# Introduction

This document explains how to get the most out of **OpenCutList,** a SketchUp Extension. It is intentionally kept very brief to make it easier to translate.

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The present documentation is a work in progress and may change frequently. It is currently available in English and French. Translations into other languages may become available in the future.

**This document may describe features not yet released!**
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This documentation applies to **OpenCutList Version 6.0.0 and higher**. Some of the features described here may not be available in older versions. Also, some features may not be available in some versions of SketchUp, due to incompatibilities with newer libraries.
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We assume that the reader is familiar with SketchUp.
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## What is OpenCutList?

**OpenCutList** is a tool for creating **Parts Lists**, **Cutting Diagrams**, **Printable Lists of Labels, Cost and Weight Estimates** and **Exploded Views** for woodworking projects designed in [SketchUp](https://sketchup.com/).

![Cutting Diagram](https://2764382921-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MUSHuV5bThAGZxy7OHb-1972196547%2Fuploads%2FXsZEHproZb04IlB1lOB4%2Fcapture-cutting-diagrams.jpg?alt=media\&token=3f762b65-8ddf-4c2f-a80e-9bc61619b8f3)

### The Best SketchUp CutList Plugin :-)

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## Approach

A certain number of assumptions had to be made in order to make **OpenCutList** useful. The interpretation of length, width and thickness, as well as which side of a part is the front face and which one is the back face have to be agreed upon. Material information is provided in the form of SketchUp material, enhanced by **OpenCutList** attributes. Furthermore, a classification of the material helps the tool take advantage of the specificities of each type of material. Processing will be different depending on the type of materials (for example, **Sheet Goods** compared to **Solid Wood** (Rough Lumber)).

## Dimension and Orientation of Parts

**OpenCutList** extracts **the bounding boxes** from SketchUp components (not groups!) or a selection of components in a scene, in order to compute the **lengths**, **widths** and **thicknesss** of these **visible parts** of the model. The interpretation of **length**, **width** and **thickness** can be or two types:

* automatic, so that the **greatest dimension** is the **length** and the **smallest dimension** is the **thickness** (see [**Options**](https://docs.opencutlist.org/features/parts/options)); or
* defined from the local axes, so that the **length** is read on the <mark style="color:red;">**red local axis**</mark>, the **width** on the <mark style="color:green;">**green local axis,**</mark> and the **thickness** on the <mark style="color:blue;">**blue local axis**</mark>.

The actual behavior may be specified for each part, and its length, width and thickness defined in the **properties** of the part.

Defining the **front** and **back** of a part is not always necessary, but may be very important in certain cases. The front face is defined as **most positive along the thickness axis**, and the back face as the **least positive face**.

## Material of Parts

By applying SketchUp material to the components and configuring its parameters, **OpenCutList** is able to find the best raw material matching the dimensions of the **Part** and efficiently compute a **Parts List.** For certain types of material, **Cutting Diagrams** can be computed. **Estimates** with material and cost summaries can also be generated.

Further explanations on how **OpenCutList** works are available under [**Components**](https://docs.opencutlist.org/getting-started/components).

**OpenCutList** was written for use in woodworking projects, but may be suitable for other trades and projects as well.

## For the Impatient

A list of [**FAQ** ](https://docs.opencutlist.org/support/frequently-asked-questions)in this documentation answers common questions.

Links to video tutorials on YouTube are directly available from within **OpenCutList**.

For French-speaking users, two good entry points are the [Blog L'Air du Bois](https://www.lairdubois.fr/blog/?q=opencutlist%20@sort-recent:desc) and [L'Air du Bois on Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/c/LairduboisFr/videos).

## Open Source

**OpenCutList** is Open Source Software (hosted on [github](https://github.com/lairdubois/lairdubois-opencutlist-sketchup-extension)) developed by [Boris Beaulant](https://www.lairdubois.fr/@borisbeaulant) and [Martin Müller](https://www.lairdubois.fr/@mobilarte) of [L'Air du Bois](https://www.lairdubois.fr/), a French-speaking woodworking exchange platform. Thanks to a dedicated team of translators working on [Transifex](https://www.transifex.com/opencutlist/opencutlist/), this extension is available in many languages.

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If you notice an incorrect term or want to suggest a better one, please send us an email (using the Bug Report button).
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## Financial Contributions

We have an [OpenCollective](https://opencollective.com/lairdubois-opencutlist-sketchup-extension) account, where supporters can make a financial contribution to support and encourage our work.