From design to cut: every CNC setting explained

1 · Wall size

Size the wall

In the studio: Toolbar → Wall

Start with the real dimensions of the wall or panel you want to build. Everything else — slat count, part sizes, sheet count — is derived from them.

Width2400 mm · 300–4000

Overall width of the finished wall.

Height1120 mm · 300–3000

Overall height of the finished wall.

Max depth120 mm · 10–400

How far the relief comes out at its deepest point. Deeper relief means wider slat parts, so more material and more sheets.

• Units: switch between millimetres and inches with the mm / in switch in the top toolbar. Every value in the studio follows it.

2 · Shape the relief

Shape the relief

In the studio: Toolbar → Silhouette and Surface (or AI Design)

Pick a template, describe the wall to the AI, or build the surface yourself with waves, rings, attractors, a sculpt brush or an image heightmap. The shape has no effect on how the parts are cut — it only changes their profile — so experiment freely.

SilhouetteRectangle by default

The outline of the wall: rectangle, organic, pebble, arch…

Amplitude / FrequencySurface tool

Amplitude scales the relief between flat and the full Max depth. Frequency sets how many waves fit across the wall.

• Very fine detail (high frequency, small attractors) is lost if your slats are wide apart: each slat samples the surface along its own line only.

3 · Slats & material

Slats and material

In the studio: Toolbar → Slats & material

This is where most surprises come from. The three values below decide how the wall reads from the front and whether the files match your stock and your router.

Slat directionVertical · or Horizontal

Which way the slats run. Vertical spreads them across the width, horizontal across the height.

Spacing (center to center)40 mm · 10–120

Distance from the CENTER of one slat to the center of the next — not the air between them. The visible gap is spacing minus thickness, and the studio shows it live under the slider. The spacing can never go below the thickness, so the slats can't overlap.

Panel thickness18 mm · 3–40

Thickness of the sheet you cut from, which is also the thickness of each slat seen from the front. Measure your real board: 18 mm MDF is often 17.6 to 18.4 mm.

Tool Ø6 mm · 1–12.7

Diameter of the router bit you'll cut with. It doesn't change the look: it drives cutter compensation in the G-code, the T-bone reliefs in joint notches, and whether small holes are drilled instead of milled.

• Want an 18 mm gap with 18 mm stock? Set spacing to 36 mm (thickness + gap).
• The studio spreads the slats evenly over the full width, so the real spacing can be a fraction of a millimetre off the slider value. The gap shown under the slider is the real one.

4 · Joinery

Cutting and assembly

In the studio: Toolbar → Cutting & assembly

Decide how the slats hold together. The studio generates the joints on every part, so they fit without any CAD work.

Base margin15 mm · 3–60

Solid wood kept behind the deepest point of the relief. Each slat part is therefore base margin + relief wide. Too thin and slats get fragile where the wave dips.

AssemblyTenon · None, Rail or Tenon

None: plain profiles, you fix them yourself. Rail: half-lap notches on the back of each slat for through-rails, with T-bone reliefs. Tenon: tenons on the back of each slat that drop into mortises cut in a back panel (the 'FOND' part).

Tenon rows / Rail count4 · 1–5

How many rows of tenons (or how many rails) along the length of each slat.

Fit clearance0.2 mm · 0–1

Extra room added to every slot and mortise so parts go in without forcing. Raise it if your test piece is too tight, lower it if it's loose.

Tenon width30 mm · 10–80

Length of each tenon along the slat (Tenon mode).

Back panel thickness12 mm · 6–30

Thickness of the back panel the tenons go into. It can differ from the slat stock.

Perforated acoustic back panelOff · Tenon mode only

Turns the back panel into an acoustic panel: Hole Ø, Pitch and Grid / Staggered pattern, with the open area estimated live. Put wool behind it for absorption.

• Before cutting a whole wall, cut one slat and a small piece of back panel. Check the fit, then adjust Fit clearance — not the panel thickness.

5 · Sheets & nesting

Sheets and nesting

In the studio: Toolbar → Sheets, then the 2D Sheets view

Switch to the 2D Sheets view: every slat is numbered (V01, V02… or H01…) and nested on standard sheets. Change any dimension and the nesting updates live.

Sheet width / Sheet height1220 × 2440 mm · 600–3050

Size of the boards you buy (4 × 8 ft by default). Set your supplier's real size.

Sheet margin10 mm · 0–50

Border left empty around each sheet, for clamps, screws and the uneven factory edge.

Gap between parts8 mm · 2–40

Space between two nested parts. Keep it at least your bit diameter plus a couple of millimetres, or neighbouring toolpaths cut into each other.

Price per sheet0 · 0–500

Optional. Enter what a sheet costs you and the studio estimates the material cost.

6 · Export & G-code

Export the files

In the studio: 2D Sheets view → Export

DXF (R12) and SVG are for your own CAM software or a laser. Clean closed polylines, one layer per job: cut, engrave, panel. For a GRBL or Mach3 router you can skip CAM entirely and export G-code directly, one .nc file per sheet.

Tool Ø (mm)6 mm · pre-filled from the studio

Radius compensation: outlines are offset outward by half the bit, holes inward. Holes no bigger than the bit are drilled at their centre.

Cut directionClimb · or Conventional

Climb gives the cleanest edge in wood on a rigid machine. Use Conventional on a light or flexible router.

Depth per pass4 mm

How deep each pass goes. A good start is about half the bit diameter in MDF, less in hardwood.

Cutting feed / Plunge1200 / 300 mm/min

Feed rates. Start here and adjust to your machine, bit and material.

Spindle (rpm)18000

Spindle speed written into the program.

Tabs (count) / Tab thickness (mm)4 tabs · 3 mm

Small bridges of material left on each outline so parts don't move or fly off on the last pass. Cut them with a chisel or flush-trim bit afterwards. 0 disables them if you hold parts with vacuum or screws.

Ramp entry (mm)25 mm

The bit ramps down along the outline instead of plunging straight down: easier on the bit and the material. 0 means a straight plunge.

Allowance (mm)0 mm

Plus leaves extra material for a finishing pass, minus over-cuts slightly.

Safe height (mm)5 mm

Height of rapid moves above the sheet. Raise it if you have clamps sticking up.

• Press ▶ Simulate before you download: it replays the exact .nc file, so you can check the bit's path, passes, tabs and ramps.
• STL, OBJ and STEP (3D models) are exported from the 3D view, for rendering or Fusion 360 / SolidWorks.

The walls people hit, and how to avoid them

Before you press start

1. 1Measured board thickness entered as Panel thickness.
2. 2Tool Ø matches the bit in the spindle.
3. 3Test slat and a piece of back panel cut and fitted.
4. 4Toolpath checked in ▶ Simulate.
5. 5Z zeroed on top of the sheet, X/Y at the bottom-left corner.
6. 6Sheet held down outside the parts; clamps clear of Safe height.
7. 7Slats numbered: assemble in tag order (V01, V02…).