1 Installation and licence

WrapForge is a program for Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit). From a 3D scan of a car body, a helmet, a seat or any other shape it produces a precise 2D pattern for film, PPF, fabric or composite. This chapter walks you through installation, licence activation and the program settings.

What you need

Memory size decides, not gaming graphics performance. When a scan loads, it asks for 8 to 12 times the size of its file in memory.

Detailed requirements including the processor, disk and monitor are at wrapforge.sk/en/requirements.html. Integrated graphics and computers with ARM processors are not supported. The program needs an internet connection to verify the licence (HTTPS, port 443).

Installation

1. You receive the installer WrapForge-setup.exe by e-mail from support together with the licence key.
2. Run it. Windows asks for administrator consent; the installation is for all users of the computer.
3. Accept the licence terms and keep the target folder C:\Program Files\Draftex\WrapForge.
4. The option Create a desktop icon adds a shortcut to the desktop. A shortcut is also in the Start menu.
5. The program starts when the installation finishes.

The installer associates project files .wfg with the program: double-clicking a project in Explorer opens it in WrapForge.

Licence activation

On the first start the program asks for the licence key.

1. Enter the key in the form WF-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX. The program adds the hyphens and capital letters itself.
2. Press Activate. The program connects to the licence server and verifies the key.
3. On success a confirmation shows the licence edition, the number of computers and the validity.

Below the field is This computer's code. If you have a problem, send it to support; it identifies you in the records. Support contact: podpora@draftex.sk.

How the licence works

The licence is floating: the key can be installed on up to 20 computers, but only as many workstations run at once as the licence has seats. When the program starts it takes one seat, when it closes it returns it. If all seats are taken, the program shows which computer holds the seat and offers Take over the seat: the other computer locks after 30 seconds and still has time to save its work.

A short internet outage does not interrupt your work. The program keeps running without a connection for 15 minutes; a yellow bar with a countdown and a Try again button appears above the ribbon. After that the tools lock, but saving always works, unfinished work is never lost.

Editions

Buttons the edition does not allow are greyed out with the tooltip "This function is not in the Lite edition".

Working offline

On site or in a workshop without internet, borrow the licence: on the start screen click Download licence (work offline). The program has to be online at that moment. The loan lasts 7 days; during that time the seat is not released for other computers. The start screen shows how many days remain, in red when two or fewer are left. Back online, click Switch to online; the loan is returned and the seat is released. When the loan expires, the program simply asks for an online seat at the next start.

Managing the licence

Settings → Licence shows the licence number, product name, owner, licence edition and validity.

• Add a new licence… replaces the current licence with a new one. The seat on the old licence stays taken until you remove it.
• Remove licence frees the installation seat. At the next start the program asks for the key again. Use it when uninstalling the program or moving it to another computer.

Updates

At start the program checks whether a new version is available. If so, it shows a window with the version number, the list of changes and the download size.

• Update now downloads only the changed files (usually a few MB), Windows asks for administrator consent, the program is assembled next to the old version and restarts. The old version stays working until the new one is complete.
• Later postpones the update. The offer repeats at the next start.

If the update fails, the program continues in the old version and tries again next time.

Program settings

The Settings menu has six windows.

• Display: the colour of the work area and the material gloss in the 3D view, plus the option Show hints when starting a tool (the bubble with the procedure when a tool opens). Changes apply immediately.
• Controls: Mouse sensitivity (pan and zoom), Rotation sensitivity (right button) and Invert rotation. Default restores the original values.
• Units: Metric (mm) or Inches (in). Switches how dimensions are shown; internally the program always works in mm.
• Language: Slovak (SK) or English (EN). Switches immediately, without a restart.
• Licence: see above.
• Devices: cutting plotters, see the chapter Cutting on a plotter.

Help and support

Help → User guide (F1) opens this guide in the browser at the tool you have open: from Cut with a curve, for example, straight at the video that shows it. Short video tutorials are at the beginning of the guide and next to the chapters they belong to. Help → Support shows the program version and the button Contact support, which opens an e-mail to podpora@draftex.sk and also copies the address to the clipboard.

When reporting a problem, include the program version from this window, the computer code from the Licence window, and attach the .wfg project or the scan where the problem occurs.

2 Program interface

WrapForge has one main window that switches between three workspaces (stations). Each one is a phase of the work: first the 3D scan is cleaned up (Model), then a 2D pattern is made from it and refined (Design), and finally the pattern goes to production (Export). The controls change when you switch, the window layout stays the same.

Start screen

After launch a start screen appears with two ways into the work and a list of recently opened files.

• Model opens a file and switches to the Model station (working with the 3D model).
• Design opens a file and switches straight to the Design station (working with the 2D pattern and artwork).
• Under each entry is the list Recently opened. A click on a name opens the file in that station.
• The bottom row holds the licence status and the button for downloading the licence for offline work (see the chapter Installation and licence).

The start screen disappears after a file is opened or after Esc. It shows again at the next program start. The New session button top left closes all parts and leaves an empty scene.

Main window

1. Menu File, Edit, Settings and Help. Left of the menu are three quick buttons: Open, Save project and New session.
2. Workspace switch Model, Design, Export, top right. The active one is yellow and underlined.
3. Ribbon with the tool groups of the current station. Every icon has its name below it and an explanation in the tooltip.
4. Left panel tabs: Tool, Parts, Pages.
5. Search and tree: the field Find a part or curve… and below it the tree of parts, groups and entities. The eye icon toggles visibility.
6. Selection bar along the left edge of the work area: rectangle, lasso, brush, curved area, whole part, invert and the Through / Visible only switch. In the Design station the node tools are here.
7. Mesh details: the number of triangles, vertices and selected triangles of the selected part.
8. Work area: the 3D view. In the Design station it splits into the 2D pattern on the left and the 3D model on the right. The header shows the station and the selected part on the left, the views (or the window layout) in the middle and the number of parts in the project on the right.
9. Bottom bar: mouse controls help (the button with the question mark), rotate the view by 90° and the display modes.
10. Status bar: program messages and the load of the processor, memory and graphics card.

Three workspaces

Normal work goes left to right: Model, Design, Export. You can switch between stations at any time, nothing is lost.

Ribbon of the Model station

• Entities: Plane, Part axis, Curve.
• Align: Coordinates, Best fit, Mirror, Measurement.
• Meshes: Join, Merge, Cut out, Duplicate, Delete.
• Refine: Repair, Holes, Decimate, Remesh, Surface, Boundaries, Extend, Sand.
• Cutting: Cut with a curve.

Details in the chapter Model station.

Ribbon of the Design station

• Part preparation: Remesh, Flattening, Spring, Tension +, Tension −.
• Outline: Copy, Mirror, Sander, Round corner, Reduce, Cut, Contour, Partial offset, Measurement.
• Artwork and text: Artwork, Text.
• Pages and layout: Pages, Auto-nest, Rotation.

Details in the chapter Design station.

Ribbon of the Export station

• Export pattern: PDF · print, SVG · curves, DXF · cutting.
• Previews: Cutting plan, Preview.
• Cutting: Cut — sends the pattern straight to the cutting plotter.

Details in the chapters Export station and Cutting on a plotter.

Menu

File contains New (Ctrl+N), Open (Ctrl+O), Import (Ctrl+I), Save (Ctrl+S), Save as (Ctrl+Shift+S), Export STL or OBJ (Ctrl+E) and Quit. The difference between Open and Import is that Import also accepts IGES curves and does not close the parts that are already open.

Edit has Undo (Ctrl+Z) and Redo (Ctrl+Y). The item always names the step that will be undone and how many steps remain.

Settings opens the windows Display, Controls, Units, Language, Licence and Devices (cutting plotters). They are described in the chapters Installation and licence, Controls and Cutting on a plotter.

Help contains Manual (F1), which opens this manual in the browser, and Support with the program version and the support contact.

Left panel: Tool, Parts, Pages

The left panel has three tabs. They can be switched at any time, even while a tool is open.

