Counters Studio — User Guide
Everything you need to draw countertops, nest pieces on slabs, and ship DXF files to your fabrication shop. Written for the way a stone shop actually works.
Welcome
Counters Studio is a web app for stone fabricators. You draw your countertop layouts the way a customer would describe them — kitchen perimeter, island, bathroom vanity — and the app turns those drawings into clean DXF files that your CNC water-jet, CAM, or saw understands. It also nests your pieces onto real slab dimensions so you know exactly how much material to buy.
This guide is organized two ways. The first half is a tool-by-tool reference — look up what each button does, the click sequence, and any gotchas. The second half is a set of task-based tutorials that walk through real jobs (L-shaped kitchen, sink cutout, multi-piece vanity, exporting for WCAM). If you're new, do the Quick start first, then come back to specific tools as you need them.
This guide assumes you know countertops — slab sizes, edge profiles, seam placement. It does not assume you know CAD. Where CAD terms appear (vertex, polyline, DXF), they're explained the first time.
Quick start (10 minutes)
The fastest path from signed-up to your first nested DXF. Follow these steps once and you'll understand the rest of the guide.
- Sign up and pick your unit. Create an account, then go to Settings → Unit and pick inches or mm. Almost every U.S. shop uses inches; most other regions use mm. You can change this later but be consistent within a project.
- Create a project. Click + New project in the sidebar and name it after the job ("Smith kitchen", "Lot 412 vanity"). A project is the whole job and can contain several rooms (areas).
- Add an area. Click + Add Area at the top of the project panel. Name it for the room ("Kitchen", "Master bath"). Each area is a separate page of drawings with its own pieces.
- Draw the countertop. Pick the Slab tool (the trapezoid icon). Drag from one corner of the kitchen to the opposite corner. The slab tool draws straight runs, L-shapes, and U-shapes; hold Shift while dragging to add 15° angled segments.
- Place a sink cutout. Pick the Cutout tool. Click the slab, click the front edge where the sink belongs, click a reference vertex, then enter the distance from that vertex and the setback from the edge. The sink drops in.
- Nest onto a slab. Click the Nest button in the top toolbar. Choose your slab size (or set custom). The app fits your pieces, shows yield, and gives you a layout to send to fabrication.
- Export. Click Export → CAM DXF to download a clean DXF (no annotations or dimensions — just the geometry your CNC needs).
That's the whole pipeline. The rest of this guide goes deep on each step.
The interface
Five regions, each with one job. Knowing what lives where saves a lot of clicking.
Sidebar (left)
Your project library lives here. Sign in/out, browse projects, and toggle between projects you own and projects shared with you. The sidebar can collapse to give the canvas more room.
Project panel (top of canvas)
Shows the current project name and a row of area pills. Each pill is a separate page of drawings — click a pill to switch areas. + Add Area creates a new room.
Horizontal toolbar (below project panel)
Drawing tools: Select, Line, Rect, Circle, Polyline, Cutout, Slab. To the right of those are edge-editing tools that light up once you have a piece selected: Arc Out, Arc In, Bump Out, Bump In, Extrude, Add Vertex, Delete Vertex, Erase Edge. The rightmost group is Snap (toggle) and Export.
Vertical toolbar (left of canvas)
Sub-tools and project actions: Splashes, Edges, Offset, Split on top; Undo / Redo / Delete / Clear in the middle. The vertical toolbar pairs with the active area — it knows which pieces you've selected.
Canvas (center)
Where you draw. Scroll to zoom, middle-click and drag to pan, right-click for context actions. Selected pieces show their vertices and edge handles.
Projects and areas
A project is one job — typically one customer or one address. Inside the project you create one or more areas, which are the rooms of the job (kitchen, master bath, powder room, mud room, etc.).
The reason for two levels: pieces from the same area share a drawing context (units, vertical reference, splash heights), but each area can have its own dimensions, sinks, and constraints. A typical Smith Kitchen project might have Main kitchen, Island, and Butler's pantry as separate areas.
Switching areas swaps the canvas to that area's drawing. Nesting (page later) operates per-project — it pulls pieces from every area and lays them on slabs together so a single sheet covers the whole job.
Units and precision
Counters Studio works in either inches or millimeters. Pick one per project — the unit is baked into the file when you create the project, so an inch project always reads back in inches.
Switching unit on import
When you import a DXF, the app asks Metric (mm) vs Imperial (in) because DXF files don't always store units reliably. Pick the unit whose bounding-box dimensions look reasonable. A typical kitchen run is 30–120 in (760–3000 mm); a sink is 16–34 in (400–860 mm). If the dimensions look 25.4× too big, you picked the wrong unit — undo and re-import.
