uv mesh (faster), then Panels > View Panels. The xyz mesh (more accurate) alternative uses the experimental sampler.

   You can skip generation and export directly from the File menu. After design edits, export calculates the current panels automatically; generate again only when you want to inspect or select them first.

2. Choose an entry point

   Use File > Export to see five downloads plus Projector Workspace. After panel generation, you can also open Panels > View Panels and use the action toolbar above the viewer.

   The viewer toolbar has four downloads plus Projector Workspace; Corner Patches DXF is available only from the File menu. Panels > Projector Workspace provides a third direct entry to the same local workspace.

3. Wait for the download

   The viewer toolbar adds an ellipsis to the active action and temporarily disables the other export buttons. The File-menu path has no general progress indicator; Cloth Layout DXF is the exception and changes the status bar to Calculating nested layout — this can take a minute or two….

   Check the browser's downloads when an export finishes. The File-menu cloth export also reports that the download has started. Projector Workspace opens instead of producing a download.

4. Verify before using the file

   Open the downloaded file and check its panel labels, units, scale, allowance marks, and page or layer count against the generated set. The app labels the exports as design assistance and tells you to verify dimensions before cutting.

Understand the two export surfaces

The two entry points are not identical.

Difference	File > Export	Panel-viewer toolbar
Signed-out state	Downloads are not greyed out for account state; selecting one shows a sign-in error. Projector Workspace remains available	Export buttons are disabled and Sign in to export is shown. Projector Workspace remains available
Panel generation	Reuses a matching set or calculates the current design within the export	Uses the displayed generated set
Corner patches	Available, including before panel generation	Not present
Cloth colours	Uses the active panel colour scheme	Uses the active resolved panel colours
Offset splitting	Opens the workbench-limit dialog	Downloads directly with splitting off
In-progress feedback	Only Cloth Layout changes the status bar	Active export shows an ellipsis; all export buttons pause
Errors	Dismissible banner and status-bar message	Inline message beside the buttons

Generated panels belong to the design and settings captured when generation started. Reusing that result keeps its cloth and construction context together. You can inspect once and export both a prototype and a cloth layout without repeating panel generation while the design and settings still match.

Recover from a failed export

• Create a free account to continue means the current browser session is not signed in. Sign in, return to the design tab, and try again.
• If an update makes a generated result incompatible, retry from File > Export to calculate from the current design, or generate panels again for inspection.
• A full nesting queue or timeout applies only to Cloth Layout DXF. Wait a moment and retry; the layout request may legitimately run for a minute or two.
• A paper/scale or selected-panel error belongs to Prototype PDF. Reopen the dialog and choose a valid paper, positive scale, and at least one panel.
• Any other export error means no usable download was produced. Keep the design, review the message, and regenerate or change the relevant option before retrying.
• Projector file, calibration, and resume errors are explained in the Projector Workspace guide; they do not come from an online export request.

Build the panelsGenerate and inspect panels → Inspect a reusable flat-panel set before downloading exports. Build the panelsPanel colours → Set the Tri-radial colour groups used by cloth-layout exports. Inspect the designWarnings and validation → Distinguish a disabled action from a warning or failed operation.