1. Tool shows the panel of the running tool. While no tool runs, the tab is inactive.
2. Parts is the project tree (the default tab).
3. Pages is the browser of work areas, that is the pages of the drawing. Details in the chapter Design station.
4. Search: type part of a name and the tree keeps only the matching parts and curves. An empty field restores the full view.

The Parts tree

Every open part is a separate layer in the tree. Parts can be put into groups, a part's entities (curves, planes, axes, measurements) appear under it, and with artwork so do the image layers.

• Click selects a part. The selected part is the one the tools work with.
• Ctrl+click selects several parts at once (for example for Join, Merge or batch flattening).
• The eye icon hides or shows a part. Hidden parts are ignored by the tools and are not exported.
• F2 renames a part, Delete deletes it.
• Dragging changes the order and moves a part into a group.
• Right click opens the context menu: Fit to screen, Export (STL/OBJ), Export 2D pattern (DXF, SVG, PDF 1:1), Memory diagnostics, Verify and tidy entities, Create group.

Below the tree are Mesh details: the number of triangles and vertices of the selected part and the number of currently selected triangles.

Tool panel

Most tools open as a panel in the Tool tab after a click. While a panel is open the ribbon is dimmed and no other tool can be started.

1. Title with the tool name. Dragging the title detaches the panel into its own window.
2. Help: the mouse-with-question-mark icon opens the hint bubble (see below).
3. Tool settings: sliders, values in mm, switches.
4. Apply runs the function with the current settings. It can be pressed several times, for example with a different value.
5. OK stores the result and closes the panel. If you have not pressed Apply yet, OK runs the function once.
6. Cancel returns the part to the state before the panel was opened and closes it.

While a tool is open you can switch to the Parts tab (to hide other parts, for instance) and then back to Tool — the panel keeps running in the meantime.

Note: OK never runs the function a second time. Once you have pressed Apply, OK only confirms what you see in the window.

Hint bubble

Every tool has its own illustrated help: what a click does, what its settings mean and how the work is finished.

• The bubble opens by itself when a tool starts and closes with the cross or with a click into the scene.
• The mouse-with-question-mark icon in the top right corner of the panel opens it again.
• Automatic opening can be turned off in Settings → Display, the option Show hints when starting a tool. The icon in the panel keeps working even then.

Work area bars

The work area header (above the 3D view) shows on the left which station you are in and which part is selected. In the middle the Model station has the views Front, Side, Top, Isometric and Fit part, the Design station has the layout switches (2D only, 2D and 3D, 3D only). On the right is the number of parts in the project and, in the Design and Export stations, the Display quality selector.

The selection row below the header (Model station): Select all, Deselect, Grow selection (+) and Shrink selection from the edge (−). When you turn on the brush or the curved-area selection, the Brush size or Edge angle slider appears next to them.

The bottom bar: the button with the question mark opens the mouse controls overview, next to it are the buttons that rotate the view by 90° left and right. On the right are the 3D display modes (shaded, wireframe, transparent), and in the Model station also Curvature check, Perspective and Gumball. In the Design station the 2D window modes sit to their left.

The pages bar (Design and Export stations) is at the very bottom below the 2D window: one tile per work area with an eye icon, and the material size on the right.

The status bar at the very bottom says what the program has just done or what it expects from you. Longer computations show a thin progress bar with a Stop button. On the right is the load of the processor, memory and graphics card. Watch the memory with large scans: when it approaches full, close the parts you do not need.

Display quality

In the Design and Export stations the Display quality selector is top right: Low, Medium, High, Realistic. It changes the resolution of the artwork preview on the parts — from 1024 to 4096 px. A lower quality frees up performance and memory when there are many images; it has no effect on the printed export. Low quality also turns off edge antialiasing.

3 Mouse and keyboard controls

WrapForge is controlled like a typical 3D program, with one important exception: the view rotates with the right mouse button. The left button is reserved for the tools (clicking points, drawing curves, dragging the brush), so it never rotates the model by accident.

Mouse in the 3D view

The same overview is always at hand: click the button with the question mark on the left of the bottom bar.

Views and orientation

• The buttons Front, Side, Top, Isometric in the work area header set the view to the standard directions. Whole part zooms to the selected part.
• The axis cube bottom left shows the orientation. Clicking one of its faces turns the view perpendicular to it.
• The buttons in the bottom bar rotate the view by 90° left or right.
• Perspective in the bottom bar switches between perspective and parallel projection. Parallel projection is more accurate for measuring and comparing shapes.

Selecting triangles

Most tools in the Model station work with a selection: a marked part of the surface. Selected triangles are yellow. The selection is made with the tools from the left bar and always starts with Ctrl held down, so it does not interfere with the tool's own work.

1. Rectangle selection: drag a frame in the view.
2. Lasso selection: draw around the area freehand.
3. Brush selection: drag across the surface. Set the brush size with the slider above the work area or via Ctrl + wheel.
4. Select a curved area: click the surface; the selection grows from the clicked point and stops at edges where the surface bends more sharply than the set Edge angle.
5. Select the whole part: Ctrl + click the part.
6. Invert the selection: selected becomes unselected and vice versa.
7. Through / Visible only: switched on, it also selects triangles behind the surface (for example the inner side of the scan); switched off, only what is visible. Applies to rectangle and lasso.

The row above the work area adds Select all (the whole connected piece under the selection), Clear the selection, Grow the selection (+) by about 5 mm and Shrink the selection from the border (−) by about 5 mm. Through is off after start.

When you turn on the brush, the Brush size slider in mm appears next to them; with the curved area it is the Edge angle slider in degrees. Both values can also be changed with Ctrl + wheel directly in the window.

With the brush and the curved area, Ctrl+Shift removes from the selection. With the brush, a click and another click with Ctrl held makes a straight line.

Warning: On a dense scan with several layers (for example a panel scanned together with its inner side) select with Through switched off, otherwise the back side is selected too and more is deleted or cut out than you wanted.

Gumball

Gumball in the bottom bar of the Model station switches on handles for moving and rotating the selected parts in all axes. Arrows move along an axis, arcs rotate, the centre moves freely, Ctrl during the drag snaps to 5 mm or 5° steps. It is used for manual alignment of parts. The Artwork tool in the Design station has its own gumball for placing the image.

Mouse in the 2D view (Design station)

In the 2D view with the pattern the view does not rotate, it only pans (middle or right button) and zooms (wheel). The left button serves the tools:

• Click on a part selects it, drag moves it, the yellow arrows in the corners rotate it.
• Ctrl + click adds or removes a part from the selection, a frame over the empty area selects several parts.
• In the node editor a click selects a node, a drag moves it, a frame selects several nodes and the handles bend the curve.
• The yellow splitter between the 2D and 3D views can be dragged and changes the ratio of the views.
• Ctrl+C copies the outline of the selected part, H and V start mirroring it (see the chapter Design station).
• Below the 2D window is the pages bar: a click on a tile jumps to that work area, the eye icon hides it together with its content.

Keyboard shortcuts

Undo and redo

Every change to the mesh, the pattern or a part's position is a step that can be undone with Ctrl+Z. The Edit menu shows exactly what will be undone and how many steps remain. While a computation is running, a step cannot be undone; the program says so in the status bar.

Note: Undo keeps a copy of the mesh in memory for large scans. If memory is running out, save the project and close the parts you have finished with.

4 Model station

In the Model station the scan is prepared for flattening: scan errors and debris are removed, several scans are joined, the part is aligned and cut into pieces that can be unfolded into a plane. All tools of this station work with the 3D triangle mesh.

Opening a scan

File → Open (Ctrl+O) opens a 3D mesh in STL, OBJ or PLY format, a .wfg project or a DXF or SVG cutting file. File → Import (Ctrl+I) adds a file to the parts already open and additionally accepts IGES curves. Loading a large scan takes several seconds to minutes depending on its size; a window with a running bar shows the progress.

After loading, the part appears in the Navigation tree and in the 3D view. Below the tree you see the number of triangles and vertices.