Display precision
Settings → Precision controls how many digits you see on the canvas:
- 1 — round to whole inches (or mm). For rough layouts.
- 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 — fractional rounding for shop-floor-friendly numbers. Most U.S. shops work in 1/16.
Precision changes the displayed number only — the geometry is always stored at full floating-point accuracy. Two pieces will mate exactly even if you set display to 1/2".
Shapes and pieces
Everything you draw becomes a shape, identified by a name (auto-generated as "Kitchen 1", "Island 2", etc.). A shape is a closed boundary made of straight segments and arcs.
Internally each shape is a polyline — a sequence of vertices joined by segments. Most edits (vertex add, vertex delete, erase edge, extrude) act on this polyline directly. Arcs are represented as bulged segments, so they're still part of the polyline.
A countertop "piece" in the fabrication sense is a single shape. If your kitchen has a main run and a return that aren't joined (a seam), draw them as two separate shapes.
Drawing tools
Select
- Toolbar icon
- Arrow / pointer
- Use it for
- Picking a piece to move, resize, rotate, or edit
- Click sequence
- Click a shape's boundary — drag to move — drag a corner handle to resize — drag a side handle to stretch one direction
The default tool. Click any drawn shape and it becomes selected — handles appear at every vertex and at midpoints of long edges. With a piece selected, the edge-editing tools (Arc, Bump, Vertex, Erase) become active.
Click empty canvas to deselect. Esc also deselects.
Hold Shift and click another piece to add it to the selection. Multi-select lets you delete or move several pieces at once.
Line
- Use it for
- Straight reference lines, simple two-point segments
- Click sequence
- Click start — click end. Done.
The simplest tool. Two clicks make a straight segment between two points. Useful for sketching a wall, marking a centerline, or building up a custom polygon by hand (though Polyline is faster for that).
A line by itself is not a closed shape, so you can't nest it on a slab or send it to CAM. It's a drawing aid. Combine multiple lines into a closed polyline if you need a real piece.
Rectangle
- Use it for
- Straight runs, simple islands, vanity tops
- Click sequence
- Click one corner — click the opposite corner. Or click — drag — release.
A four-corner closed shape. Easiest tool for a straight run of countertop or a rectangular island. Hold Shift while drawing to constrain to a square.
Once drawn, you can convert any rectangle into an L-shape or U-shape with the edge tools — Add Vertex on a long edge, then Extrude to pull the new corner out.
Circle
- Use it for
- Round tabletops, bar tops, fully circular sinks/cutouts
- Click sequence
- Click center — click radius edge. Or click — drag — release.
Two-click center-and-radius circle. The output is approximated as a polyline with enough segments to look smooth at print scale; for CAM export, the DXF contains the true circle entity.
For most stone work you'll use circles as cutouts (drop-in round sink, round cooktop). The Cutout tool handles the geometry better than drawing a circle by hand because it places relative to the slab edge.
Polyline
- Use it for
- Free-form shapes — angled runs, custom islands, peninsulas
- Click sequence
- Click each vertex in order — press Enter to finish closed, or double-click last vertex
Click as many vertices as you need. Each click drops a corner. To close the shape and finish, press Enter or double-click your last vertex. Esc cancels without saving the polyline.
Hold Shift while clicking to constrain each new segment to 15° increments — handy for clean 45° miters or 30° angled runs.
If you click on or near an existing vertex while drawing, the polyline will snap to it (when Snap is on). This is how you build pieces that share corners with other pieces.
Slab — the countertop tool
- Use it for
- L-shaped and U-shaped countertops in one drag
- Click sequence
- Click first corner — drag — release at last corner. The tool figures out the L or U.
- Tip
- Hold Shift during drag for 15° angled segments instead of orthogonal corners
The most common tool for stone work. One drag gives you a complete countertop with the right number of corners and the right orientation. Drag along an L and you get an L; drag around three walls and you get a U.
The slab tool assumes axis-aligned segments (parallel to the walls) unless you hold Shift, in which case you can place angled segments. The 15° snap means clean miter angles for islands or peninsulas at common cabinet angles.
If the auto-detected L/U doesn't match what you want, draw a rectangle instead and reshape it with edge tools — or use Polyline for full manual control.
Cutout — sinks, cooktops, fixtures
- Use it for
- Placing a sink, cooktop, or any other cutout precisely relative to a countertop edge
- Click sequence
- 1. Click the piece the cutout belongs to. 2. Click the edge you measure from (usually the front). 3. Click the vertex you measure from (left or right corner). 4. A dialog asks for distance along edge and setback, then drops the cutout in.
