Works with
Nesting software that works with SheetCam
SheetCam takes DXF. Lapas puts out DXF. Nest the plate first, load one file into SheetCam, then set your tools, lead-ins and post as you always have.
Read this first
Lapas does not integrate with SheetCam. There is no plugin, no add-in and nothing to install.
You do not need one. SheetCam reads DXF among several drawing formats, and a nested plate is simply a DXF with the parts already positioned. Nothing is installed on either side and neither program needs to know the other exists.
How the handoff actually works
Who does what, in order. Nothing here requires either system to know the other exists.
- 1 You Get your parts out as DXF
From your CAD, from a customer, or from a flat pattern. Lapas takes DXF and SVG going in, so whichever your drawing package writes is fine.
- 2 You Upload the parts to Lapas
Set quantity per part, plate size and part spacing. On plasma the spacing needs to respect both your kerf and the heat you are putting into the plate, so do not run parts tighter than your process actually tolerates.
- 3 Lapas Nest the plate
True-shape nesting places real outlines rather than bounding boxes, so irregular parts interlock. You watch it work and stop when the layout is good enough rather than waiting out a fixed run.
- 4 Lapas Export the nested DXF and the PDF report
The DXF is the whole plate with parts positioned. The PDF gives plate count and utilization, which is what you quote from. Both are on the free plan.
- 5 SheetCam Load the DXF into SheetCam
SheetCam accepts DXF drawings, along with HPGL, SVG, G-code drawings and Excellon files. The nested plate arrives as one drawing with everything already laid out.
- 6 SheetCam Set operations and post
Tool selection, lead-ins and lead-outs, cut order, rules and the post processor for your controller all stay in SheetCam. That is the part it exists to do and this workflow does not touch it.
SheetCam behaviour checked against the SheetCam TNG manual in July 2026. Lapas behaviour per the pricing page.
SheetCam is a trademark of its respective owner. Lapas is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or certified as compatible by them.
What stays manual
- Exporting from Lapas and loading into SheetCam. There is no sync and no watched folder.
- Tool tables, cut rules, lead-ins and lead-outs, all of which stay in SheetCam.
- Post processor selection for your controller.
- Plate and remnant tracking. Lapas does not write to any inventory.
- Checking scale and units after import, before you put an arc anywhere near the plate.
When Lapas is the wrong tool here
- You cut a couple of parts at a time. At that size the round trip costs more than it saves.
- You need to work offline in a workshop with no connection. Lapas runs in the browser; SheetCam does not need one.
- You want machine output from Lapas. Its G-code export is beta and unvalidated across controllers, and SheetCam already posts properly for yours. Take the DXF.
- Your parts are rectangular blanks from plate stock, where a simple cut-list beats true-shape nesting.
Common questions
No, and there is nothing to install. SheetCam reads DXF and Lapas writes DXF, so the handoff is a single file. That is the whole of it.
No. G-code export exists in Lapas in beta for simple 2-axis work, but it has not been validated across controllers and it is not tested against any particular machine. SheetCam is where your lead-ins, cut rules and post processor live, and on a plasma table those are the difference between a good cut and a scrapped plate. Nest in Lapas, cut with SheetCam.
DXF drawings, HPGL line art, SVG, G-code drawings and Excellon files, per the SheetCam TNG manual. DXF is the one that matters here because it is what Lapas exports.
It should not, because Lapas only decides where each part sits on the plate. Everything about how a part gets cut is applied afterwards in SheetCam. What nesting can affect is whether there is room for the lead-in you want, so if you run generous lead-ins, allow for them in the part spacing rather than nesting as tight as the material allows.
No. DXF import, DXF export and the PDF report are all on the free plan, which is 5 new projects a month with unlimited re-nests of any project you have already started, and no cap on parts per job. Pro at $49 a month removes the project limit and adds full project history.
Other stacks: all CAD and CAM workflows. Measured nesting results: the benchmark.
Don't take our word for it.
Upload one of your own DXF files and see the layout yourself. It's free and takes about two minutes.
Nest your own file for freeNo credit card · No install · Your files stay yours