Typical workflow

1. Repair: remove spikes, islands, small holes and other scan errors.
2. Holes: patch larger openings the scan did not capture.
3. Optionally Merge scans of the same part or Best fit onto a reference part.
4. Cut with a curve: split the part into pieces where the seam of the film or fabric will be.
5. Switch to the Design station.

The other tools (smoothing, decimation, sanding, mirroring, measurement) are used as needed.

Entities group

Entities are helper objects under a part in the tree: planes, axes and curves. They are used for mirroring, alignment, marking in the pattern and export to CAD.

Plane

A plane fitted through points or a surface area on the part. It serves as a mirror axis or as a marking line in the pattern (after flattening, the trace of the plane appears as a yellow curve).

• Mode Surface: hold Ctrl and mark an area (rectangle, lasso or brush). When you release Ctrl, a plane fitted through the marked area is created.
• Mode Points: Ctrl+click at least 3 points on the surface. The table shows the coordinates and deviation of each point; Delete selected points removes them.
• After the plane is created, the Parameters appear: Length, Width, Rotation, Offset X, Offset Y and Flip normal. The plane can also be edited by dragging the gizmo in 3D.
• Apply confirms the plane and keeps the mode on for the next one. OK saves all planes under the part, Cancel discards all planes created since the tool was opened.

You can edit a plane later by double-clicking it in the tree.

Part axis

A least-squares line through the centres of the selected planes (at least two). Tick the planes in the list and press Apply. The axis opens for editing with a gizmo: arrows move, the ring rotates, the dots change the size.

Curve

Curves drawn on the surface appear in the pattern after flattening as marking curves (yellow, exported to the KRIVKY layer) and can be exported to IGES.

• Spline: a smooth curve through the clicked points. A double click makes a corner (fixed point), Esc returns to the last corner.
• Polyline: a broken line through the clicked points.
• Extract boundaries: curves from the boundaries of the mesh. A click on a green boundary selects it.
• Apply saves the drawn curve into the table (min. 2 points), OK writes all curves under the part into the Curves node. The table shows the length of each curve; ✕ removes it.

Align group

Coordinates

Aligns the scan to the coordinate system. Drag the arrows (move along an axis) and circles (rotate around an axis) in 3D, or enter Offset and Angle directly for X, Y, Z. Centroid to origin moves the centre of the scan to 0,0,0. Align principal axes turns the scan according to its main directions. Both buttons only pre-fill the values; OK writes them. The panel has no Apply so that the alignment is not added twice. With a group, all members are aligned.

Best fit

Fits one part onto another, for example a new scan onto a reference one, or the left fender onto the mirrored right one. The scene must contain at least two parts.

1. In the list Fixed (stays) tick the part that does not move. In the list Moving (is aligned) there is always exactly one part.
2. Max. distance (default 2 mm) sets how far apart points of the two parts may be to count as the same surface.
3. Pre-alignment: Automatic matches similar surfaces on its own. Manual requires point pairing: Ctrl+click a point on the moving part, then on the fixed part, at least 3 to 4 pairs. None starts from the current position.
4. Press Best fit. The panel reports the deviation and the match percentage. If the automatic guess is wrong (for example the opposite end of the vehicle), Other position switches to the next candidate. Reset clears it.
5. OK writes the position into the mesh.

Mirror

A mirror image of the part across a plane, for example the right fender from the left one.

• In the list choose the mirror plane: Draw a line (hold Ctrl, click point A, click point B in 3D), an existing plane entity of the part, or the group plane (the whole group is mirrored).
• Flip swaps the side of the plane, Plane offset moves it in mm.
• Mirror only creates a mirror image of the whole part. Mirror and merge takes the half of the part on the normal side and completes it with its mirror (symmetrisation).
• Keep the original part leaves the original and adds a layer with the suffix "-zrkadlo".
• Apply mirrors and consumes the plane (another mirroring needs a new one), OK closes.

Measurement

The distance between two points on the surface: Ctrl+click point A, Ctrl+click point B. The dimension goes into the table with the 3D distance and the X, Y, Z components. OK saves the dimensions under the part in the Measurements node, Cancel discards them.

Meshes group

Tools for several parts and for working with the triangle selection. Select several parts with Ctrl+click in the tree.

• Merge: welds the meshes of the selected parts (at least two) into one new layer "spojené". The originals stay.
• Merge scans: permanently joins the selected parts into one mesh and repairs it. For parts lying on top of each other (pieces of one mesh) the result is immediate. For overlapping scans the Merge scans panel opens, see below.
• Cut out: makes a new layer with the suffix "-odstrih" from the selected triangles and removes them from the part.
• Duplicate: makes a new layer "-výber" from the selected triangles; the original part stays whole.
• Delete: removes the selected triangles from the mesh.

Merge scans

When two scans of the same part taken from different sides share an overlap, the panel stitches them into one mesh. In the overlap the mesh with the higher priority (Low, Normal, High) wins: its triangles stay untouched, the other one is trimmed and stitched on. By default the first part is trimmed and the second is the reference.

• Max. distance: how far apart two surfaces may be to count as the same surface. Anything farther stays separate.
• Smoothing layers: how many rings around the seam are smoothed so that no step remains on the seam.
• After opening, the panel reports the overlap percentage and the distance between the surfaces and suggests a distance. With a large distance do a Best fit first.
• OK merges; the result is a new layer, the originals disappear. One Undo step restores everything.

Repair (mesh repair)

The first button of the Refine group. The program finds the errors and you decide what is repaired. If an area is selected on the part, only that area is repaired, otherwise the whole part.

1. After opening, the analysis runs and a count appears for each category. Highlight errors on the mesh colours them red directly on the part.
2. Tick what should be repaired. By default everything except self-intersections is ticked.
3. The Parameters section hides the thresholds: island size, spike level, crease angle, bridge width and maximum hole size. The Preview button recounts with the new thresholds.
4. Apply repairs and immediately runs a check analysis. OK saves and reports what remained unrepaired. Cancel restores the original mesh.

Note: The repair repairs first; it removes a damaged piece only as the last safe option. With an error-free mesh OK changes nothing.

Refine group

Holes (fill holes)

After opening, the program finds all holes (boundaries without neighbours) and highlights them. Holes smaller than Ignore holes below (default 10 edges) count as noise and are not shown.

• Whole hole: a click on the boundary fills the hole immediately. The slider or arrows step through the holes one by one; the value 0 means all at once.
• Partial fill: click 2 points on the boundary and then the side that should be filled (a green arc and chord show the segment). Used for large openings where only a part needs patching.
• Bridge: joins two meshes. 2 points on the boundary of the first part, a click on the curve between them, 2 points on the second part, a click on its curve. The parts are joined, the second one disappears.
• Fill method: Low curvature for flat surfaces, High curvature for domed ones (only with Whole hole), Plane.
• Smooth the border layers smooths the transition of the patch into its surroundings.
• OK saves, Cancel restores the mesh.

Decimate

Reduces the number of triangles to the given percentage (default 50 %). Useful for a quick preview or a lighter part. Keep boundaries holds the boundary vertices in place so the outline is not deformed. Decimation always starts from the original, so repeated Apply with another value does not accumulate.

Remesh (rebuild mesh)

A uniform mesh with the boundary preserved and good-quality triangles. Target vertices is pre-filled with a tenth of the current count, Adaptive refinement of radii densifies the mesh in curves. Remesh in the Design station does the same work with batch processing of several parts; this panel is handy when you want to rebuild the mesh before cutting.

Note: This remesh is raw — it rebuilds the mesh to the given vertex count and does not check whether the result can be flattened. The pattern is checked by Remesh in the Design station.

Surface (smooth)

Removes scan noise and keeps the volume. Smoothing strength (Low, Medium, High), Iterations, Keep details (percentage), Keep boundaries and Sharpen (adds the detail back after smoothing). If an area is selected on the part, only that area is smoothed.

Boundaries (smooth boundaries)

The edge of a scan tends to be jagged. This tool smooths it or replaces it with an exact shape.