Cutouts are placed by measurement, not by free-hand drag. This matches how a fabricator actually measures a sink — "the centerline is 36 inches from the right corner, 4 inches back from the front edge." That's exactly what the dialog asks.
You also choose the source:
- Pick existing shape — use a sink or cooktop you've already drawn (or imported as DXF). Recommended for accuracy: draw the sink once at its real outside dimensions, then drop it wherever it needs to go.
- Import DXF — load a sink DXF from the manufacturer (most sink makers publish these). The app brings it in at its true size and lets you place it.
After placement, the cutout is grouped with its parent piece — moving or rotating the piece moves the cutout with it.
Edge editing
Edge tools light up in the toolbar only when you have a piece selected. They all operate on a single edge of that selected piece — click the edge, the tool does its thing, you're back where you started.
Arc Out
- Use it for
- Bowing a straight edge outward — curved bar top, rounded countertop end
- Click sequence
- Select piece — click Arc Out — click the edge to curve
Replaces the straight edge with an outward arc. The arc's depth (sagitta) is set by default to a reasonable value relative to the edge length — you can adjust it after with the select tool by dragging the midpoint handle of the new arc.
Arc In
- Use it for
- Bowing an edge inward — curved cutout, recessed bar return
- Click sequence
- Select piece — click Arc In — click the edge to curve
Mirror of Arc Out — the arc bows into the shape instead of out. Same drag-to-adjust behavior after.
Bump Out
- Use it for
- Adding a rectangular notch outward — appliance garage, raised bar, eat-at extension
- Click sequence
- Select piece — click Bump Out — click the edge — set width/depth in the dialog
Inserts a rectangular bump in the middle of the clicked edge, sticking outward. After insertion you can drag the bump's corners to fine-tune its width and depth, or select it as a sub-shape and resize numerically.
Bump In
- Use it for
- A rectangular notch inward — column box, post wrap, fridge gap
- Click sequence
- Select piece — click Bump In — click the edge — set dimensions
Same as Bump Out but the notch goes into the piece instead of sticking out. Common case: a column or post passes through the countertop and you need a rectangular cut around it.
Extrude
- Use it for
- Pulling an edge straight out to make the piece bigger in one direction
- Click sequence
- Select piece — click Extrude — drag the edge outward — release
Extrude grabs one edge and slides it along its perpendicular, growing or shrinking the piece. Useful for "the kitchen run needs to be 6 inches longer" without redrawing.
The two corners adjacent to the dragged edge move with it; corners further away stay put. So extruding the front edge of a rectangle gives you a deeper rectangle.
Add Vertex
- Use it for
- Inserting a corner where there isn't one — turning a rectangle into an L, adding a step to a run
- Click sequence
- Select piece — click Add Vertex — click on the edge where you want the new corner
Click somewhere along an edge — a new vertex is inserted at that point, splitting the edge in two. After adding a vertex, you can grab it with Select and drag it to reshape the piece.
This is the canonical way to turn a rectangle into an L-shape. Add a vertex on the back edge, add a vertex on the side edge, then drag the corner between them inward to carve the cabinet space out.
Delete Vertex
- Use it for
- Removing an unwanted corner — simplifying an imported shape, cleaning up a polyline
- Click sequence
- Select piece — click Delete Vertex — click near the vertex to remove
The two edges that met at the deleted vertex are joined into a single straight edge. Useful for cleaning up DXFs that came in with extra unnecessary corners (CAD imports often have hundreds of micro-vertices on what should be a single line).
Erase Edge
- Use it for
- Removing an entire edge from a closed polyline
- Click sequence
- Select piece — click Erase Edge — click the edge to remove
Removes the edge and its two endpoints. The shape gets one fewer corner; the adjacent edges extend or shorten to fill the gap. Think of it as the opposite of Add Vertex: where Add Vertex inserts a corner, Erase Edge melts one away.
Sub-tools
Sub-tools work on an already-drawn piece. They live on the vertical (left) toolbar.
Splashes
- Use it for
- Marking which edges of a piece get a backsplash
- Click sequence
- Select piece — click Splashes on the vertical toolbar — click each edge that needs a splash
Toggles a "splash" flag on the clicked edge. The edge renders with a thicker offset line so you can see at a glance which sides have backsplashes. Splash info is included in the project metadata and on prints — it doesn't affect the cut DXF (splashes are usually a separate piece of stone).
Click the same edge again to remove the splash flag.
Edges (paint edge type)
- Use it for
- Marking edge profiles per edge — eased, bullnose, ogee, beveled, etc.
