Install (about 2 minutes)
Install NestPlug.command in this folder. The first time,
macOS will not let a plain double-click through because the app is not registered
with Apple: right-click the file, choose Open, then click Open
again. The installer places the plugin and the panel, and tells you if anything
is missing.~/NestPlug): in
Illustrator open Preferences → Plug-ins & Scratch Disk, enable
Load Additional Plugins, and choose that folder. If you already use
another plugin folder, the installer installed into it and you can skip this.Activate
Open the License section in the panel, paste the key from your purchase email, and click Activate. Activation needs internet once; after that the plugin checks in about every 14 days while it is open, so an occasional connection is enough. Moving to a second machine? Deactivate in the panel first, or email support@nestingplugin.com and we will release the seat for you.
Your first nest, in 60 seconds
- Select your artwork on the artboard (groups and layers are fine).
- In the panel, set the sheet to the material you actually cut, in inches or millimeters.
- Set minimum distance to the gap your cutting or weeding needs.
- Click Calculate. Watch the preview fill: the engine packs the real outlines of your shapes, not their bounding boxes.
- Check the numbers (packed %, sheets, unplaced). Drag anything you want to move with Manual adjust on.
- Click Apply This Sheet. Your original artwork moves into the layout, still fully editable. Revert Last Apply puts everything back exactly as it was.
The settings, in plain words
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Sheet W × H | The material you cut. Any size: sticker sheet, roll section, laser bed, corrugated board. |
| Edge padding | Keeps cuts clear of the sheet edge. |
| Minimum distance | Smallest allowed gap between any two cut lines. Weeding gaps, laser clearance. |
| Rotation step | Angles parts may take: 15° turns parts in 15° increments, 0° keeps every part exactly as drawn (grain and scoring direction). |
| Kerf allowance | Adds what your blade or beam removes, so gaps stay real after cutting. |
| Contour / bounding box | Contour packs true outlines (this is why you bought it). Bounding box is there when you want a fast, loose layout. |
| Nest inside cutouts | Lets small parts sit inside holes and frames while the ring is still cut whole. Off by default. |
| Divide by color | Nests each fill color as its own group on its own sheets, for cutting one color at a time. |
| Sheets | When the job outgrows one sheet, placements flow onto more, with the fill balanced. Sheet gap spaces the sheet origins apart on your artboard. |
| Search budget | Time × attempts the optimizer spends. Default suits almost every job; raise it for stubborn ones and check the packed % before you cut. |
Troubleshooting
The panel does not appear under Window → Extensions
Run Install NestPlug.command once more (it sets the one Adobe
preference third-party panels need), then quit and relaunch Illustrator.
The plugin does not load (no NestPlug menu, panel says engine missing)
Illustrator only loads third-party plugins from the Additional Plug-ins Folder named in Preferences → Plug-ins & Scratch Disk, with Load Additional Plugins enabled. Make sure the folder the installer printed is the one selected there, then relaunch.
macOS says the installer cannot be opened
Right-click → Open the first time. If it still refuses, the download may be damaged: re-download and try again, or write to support.
Activation errors
Check the key has no stray spaces, and that this is not a second machine with the seat still active (deactivate the old one or email support). More: nestingplugin.com/help-activation.
License in one paragraph
One license, one device at a time, personal or commercial work including
client work and resale of what you make. $199 once, no subscription, and a
7-day money-back guarantee if it does not beat your current layout. Full
terms: EULA.txt in this folder.