• Whole boundary: a click selects the boundary (green), Apply smooths it with the force from Smoothing strength.
• Boundary segment: point A, point B, side selection, Apply smooths only the segment.
• Basic shapes: choose Circle, Square / rectangle or Oval (ellipse) and click the boundary, for example a screw hole or a mounting opening. A live preview shows the result, Apply confirms.
• Analysis layers sets how many rows of triangles from the edge are taken into account.

Extend (extend boundaries)

Adds a strip of mesh of the given Length (default 5 mm) to the edge of the scan, for example when the scan ends right at the edge of the part and the film should go around it. A click on the boundary shows a yellow translucent extension, Apply adds it. The partial mode adds the extension only on a segment (point A, point B, side). Boundary smoothing sets how many layers of the transition are smoothed.

Sand (sand the surface)

Sandpaper for the scan: Ctrl shows the brush circle, Ctrl+left drag sands and smooths, Ctrl+wheel changes the radius. Sanding strength, Radius, Keep features (distinct edges and creases are sanded gently) and Keep boundaries. OK keeps, Cancel restores. Works on large parts too (tens of millions of triangles) — opening the tool then takes a few seconds. If there is not enough free memory for the part, the program says so as soon as the tool opens.

Cut with a curve

A group of its own, Cutting, and the most important tool of the Model station. A closed shape (for example a whole bonnet or helmet) cannot be unfolded into a plane without a seam. Cut with a curve splits the part into pieces along curves drawn on the surface exactly where the seam of the film or fabric will be.

Drawing curves

A curve is finished when it is closed or when both ends lie on the outline of the part or on another curve. An unfinished curve with a free end is red.

Editing curves

The middle button deletes: a click on a line deletes the segment between points, a double click on a line deletes the whole curve, a click on a point deletes the point, a click on the outline of the part switches it off (a double click restores it). The cursor on a line shows in green which segment will be deleted. The right button rotates the view, the wheel zooms towards the cursor.

Creating the layers

1. Press Apply. The program cuts the part and shows a coloured preview of the layers. The list Cut layers with tick boxes appears in the panel.
2. Untick the layers you do not want (they are translucent in the preview). A right click on an item renames it.
3. OK creates the layers from the ticked items and removes the original part. One Undo step restores everything.
4. A click into the scene or Esc returns you to curve editing, Delete curves starts over.

Gumball

Gumball in the bottom bar switches on handles on the selected parts: arrows (red X, green Y, blue Z) move along an axis, the white ball moves freely in the screen plane, the coloured arcs rotate around an axis. Ctrl during the drag snaps to 5 mm or 5°. On release the position is written into the mesh; Undo restores it. The gumball is in the Model station; in Design the Artwork tool has its own gumball.

5 Design station

In the Design station the prepared 3D part becomes a 2D pattern. The order is always the same: Remesh prepares the mesh, Flattening unfolds it into the plane, optionally Spring takes the film material into account, then the outline is refined, artwork is added and the parts are laid out on the material. The status bar repeats this order after you switch to the station.

The window splits in Design: the 2D pattern on a white work area on the left, the 3D model on the right. The yellow splitter between them can be dragged; the switches in the header show 2D only, both windows or 3D only.

1. The Part preparation group: Remesh, Flattening, Spring, Tension +, Tension −.
2. The Outline group: Copy, Mirror, Sander, Round corner, Reduce, Cut, Contour, Partial offset, Measurement.
3. The Artwork and text group.
4. The Pages and layout group: Pages, Auto-nest, Rotation.
5. Node tools in the left bar: Nodes, Add node, Remove node, Group, Ungroup.
6. Window layout: 2D only, 2D and 3D, 3D only.
7. 2D window modes: wireframe, strain colouring, artwork display, material display.
8. The pages bar — one tile per page of the drawing.
9. Display quality of the artwork preview.
10. Dimensions of the selected part in 2D: Height, Width and Rotation.

Remesh

Flattening only accepts parts that went through Remesh. Remesh rebuilds the scan mesh into a uniform, good-quality mesh with the boundary preserved exactly. A scan typically has hundreds of thousands to millions of unevenly sized triangles; a few thousand uniform vertices are enough for flattening.

1. Select the part in the tree (or several parts with Ctrl+click, or click a group) and press Remesh.
2. If the mesh has errors, the program asks whether to repair them first. We recommend Yes: remesh on a damaged mesh usually fails.
3. Set the Target vertex count (3000 by default) and leave the mode on Smart.
4. Press Start. The result appears directly in the 3D window as a preview.
5. When you are satisfied, press OK. The panel confirms it in the status bar.

The Stop button stops a running computation, Cancel restores the original meshes. When it finishes, the program reports how many parts passed and how many failed. A part that fails at every vertex count is usually damaged: go back to the Model station and run Repair.

Flattening

Flattening unfolds a remeshed part into 2D. It has no panel: select the part (or several parts) and press Flattening. A thin progress bar with a Stop button runs during the computation.

When it finishes:

• The outline of the part appears in the 2D window as a solid green line. Parts are placed below the white work area like a parking lot; put them on the area by hand or with Auto-nest.
• Marking curves (curves from entities or plane traces) are yellow. They go to the export as marking, not as a cut.
• The header of the 2D window shows the Height, Width and Rotation of the selected part.
• The status bar reports the maximum stretch and compression in percent and whether the pattern contains flipped polygons.

Flipped polygons are places where the surface folded over itself during unfolding. The program shows them as dark crosses. If they appear, the part is too curved for one piece: go back to the Model station, cut it into more parts with Cut with a curve and repeat Remesh and Flattening.

Caution: Flattening can also be started on several selected parts at once. Parts that have not been through Remesh are skipped and the program lists their names.

Strain map

The Strain colouring switch in the bottom bar colours the parts by how much the film has to stretch or compress during application. The same colouring is projected onto the 3D model. A vertical legend appears on the right.

After flattening the scale is in percent of area deformation. After Spring it switches to N/m (force per metre of material width). Large red or black areas mean the part has to be cut into more pieces or the seam has to be moved.

Spring

Spring refines the 2D shape according to the properties of the specific film: how it stretches along and across and how it holds its shape. The result is a pattern that fits better after application than a purely geometric unfolding, plus a strain map in N/m.

1. Select the flattened part and press Spring.
2. Choose the Film material from the library. The program ships for example a cast film with lamination and PPF 190 µm.
3. Choose the Mode: Isotropic (fast) assumes the same properties in all directions, Orthotropic (grain direction) distinguishes the roll direction from the cross direction.
4. Press OK. Strain colouring turns on automatically after the computation.

Add your own material with the Import… button. The New material window opens with the fields Name, Tensile modulus (isotropic), Tensile modulus in the roll and cross directions, Shear modulus, Poisson's ratio and Film thickness. The moduli are entered in N/m (force per metre of width), not in MPa. You get the values from the film manufacturer or from a tensile test. The material is saved to the library and next time you pick it by name.

Note: Spring requires a pattern without flipped polygons. If the pattern has them, the program says so. Repair the mesh or cut the part and run Flattening again.

Tension + and Tension −

During application the film is deliberately stretched over convex places. Tension + takes this into account: the part shrinks along the drawn line (the material stretches during application) and widens perpendicular to it according to the material, so it does not get narrower. Tension − does the opposite: the part gets longer along the line and narrower across it.

1. Select the flattened part and press Tension + or Tension −. Strain colouring turns on.
2. In the 2D window click point A and then point B on the part. The yellow line between them sets the direction of the tension.
3. Enter the Tension strength in percent (0.5 % by default).
4. Press Apply. The status bar reports how the part changed along the line and across it.
5. Another click starts a new line. OK closes the panel, Cancel restores the original shape and strain map.

The panel also shows the material in use and its Poisson's ratio, which sets the relation between the shrinking and the widening.

Outline group

The pattern outline is a smooth curve with nodes. It can be edited by hand in the node editor or with the tools of the Outline group. All of them work in the 2D window with a flattened part.

Node editor

The node tools are in the left bar of the Design station.