- Click sequence
- Select piece — click Edges — pick a profile from the menu — click each edge to paint with that profile
Different sides of a piece get different profiles. The front of a kitchen run is usually polished/eased; the wall-side back edge is unfinished or square. The Edges tool lets you paint each edge separately so the fabricator knows what to grind.
Edge profiles show up in the CAM-DXF export as separate layers (EDGE_OGEE, EDGE_BEVEL, etc.) so your CNC operator can program the corresponding tool.
Offset
- Use it for
- Drawing a dotted parallel line offset from an edge — useful for marking seam lines, cabinet edges, or stub-walls
- Click sequence
- Select piece — click Offset — click an edge — enter offset distance
Creates a dotted reference line parallel to the clicked edge at the distance you specify. Doesn't change the piece's actual geometry — it's just a visual marker that prints and exports as a non-cutting reference layer.
Split
- Use it for
- Cutting a piece in two along a seam — separating an L into two straight runs that join at a miter
- Click sequence
- Select piece — click Split — click two boundary points (one on each side of the split line) — hold Shift for horizontal/vertical lock
Splits one piece into two. After splitting, each half becomes its own piece — they nest separately on slabs and export as separate polylines. Use this when a single drawn run is too big for a single slab and you need to plan a seam.
Holding Shift while clicking the second point constrains the split to a pure horizontal or vertical line, which is what you want most of the time for a clean seam.
Snap
The Snap toggle (right side of the horizontal toolbar) controls whether the cursor pulls to existing geometry. When Snap is on, hovering near a vertex, midpoint, or grid intersection highlights it and a click locks to that point.
Snap is especially important when:
- Drawing pieces that need to share a corner with another piece (a return at the same wall).
- Placing a cutout exactly on the centerline of a sink template.
- Adding a vertex precisely on an existing edge midpoint.
Turn Snap off temporarily if you need to place something very close to but not exactly on existing geometry.
Undo, redo, delete, clear
The vertical toolbar has four history controls.
| Button | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Undo | Ctrl+Z / ⌘+Z | Reverse the last action. History is unlimited per session. |
| Redo | Ctrl+Y / ⌘+⇧+Z | Re-apply the last undone action. |
| Delete | Del / Backspace | Remove all currently selected pieces. Confirms first if more than one. |
| Clear all | — | Empties the entire current area. Always asks for confirmation. Different from deleting the area itself — Clear keeps the area, just empties it. |
Undo history is per area and per session. Closing the project clears the in-memory history, but your saved state is whatever was last persisted to the server.
Importing DXF
Most jobs start from something — a previous shop's DXF, a cabinet maker's layout, a sink manufacturer's template. Counters Studio can read DXFs from any of these.
From a file on your computer
Click Add DXF in the top toolbar. Pick the file, the app asks Metric vs Imperial, and the imported geometry drops onto your current area.
From a URL
Click From URL. Paste a direct link to a .dxf file (sink manufacturers commonly publish these). The app fetches and imports it.
What to do after importing
Imported geometry usually needs cleanup:
- Too many vertices. CAD exports often have hundreds of micro-vertices on a single line. Use Delete Vertex on the obvious junk, or run Edit imported from the top bar to simplify all polylines under a threshold.
- Open polylines. Sometimes a shape comes in as separate line segments instead of one closed polyline. The Select tool's right-click menu has a "Close polyline" option that stitches segments that share endpoints into a single closed shape.
- Wrong scale. If the imported shape is exactly 25.4× too big or too small, you picked the wrong unit on import. Undo and re-import with the other unit.
Nesting on slabs
Once your project has at least one closed piece, click Nest in the top toolbar. The nesting view opens in its own panel.
Slab setup
Set your slab dimensions before nesting. Standard residential granite is 120" × 75" (3050 × 1900 mm) but every supplier is different. The app remembers your last-used slab so you don't re-enter it for every job.
How nesting works
The nester tries multiple orientations per piece and picks the layout that uses the fewest slabs. It respects:
- Grain direction. If you set a grain on a piece, it stays oriented to the slab's long axis.
- Minimum spacing. A small gap between pieces (usually ¼" / 6 mm) for saw kerf.
- Slab edges. Pieces are pulled to the slab edges where possible to leave bigger usable scrap.
Reading the result
For each slab, you'll see yield (piece area ÷ slab area as a percentage) and which pieces landed on which slab. Below 60% yield is typical for complex jobs; above 80% means you're well-nested or your job happens to fit cleanly.
Editing the nest
You can manually drag a piece within a slab if the auto-layout placed it poorly. Hold R while dragging to rotate.
