CutMeter
DXF file check before cutting
Find gaps, duplicate lines, tiny segments, open contours and other problems before the file goes to the machine. Each problem is numbered and shown on the drawing. Free, no sign-up.
A DXF is ready to cut when every contour is closed, nothing is drawn twice and no contour crosses itself or another. CutMeter checks 13 kinds of problem at a joining tolerance of 0.01 mm by default: in a 100 mm square whose left edge stops 0.05 mm short of the corner and whose top edge is drawn twice, it finds a gap, an open contour and a duplicate line.
How it is checked
Line ends closer than the joining tolerance are treated as connected. Ends that do not meet anything within the tolerance are reported as gaps or open contours, with the distance between them.
Every segment is checked for duplicates and overlaps, zero length and length below the tolerance. Splines, text, dimensions and hatching on cut layers are listed so you can decide before cutting.
If open ends are close to each other, we show the smallest gap and offer it as the tolerance - one click to apply it and check again.
Rules
Two line ends are connected when they are closer than the joining tolerance (tol, 0.01 mm by default). Ends with no partner within tol are paired with the closest free end of another segment up to 10 x tol away and reported as a gap. A segment shorter than tol is a tiny segment; a segment of length 0 is a zero-length line. A closed contour smaller than 0.5 mm in both directions is a tiny contour. A run of at least 12 joined straight lines, each up to 2 mm long and turning by at most 20° from one to the next, that arcs can replace with at least 3 times fewer objects is a dense curve.
Problems marked Fix (zero-length lines, contours that cross themselves, overlapping contours) are errors. Everything else is marked Check: it may be intended, so you decide. Duplicate lines are never counted twice in the cut length, whatever the check says.
Example check
A 100 x 100 mm square drawn as four lines. The left edge stops 0.05 mm short of the bottom corner, the top edge is drawn twice, and a circle 0.3 mm in diameter sits in the middle. Joining tolerance 0.01 mm.
4 issues, all marked Check: a gap of 0.05 mm at the bottom-left corner, a duplicate line on the top edge, an open contour, and a tiny contour of 0.3 x 0.3 mm. Auto-fix can remove the duplicate and close the gap and the open contour, because the open ends are within 0.1 mm (10 x the tolerance); the tiny contour has to be corrected in your CAD. Cut length 400.89 mm with the duplicate counted once, 2 pierces.
With the tolerance raised to 0.06 mm the corner counts as closed: 2 closed contours, no open chains, and only the duplicate line and the tiny contour remain.
What the file check reports
| Issue | Marked as | Auto-fix |
|---|---|---|
| Zero-length line | Fix | Yes |
| Contour crosses itself | Fix | No, correct it in your CAD |
| Overlapping contours | Fix | No, correct it in your CAD |
| Gap | Check | Yes |
| Duplicate line | Check | Yes |
| Tiny segment | Check | Yes, when a run of tiny segments is shorter than the tolerance in total |
| Open contour | Check | Yes, when the open ends are within 10 x the tolerance |
| Tiny contour | Check | No, correct it in your CAD |
| Spline | Check | Yes |
| Text in the drawing | Check | Yes, left out of the fixed file |
| Hatching in the drawing | Check | Yes, left out of the fixed file |
| Dimensions in the drawing | Check | Yes, left out of the fixed file |
| Dense curve | Check | Yes |
Questions about the file check
What does the file check look for?
Gaps, open contours, duplicate lines, overlapping contours, tiny segments, zero-length lines, contours that cross themselves, contours under 0.5 mm, dense curves, splines, and text, dimensions and hatching on cut layers.
What tolerance should I use?
The default is 0.01 mm. If the check finds open ends that should meet, it shows the gap and offers a tolerance just above it in one click.
Why are splines flagged?
Some older machine controllers do not read splines well. They are marked as Check, not Fix - if your controller handles them, you can cut as is.
Can I fix problems automatically?
Yes, with CutMeter Pro. Auto-fix closes small gaps, removes duplicates, tiny segments and everything that is not cut geometry, and gives you a corrected DXF to download.
Is the file check free?
Yes. Checking a file is free and needs no sign-up. Auto-fix is part of Pro.
What is an open contour in a DXF?
A contour whose ends do not meet, so the part may not drop out of the sheet. Even a gap of 0.05 mm makes it open at the default tolerance of 0.01 mm; the check shows where the ends are and how far apart.
Why do duplicate lines matter?
The machine cuts the same path twice, which takes extra time and heat, and a quote based on the raw line length is too high. CutMeter counts a duplicate once in the cut length and flags it.
Why is a very small circle flagged?
A closed contour smaller than 0.5 mm in both directions is marked as a tiny contour, because a contour that small is often a leftover in the drawing and may not cut as drawn. If it is not intended, remove it or resize it in your CAD.
What is the difference between Fix and Check?
Fix marks errors that make the cut path wrong: zero-length lines, contours that cross themselves and overlapping contours. Check marks things that are often mistakes but may be intended, such as gaps, splines or text on a cut layer.
What is a dense curve?
A curve exported as many short straight lines, at least 12 in a row and each up to 2 mm long. The machine may slow down on it; auto-fix can replace the lines with arcs.