1. Nodes: a click selects a node, Ctrl adds to the selection, a drag moves the node, a frame selects several nodes. A selected node has handles that bend the curve. Ctrl on a handle turns the node into a corner.
2. Add node: click on the outline.
3. Remove node: click a node or use a frame. The outline must keep at least 3 nodes.
4. Group: locks the selected parts so that they move together in 2D. It is a temporary lock, it is not saved into the project and it does not change the groups in the tree.
5. Ungroup: releases the lock. With a node of a plane trace selected it detaches the trace as a separate curve that can be moved in 2D.

The node tools cannot be turned on while another panel is running (Tension, Reduce, Sander, Round corner). Close it first with OK or Cancel.

Copy

Copy makes an independent copy of an outline or a curve — for example a second identical part without cutting the 3D model again.

1. Select a part in 2D (its outline and holes are copied) or a specific curve in the tree and press Copy (or Ctrl+C).
2. The panel shows the Number of copies and a yellow preview follows the cursor.
3. A click in the 2D view puts the top left corner of the copy at that place. The copy becomes a separate curve layer with the suffix "kópia".
4. Esc or Cancel ends copying.

A copy is a standalone 2D curve without a mesh: it has no 3D part, no strain map and no link to the original. It goes into the export as a cutting outline.

Mirror

Mirror flips the outline along an axis of the work area — a right-hand part from a left-hand one.

1. Select a part or a curve and press Mirror (or H, respectively V).
2. Choose the direction: Horizontal (the H key) or Vertical (V). A yellow preview appears.
3. Apply or OK (Enter) writes the flip, Cancel or Esc discards it.

Caution: Film has an adhesive side — a mirrored part has to be cut mirrored in reality too. Mirror only when that is the intention (the other side of the vehicle), not to fix a badly rotated part; rotation is handled by Autonest.

Sander

The Sander sands the outline like a sanding block: a drag along the line straightens a wavy stretch, levels a bump and calms the shape down. Sharp corners and line ends stay.

• The Radius sets the scale of the smoothing: how long the waves are that the sander levels out. Set it in the panel or with Ctrl + wheel in the 2D window.
• Strength is the effect of one pass (5 % by default). The low strength is intentional: go over a place several times rather than bending it in one drag.
• The effect is applied while dragging, holding in place keeps sanding. OK confirms, Cancel restores the outline from before the panel was opened.
• Nodes stay where they are and nothing is removed — that is what Reduce is for.

Round corner

Replaces a sharp corner with an arc of an exact radius.

1. Set the Radius (or Ctrl + wheel).
2. Click edge A and then edge B of the same corner. A purple preview of the rounding appears.
3. Apply applies the corner and you can click the next one. ↻ Restart cancels the corner you clicked.

Reduce

A flattened outline has many nodes. Reduce keeps the smallest possible number of nodes so that the line does not deviate from the original by more than the set tolerance. Corners and small radii hold on their own.

• The Max. deviation slider is in hundredths of a millimetre: 0 keeps all points, 5 is 0.05 mm (cutting accuracy), 100 is 1 mm. It is always computed from the original points, so the slider works up and down without losing the shape.
• Automatic reduction sets the smallest node count at the 0.05 mm cutting accuracy.
• The Nodes row shows the original and the current count.
• OK confirms, Cancel restores the original state.

Cut

Cut splits a flattened part into two pieces with a line directly in 2D, without going back to 3D.

• A click is a cut point, a drag is a straight cut. Ctrl keeps the cut perpendicular or horizontal.
• A double click or Enter finishes the cut, Esc or Cancel discards it.
• The panel shows the number of cut points and how many parts the line crosses.

Contour and Partial offset

Contour (offset) traces the outline of a part outwards or inwards by a given value, for example for the film overlap behind an edge or to shrink the part.

1. A click on a part in 2D adds it to the selection and a purple line shows where the offset will appear. A frame over the empty area selects several parts.
2. Set the Size in mm and the direction Out or In.
3. Apply creates the offset and clears the selection so you can pick more parts. OK closes, Cancel restores the original outlines.

Partial offset makes the overlap only on a stretch of the outline: click point A on the outline, point B and then the side of the stretch that should be offset. The purple preview shows the result, Apply writes it. Reset selection (A/B) starts over.

Measurement

The same tool as in the Model station, and it also works on the 2D pattern. Ctrl+click point A, Ctrl+click point B: in the left 2D window the point snaps to a node or the pattern outline (within 8 px), otherwise it stays free; in the right 3D window the measurement follows the surface of the part. A dimension on the pattern is bound to the part and moves with it when the part is moved or rotated. In the table the 2D dimensions are marked (2D), OK saves them under the part in the Measurements node, Cancel discards them. Dimensions are not exported.

Artwork (print)

The Artwork tool places an image (PNG, JPG, BMP, TIFF) on the 3D model and transfers it to the 2D pattern, so the print file fits the part exactly. It works on a single part and on a group of parts, where the pattern continues across the seams.

1. Select a flattened part and press Artwork. The Artwork display mode turns on.
2. Import image… The program accepts a file up to 50 MB and up to 150 MPx (millions of pixels, e.g. 15,000 × 10,000 px) — the aspect ratio is not limited.
3. Grab the image with the mouse directly on the 3D model and drag it into place. A yellow frame and a gumball surround it: the ball moves it freely, the arrows along the axes, the blue circle rotates, the squares resize.
4. Fine-tune the size and position in the panel: Width, Height, Centre X, Centre Y, Rotation, Mirror horizontally and vertically. Proportional scale keeps the aspect ratio, Ctrl during a drag toggles the option.
5. OK confirms, Cancel restores the state of the whole group as it was when the tool opened.

Several images on one part: every import adds a new layer on top. Change the layer order in the tree with a right click on the image (Move up, Move down). Remove artwork deletes the active image on all parts of the group. A double click on the image on the 3D model opens the tool from the Model station too.

Projection

Projection sets how the image is projected onto the group of parts.

After a cancellation or an error, choose the same projection again to start a new attempt. When the common map cannot be computed, the program says why and the group stays on the 3D canvas.

Film: Vehicle side and Bumper

The Vehicle side and Bumper projections work with one real piece of film: all parts of the group sample the same map, so the artwork runs across the door, the fender and the pillar the way it will during application. The cuts of the parts stay independent.

• Foil settings… opens a window with the dimensions of the piece: Length before application, Roll width, Stretch along length, Max. stretch along length and Curve following. The option Keep the centre in place when stretching holds the artwork in position while the film is stretched. This part: local projection continuous at the edge handles a part that does not fit the common map.
• Set the centre and direction with two clicks… (in the same window): the first click on the car sets the centre of the artwork, the second one the direction of its length. The dimensions do not change.
• Lay by the current view recomputes the film so that it lies according to the way you are looking at the model.
• The line below the buttons shows the film size, the stretch along the length and the coverage — how much of the part area the common map captured.

Stretch and Fit along length

The Stretch button (with the Sheet projection) computes the common unfolding and stretches the active artwork over it without distortion so that it covers all parts of the group: the image is enlarged uniformly (the aspect ratio stays) and whatever sticks out beyond the parts is not printed. The rotation and mirroring of the layer stay, the shapes and sizes of the parts do not change.

With the Vehicle side projection the button is called Fit along length: the film is stretched only along the length of the roll, the width stays. The stretch is always computed from the original film size, so pressing it repeatedly does not accumulate. When the stretch would exceed the allowed limit, the program says the film is shorter than the part needs.

Note: In 2D the artwork is also drawn with a 5 mm bleed behind the cut line, so the printer has a margin when trimming. Working with artwork is not available in the Lite edition.

Text

Text writes text on the work area: a click places the text, you type directly, a click next to it or Esc ends the typing. A double click on finished text edits it, a drag moves it, Delete removes it. The panel has Font (a choice from the installed freely usable fonts), Size in mm and Colour. Texts stay even after Cancel.

Pages (work areas)

A work area is the white rectangle under the pattern. It represents the material and at the same time one page of the drawing: the PDF export makes one page per area and cutting always cuts one area.

• Width (vertical) is the roll width (1490 mm by default), Length (horizontal) is the length of the unrolled piece (5000 mm by default). The dimensions apply to all areas at once and change live.
• Add work area creates another area below the others, Remove work area deletes the selected one; its parts and texts move next to the areas and are kept.
• PDF pages in the panel tells how many pages the export will make.
• OK confirms, Cancel restores both the areas and the part layout.

Pages browser

The Pages tab in the left panel shows all work areas with a thumbnail and a name.

• A click on an area jumps to it in the 2D window, a double click on the name renames it (the name is also used when choosing the area for cutting).
• Add work area, Remove and Edit work area dimensions do the same as the panel above.
• The same list is below the 2D window as the pages bar; the eye icon on a tile temporarily hides the area together with its content.

Auto-nest

Auto-nest lays the flattened parts out on the work area so that they take up as little material as possible.

1. Select at least 2 flattened visible parts (or leave all of them selected).
2. Press Auto-nest and set the Gap between parts (5 mm by default), the Canvas width and the Canvas length. Unlimited length (one strip) keeps all parts in one strip.
3. Start. The status bar reports the number of placed parts, the number of canvases and the utilisation. Parts that did not fit stay where they were.

Auto-nest respects the rotations assigned in the Rotation tool. If no part has a rotation, all of them are rotated freely.

Rotation (autonest settings)

Here you set how Auto-nest may rotate individual parts and what the material is.

Parts and rotation

• The Part / Rotation table lists the flattened parts. A click on a part in 2D selects it, a drag moves it, the yellow arrows in the corners rotate it. Ctrl+click adds or removes another one, a frame selects several at once. A double click on the name in the table renames the part.
• The buttons 45°, 90°, 135°, 180°, 225°, 270°, 315° assign the selected parts a fixed rotation relative to the material edge. Current takes over the rotation the part has in 2D right now. Type your own value into the field and press Assign.
• Clear (rotate freely) removes the rotation. An empty field means Auto-nest rotates the part freely.
• Show part names writes the name into every part in 2D. It is only a preview, it is not exported.

Spacing: Between parts in mm.

Material

• Width (vertical) and Length (horizontal) of the roll, Unlimited length (one strip).
• Grain direction: —, 0°, 45°, 90°, 135°. It is display only: hatching appears on the area and the pattern direction on the 3D model through the Material display mode. The rotation of parts is always measured from the material edge, not from the grain.
• A fixed part may also be turned by 180°: with material without an oriented pattern a part with a fixed rotation may also lie turned around, which makes the nesting denser.

Apply runs Auto-nest with these settings, OK saves the settings, Cancel restores them. Part positions are not restored by Cancel; the manual move and Auto-nest are separate undo steps.

2D window modes and layout

1. 2D pattern only.
2. 2D and 3D side by side. The yellow splitter between the windows can be dragged.
3. 3D view only.

1. 2D wireframe mode: outlines only. The default.
2. Strain colouring: parts filled according to the strain map, with a legend.
3. Artwork display: the print in the 2D pattern and on the 3D model.
4. Material display: the grain direction projected onto the 3D model. Active only with the grain direction turned on in the autonest settings.

In the Export station there is always 2D only; the program remembers the Design layout and restores it when you come back.

6 Export station

The Export station saves the finished 2D pattern at 1:1 scale into a file for printing or cutting, shows control previews and can send the pattern straight to a cutting plotter. The window shows the 2D pattern only; the dimensions in the header are labelled Width and Length.

1. Export pattern: PDF · print, SVG · curves, DXF · cutting.
2. Previews: Cutting plan and Preview (3D model with artwork).
3. Cutting: sends the pattern straight to the plotter, see the chapter Cutting on a plotter.

All flattened and visible parts are exported exactly as they lie on the work area. Hide the parts you do not want in the file with the eye icon in the tree. If no part is flattened, the program says so and the export does not start.

Export to PDF

1. Color export: CMYK for the printer and RIP (the spot contours stay separate separations), RGB for a preview on screen.
2. Color Profil: the ICC profile for converting the artwork colours. FOGRA39 (Coated) is the standard for printing in Europe. None is a fast conversion without a profile.
3. ThroughCut and its Offset: a die cut, a red hairline with the ThroughCut spot colour. The material is cut all the way through. A positive offset moves the contour outwards from the part, a negative one inwards. 0.70 mm by default.
4. CutContour and its Offset: a kiss cut, a magenta hairline with the CutContour spot colour. The outline of the graphic, the liner stays. 0.00 mm by default.
5. Tailor and Spacing: sewing aids for tailors, see below.
6. Scale: 1:1 for printing at real size, 1:10 and 1:20 for a check print.
7. DPI: the resolution of the rasterised artwork. 300 dpi is common for large format, higher values make the file bigger.
8. Page: each work area is one PDF page. All exports every area.
9. JPEG quality compression: 100 % is lossless, below roughly 85 % artefacts can appear in flat areas.
10. Location and the Browse button: where the PDF is saved. Without a choice the program asks during the export.
11. Export starts saving. A progress bar in the window shows how it goes.

The program remembers the options for the next export. The default file name is the name of the first part with the suffix "_strih.pdf". After saving, the status bar reports the colour mode, profile, scale, DPI, number of pages, size, number of cut lines and the file size.

The spot colours in the PDF are named exactly ThroughCut and CutContour, which is what RIPs such as Roland VersaWorks, Esko or Caldera expect. The hairline is 0.1 pt so that it is not counted into the print.

Caution: Export to PDF is not available in the Lite edition. In Lite the pattern is exported to DXF or SVG.

Tailor: sewing aids

For upholsterers and tailors who sew the parts together. With Tailor on, ticks are added behind the trim along the seams: a 3 mm safe zone, a 5 mm tick, a 2 mm gap. Every fifth tick carries a ball with the seam number; both sides of the same seam have the same number. The ticks are measured along the 3D arc of the seam, not along the 2D outline, so both sides of the seam match.

• Spacing sets the distance between ticks (50 mm by default).
• Turning Tailor on switches ThroughCut to 10 mm and turns CutContour off; turning it off restores the original values.
• Below the row the recommended part spacing for nesting appears, so that the tick zone of one part does not reach into its neighbour. Use this value as the Gap between parts in Auto-nest.
• The aids are printed in black, not as cutting data — they are meant to be seen by the people who sew.

Export to DXF

Press DXF · cutting, choose a file and save. The default name is the name of the part with the suffix "_strih.dxf".

• Cut outlines are in the CUT layer (green), marking curves in the KRIVKY layer (yellow).
• The coordinates are measured from the corner of the work area in millimetres.
• Outlines with smooth curves are saved as SPLINE, the rest as LWPOLYLINE.
• Sewing aids are not drawn into DXF, they are only in the PDF.

Open the file in ExactCut or in the plotter software. The status bar reports the number of outlines and curves.

Export to SVG

SVG · curves saves the same pattern as a vector file in mm 1:1 with the CUT and KRIVKY groups and smooth curves. It is handy for checking in a graphics program or for tools that do not read DXF.

Cutting plan

The Cutting plan is a control sheet for the workshop: the work areas with the laid-out parts on the left, the model from the selected sides on the right. Every part has a unique colour in both 2D and 3D, so it is immediately clear which piece belongs where on the car.

• The Views checkboxes (Front, Rear, Left, Right, Top, Bottom) set which views are drawn.
• Refresh redraws the window after a change in the pattern.
• Export PDF… saves the plan on A4 landscape, Print… sends it to the printer.
• At the bottom is a legend with the number and name of every part; a part outside the work area is marked (mimo plátna).
• The 3D is drawn from the remeshed flattening meshes, not from the original scans — so the window opens even for large projects.

Preview (technical and rendered)

Preview shows how the vehicle will look with the print applied and saves images for the customer.

Under Display, choose Technical preview for a grey model with black hairline outlines, seams and relief cuts. Rendered preview shows the artwork on the surface without technical contours. The selected mode applies to the live preview, all selected views and saved JPEGs, and is remembered by the application. Switching modes preserves custom camera orientations.

When the work area has a fibre direction set, the technical preview projects its hatching onto the model as black hairlines, including in saved JPEGs. It preserves the pattern direction, spacing and placement on the parts. The pattern toggle in the 3D editor does not affect this. Setting the fibre direction to — disables hatching. After changing the work area settings, use Refresh in the preview.

Technical JPEG exports include a legend below the image explaining the model outline, seams and relief cuts, and enabled hatching. Only elements present in the preview are listed, without covering the model. A grouped image has one legend below all views; each separate JPEG has its own legend.

Every exported JPEG includes the WrapForge logo and wrapforge.sk in a footer, matching the cutting plan. The footer sits below the views and any legend.

• Views are fixed sides of the model; Custom views are rotated with the mouse in the left window (drag rotates, wheel zooms) and added with the + button. Reset orientation returns the starting position.
• Save as: Grouped into one JPEG gives one contact sheet, Each view separately saves one file per view. The resolution is 2000 × 1500 px per view.
• Refresh loads the current artwork from the project, Save JPEG… exports the selected views.
• The window has its own copies of the parts and cameras: rotating in the preview does not move the model or the artwork in the project.

Cutting on a plotter

The Cut button in the Cutting group sends the pattern of the selected work area straight to the cutting plotter, without a detour through DXF. Details in the chapter Cutting on a plotter.

Export from the context menu

A right click on a part in the tree offers Export 2D pattern (DXF), (SVG) and (PDF 1:1) from any station.

Exporting a 3D part

File → Export… (STL, OBJ) or Ctrl+E saves the current 3D part as STL, OBJ or PLY, for example an edited and repaired scan for another program. The selected part is exported, not the whole scene.

Exporting IGES curves

Curves from the Curve tool (spline, polyline, boundaries) can be saved as IGES for CAD: right click the curve in the tree → Export as IGES. With several curves selected, an export into one file is available. The file is in millimetres.

The .wfg project

File → Save (Ctrl+S) saves the whole scene into a .wfg project: all parts, groups, entities, flattenings, strain maps, artwork and the work areas. The project opens through Open or with a double click on the file in Explorer.

• The project size follows the number of vertices and the artwork, from a few MB for small parts to hundreds of MB for a whole car.
• The program saves safely: the new version is written next to the old one, which stays as a .bak backup until the new file is finished.
• Saving is not possible while a tool panel is open. Close it first with Apply or Cancel.
• Saving is always allowed, even when the tools are locked by the licence.

7 Cutting on a plotter

WrapForge sends the finished pattern straight to the cutting plotter: no detour through DXF and no second program. It always cuts one work area — the one you choose in the Cutting window.

There are two steps: once you set up the device (plotter), and after that you only open Cutting, check the preview and start the cut.

Cutting devices

Open the list of plotters through Settings → Devices or with the Devices… button inside the Cutting window.

• The list shows the brand, the width and the connection of every device (COM port, IP address or Windows printer). A star marks the default device, which is offered for cutting.
• Add cutting device opens the form below, Edit opens it for the selected device (a double click does the same).
• Remove deletes the device, Default makes the selected one the main one.

Adding a plotter

• Automatically find plotter scans the Windows printers and the COM ports and pre-fills the device it finds. It is the fastest route; when it finds nothing, enter the port by hand.
• COM port and Baud rate are used for a serial connection (typically 9600). COM scan scans only the serial ports.
• Printer is the route through the Windows driver — choose the plotter from the list of installed printers.
• Orientation: Mirror X and Mirror Y flip the data when the plotter cuts in the opposite direction from what the program expects.
• Save stores the device. The program checks the name, the width and the connection and reports a missing value.

Caution: Mirroring in the device only concerns the cutting direction on the machine. A mirrored part (the other side of the vehicle) is handled in the pattern with the Mirror tool in the Design station.

The Cutting window

In the Export station press Cut.

1. Work area: which page of the pattern is cut. The areas are listed by the name you give them in the pages browser.
2. Device: the plotter from the list. Devices… opens the device management without closing the Cutting window.
3. The row below the selectors sums up the job: the number of parts, the size of the area and the plotter width.
4. The cutting preview shows exactly what goes to the machine: green part outlines, grey panel boundaries and yellow separation cuts. The Zoom in, Zoom out and Fit all buttons, the wheel zooms, the middle button pans.
5. Cut sends the job, Cancel closes the window without cutting.

Panel cutting

A long cut is split into panels and the plotter cuts piece by piece in the direction the film is fed. This prevents the material from drifting on long jobs, which is why it is on by default.

• Panel length (500 mm by default) sets the length of the sections. At least 100 mm.
• With panels off, the whole area is cut in one go. For a very long job the program warns that there are too many panels and suggests increasing the panel length.

Separation helper

Switched on, the separation lines add cuts around the parts and split the waste into smaller pieces that are easier to remove. They keep a 1 mm clearance from the parts.

• Separation spacing (200 mm by default) is the distance between the helper cuts. At least 50 mm.
• If a part lies too close to the edge of the area, the program reports that separation needs at least 1 mm around the parts. Move the parts away from the edge or turn separation off.

The program remembers both the panel and the separation settings for the next cut.

Sending the job

After pressing Cut the Sending to plotter window opens with a progress bar and a Stop button.

• When it finishes, the message Data has been sent to the plotter appears.
• Stop interrupts the transfer. The plotter may finish the commands it has already received — stop it on the machine as well.
• If the connection fails, the program reports the reason from Windows (for example a wrong port or a device that does not answer). Check the cable, whether the machine is on, and the settings in Devices.

The program sends HPGL to the plotter — the same language the plotter software uses. Outlines are cut in the order in which they lie on the area, and at the end the knife returns to the origin.

What to prepare before cutting

1. The parts have to be flattened, visible and completely inside the work area. A part that overhangs the edge stops the cut — move it or use Auto-nest.
2. The width of the work area must be less than or equal to the plotter width. Change it in the Pages tool.
3. Refine an outline that should be a clean cut in the Outline group (Reduce, Sander, Round corner). The plotter follows the curve exactly, bumps included.
4. Marking curves (yellow) are not sent to the cut — they are only in the DXF, SVG and PDF exports.

When cutting does not work

8 Workflows from start to finish

Three typical jobs step by step. Each workflow uses the tools from the previous chapters, arranged here in the order they follow in the workshop.

Printed helmet to PDF

Goal: a printed film for a helmet, split into parts with seams, with cut contours for the printer's RIP.

1. Open the scan of the helmet (STL). Check the triangle count below the tree.
2. Repair: keep the default categories, switch on Highlight errors on the mesh, press Apply and OK.
3. Holes: a helmet scan often has openings at the visor and along the edge. A click on the boundary fills the hole, OK saves.
4. Cut with a curve: draw the curves where the seams of the film will be. A helmet typically splits into the crown, two sides and the back. Close the curves or connect them to the outline. Apply shows the coloured preview, OK creates the layers.

5. Put the parts into a group: select them in the tree with Ctrl+click, right click → Create group. The group allows one artwork across all parts.
6. Switch to Design. Click the group (all members are selected) and press Remesh, Start, OK.
7. Flattening on the selected group. The parts appear in 2D below the work area.
8. Switch on Strain colouring and check the map. Red or black areas mean the part has to be cut differently in Model.
9. Artwork: Import image, drag it onto the helmet in 3D. Projection Sheet so that the pattern continues across the seams; Stretch spreads it over the whole group. OK.

10. Auto-nest: lay the parts out on the work area according to the roll width.
11. Switch to Export → PDF · print: CMYK, FOGRA39, ThroughCut 0.7 mm, scale 1:1, 300 dpi, Export.

12. Save the project (Ctrl+S) for a possible repeat production.

Motorcycle without print to DXF for a plotter

Goal: clear PPF film for the tank and fairing of a motorcycle, cut on a plotter.

1. Open the scan. If the motorcycle was scanned as one piece, separate the parts (tank, fairing, seat, lights) with Cut with a curve and name them in the tree (F2).
2. Check Repair on every part and smooth jagged edges with Boundaries.
3. Where the film should go around the edge of the part, use Extend by 5 to 10 mm.
4. In Design select all parts, Remesh and Flattening.
5. Look at the strain map. The tank is domed; with a large stretch cut it in Model into two halves with the seam in the middle.
6. Refine the outline: Reduce (Automatic reduction), Round corner on sharp corners that would lift during application. Make the part for the other side of the vehicle from the finished outline with Copy and Mirror.
7. On parts where the film is tucked under, add Contour Out by 3 mm.
8. Rotation: roll width, gap 5 mm, rotation free. Apply.

9. Export → DXF · cutting. Open the file in ExactCut or in the plotter software; the outlines are in the CUT layer.
10. Or cut straight from the program: Export → Cut, choose the work area and the plotter, check the preview and start the cut (see the chapter Cutting on a plotter).

Composite bonnet with grain direction

Goal: the reinforcement pattern (carbon, glass) for laminating a van bonnet with control of the fibre direction.

1. Open the bonnet scan. If the scan also contains the inner side of the panel, mark the outer surface with Select a curved area (with a larger edge angle) and Duplicate selection into a new layer. Continue with that layer.
2. Repair and Holes.
3. If the bonnet has a crease that cannot be unfolded in one piece, separate it with Cut with a curve. The top surface stays as one part.
4. Design: Remesh with a higher vertex count (for example 8000), Flattening.
5. Spring with the reinforcement material (import your own material with the moduli in the winding and cross directions, Orthotropic mode).
6. Rotation: set the Grain direction (0°, 45° or 90°) and assign the part a fixed rotation relative to the material edge. Switch on Material display and check on the 3D model how the fibre runs across the bonnet.

7. Apply in the Rotation panel lays the parts out with the fixed rotation.
8. DXF · cutting for the cutting plotter or PDF · print 1:1 for a printed template.

9 Troubleshooting

The most common situations and what to do about them. If the fix does not help, write to podpora@draftex.sk and include the program version (Help → Support), the computer code (Settings → Licence) and the file where the problem occurs.

Licence and start-up

"The licence server is unreachable." at start

The program could not connect to the licence server. It offers Try again, Open locked (tools locked, saving works) and Close program. Proceed in this order:

1. Check that the computer has internet and that the browser opens https://wrapforge.sk.
2. Antivirus or firewall (most often ESET) may block the connection for this program alone, even though the browser works. Add WrapForge to the allowed applications for outgoing connections on port 443.
3. On Windows 10 without updates the root certificate the server trusts may be missing. Install the Windows updates and start the program again.
4. Company network with a proxy: the program uses the Windows proxy setting. Check it in Windows Settings → Network & Internet → Proxy.
5. If nothing helps, support sends you a diagnostic tool that prints the exact cause. Run it under the same Windows user as the program and send the output back.

"The licence seat is in use by another computer."

All seats of the licence are taken. Either close the program on the other computer or press Take over the seat. The other computer gets 30 seconds to save its work and then locks. If the seat is held by a computer with an offline loan, it cannot be taken over until the loan ends or is returned.

Yellow bar "The connection to the licence server is interrupted"

An internet outage during work. The program keeps running for 15 minutes; the bar shows a countdown. Save your work and press Try again when the connection is back. After the time runs out the tools lock; saving remains available.

"WrapForge is already running on this computer."

The program runs only once. Switch to the open window. If you do not see it, look in the taskbar or the Task Manager to see whether the previous instance is still closing.

"This function is not in the Lite edition."

PDF export and artwork are in the Standard and Pro editions. Export the pattern to DXF or SVG, or contact support about changing the edition.

Flattening and mesh

"The part has not been through remesh yet."

Flattening accepts only parts after Remesh. Run Remesh in the Design station and then Flattening.

Remesh fails at every vertex count

The mesh is damaged. In the Model station run Repair with all categories, possibly Holes. If the part contains two scan layers on top of each other (outer and inner side), separate the outer one with Select a curved area and Duplicate selection.

"The mesh cannot be prepared for flattening (tunnel / non-manifold even after clean-up)"

The part has the shape of a tube or contains non-manifold spots (an edge with three faces). Cut it with Cut with a curve so that every piece is an open surface, and run Repair.

Remesh finished, but the part cannot be flattened

Remesh in Manual mode is raw: it rebuilds the mesh to the given vertex count and does not check the pattern. Switch it to Smart and run it again — it finds the count at which the pattern works.

Dark crosses in the 2D pattern (flipped polygons)

The part is too curved for one piece. Go back to Model, split it into several parts and repeat Remesh and Flattening. Spring and Tension do not work with flipped polygons.

Red or black areas in the strain map

The film would have to stretch or compress more than it can at that point. Either change the seam position (cut the part differently), or account for stretching during application and use Tension + in the stretching direction.

The outline after flattening looks simplified, small creases are missing

Increase the Target vertex count in Remesh and repeat Remesh and Flattening.

The cut curve is red and Apply does nothing

A red curve has a free end. Connect it to the outline of the part or to another curve (a double click there ends the line), or close the curve with a click on the first point.

Selection and display

Rectangle selection also selects the back side of the scan

Switch off Through in the left bar; the selection then takes only visible triangles.

Brush or rectangle selection is dotted, incomplete

On a very dense scan with several layers the program selects only the visible surface. Use Grow the selection (+) or Select a curved area, which selects a connected surface up to the edges.

The model does not rotate with the left button

This is intentional: the right button rotates the view, the left one is for the tools. The controls overview is under the button with the question mark on the left of the bottom bar.

The tool hint does not open by itself

Automatic opening of the bubble can be turned off in Settings → Display, the option Show hints when starting a tool. The mouse-with-question-mark icon in the tool panel always opens it.

The artwork looks blurred in 3D

Raise Display quality in the top right corner to High or Realistic. The setting has no effect on the print export; the PDF is always rendered at the chosen DPI.

Performance and memory

Loading a scan takes long or the program reports a lack of memory

When loading, a scan asks for 8 to 12 times its file size in memory. Close the parts you do not need, or split the scan first in the scanner software. Undo keeps a copy of the mesh; after large operations save the project and open it again, memory is freed.

Sand the surface reports a lack of memory

Close other programs and the parts you do not need, or cut or decimate the part. The message says how much memory is needed and how much is free.

The program "stays slow" after stopping a long computation

Press Stop or End in the window with the bar and wait until the window closes. The computation only ends then.

Export

"No flattened part to export."

Only flattened and visible parts are exported. Check the eye in the tree and whether the part has been through Flattening.

The printer's RIP does not see the cut contours

The contours are the spot colours ThroughCut and CutContour as 0.1 pt hairlines. In the RIP (VersaWorks, Caldera, Esko) set these spot colours to be treated as cutting data. Export in CMYK; in RGB no spot colours are created.

The plotter cuts the outlines inaccurately, arcs are angular

The DXF contains smooth SPLINE curves. If the plotter software does not read SPLINE, import the DXF into ExactCut or use SVG.

An image cannot be imported into Artwork

The image has more than 150 million pixels or the file is larger than 50 MB. Reduce the resolution; there is no limit on the aspect ratio.

The common film (Vehicle side) cannot be computed

The program says why and the group stays on the 3D canvas. Most often a part between neighbouring panels is missing, or one part does not fit the common map — then switch on local projection continuous at the edge for it in the Foil settings… window. For a single part the common film makes no sense.

Cutting on a plotter

"No cutting device is configured."

Add the plotter in Settings → Devices. The Automatically find plotter button scans both the Windows printers and the COM ports.

"The work area is wider than the configured cutting device width."

Reduce the width of the area in the Pages tool or correct the plotter width in its settings.

Sending failed

Check the cable and whether the machine is on; for a network connection the IP address and the port (typically 9100), for a serial one the COM port number and the baud rate. Further messages and their fixes are in the chapter Cutting on a plotter.

Update

The update failed

The program continues in the old version and repeats the offer at the next start. The most common cause is a refused Windows administrator consent: without it the program files cannot be overwritten. If the failure persists, get the full installer from support and run it by hand.