Exporting
Counters Studio exports four kinds of files. Pick the right one for the consumer.
Export → DXF (full)
Every shape, every annotation, every reference line. Use for archive purposes or for sharing with another designer.
Export → CAM DXF
Clean DXF with no annotations, dimensions, or metadata — ready for WCAM, ProLiner, and similar stone-fab tools. This is what your CNC programmer wants. The CAM export has two style options:
- Piece — one closed polyline per piece. Use for water-jet machines that cut the perimeter as one continuous path.
- Edge-type — the perimeter is split across layers like
EDGE_BEVEL,EDGE_OGEE,EDGE_POLISH. Use for CNCs that need to know which segments get which finishing tool.
Generates a paper-friendly drawing — dimensions called out, area-resume panel listing every piece with its dimensions and square footage. Use for the shop floor.
PNG
A snapshot of the canvas for emails or proposals. Includes any visible reference lines and edge-profile markers.
Sharing projects
From the project browser, click Share on any project you own. Three access levels:
- Can view — opens and reviews. Cannot change anything or nest. Use for showing a customer their layout.
- Can edit — full read/write access. Use for a colleague drawing pieces with you.
You can also Share all my projects from the sidebar — every project you own (and every new project you create) is automatically shared with the chosen recipients at view + nest level. Useful for a shop owner who wants their estimator to see every job by default.
Tutorial: Drawing an L-shaped kitchen
The most common residential job. Goal: an L-shaped countertop with the main run 120" long, the return 60" long, both 25.5" deep, plus a sink cutout.
- Create project + area. New project named "L-shape demo". Add area "Kitchen". Set Settings → Unit to inches.
- Draw the slab. Pick the Slab tool. Click your first corner (say, the inside of the L — where the two runs meet). Drag along the long wall to the end of the main run, then turn 90° down the side wall to the end of the return. Release. You should now have a clean L with a 90° inside corner.
- Verify dimensions. Click Select, click the piece. Each edge should show its length. If the main run isn't exactly 120", click the corner you want to move and drag it to the right position (Snap on helps).
- Set the depth. If the depth came out wrong, select the piece and use Extrude on the back (wall-side) edge. Drag it until the depth reads 25.5".
- Place the sink. Pick Cutout. Click the piece, then click the front edge of the main run, then click the right corner of the main run. In the dialog: distance = 36" (puts the sink centerline 36" left of the right corner), setback = 4" (undermount, 4" back from front). Pick the sink shape — either "Pick existing shape" if you've drawn a sink template, or "Import DXF" to load the manufacturer's file.
- Add the splashes. Vertical toolbar → Splashes. Click the back edge of the main run, then the back edge of the return — both walls get a backsplash. Front and end edges stay un-splashed.
- Paint edge profiles. Vertical toolbar → Edges. Pick "Eased" (or your default polished profile). Click the front edge of the main run, the end of the main run, and the front edge of the return. Leave the back/wall edges as default (unfinished).
- Nest and export. Click Nest, pick your slab size, confirm yield. Click Export → CAM DXF (Edge-type). Send the .dxf to your CNC operator.
Tutorial: Placing a sink cutout precisely
Goal: drop a Kohler K-3942 undermount sink (33" × 22" outside, 30¾" × 18⅝" cutout) into an existing kitchen run, centered between two cabinets.
- Get the cutout template. Go to Kohler's spec sheet for K-3942 and download the .dxf for the cutout template. You want the cutout dimensions (the hole you cut in the stone), not the outside dimensions of the sink.
- Pre-import the sink. Click From URL (or Add DXF) and import the Kohler .dxf into your kitchen area. Pick Imperial when the units dialog appears. The sink template appears as a shape in the corner of the canvas.
- Move it off-canvas. Drag it to the side so it doesn't overlap your countertop — it's just sitting in the area as a template piece.
- Pick Cutout. Click the kitchen run piece, click the front edge, click the right corner (or whichever corner you're measuring from).
- Enter the placement. In the dialog: source = Pick existing shape, then click the Kohler template you imported. Enter distance from corner (say, 42" to put the centerline 42" left of the right end) and setback (4" for undermount). Click Insert.
- Verify alignment. The sink lands at the measured position. Use Select to check — clicking the sink shows its current center distance from each corner. Adjust if needed by dragging.
- Delete the template copy. Once placed, you can delete the original off-canvas template — the placed cutout is independent.
Same workflow works for cooktop cutouts, faucet holes, soap dispensers, and any other fixture with a known cutout shape.
Tutorial: A multi-piece bathroom vanity
Goal: a 6'-wide bathroom vanity with a center sink cutout, drawn as two pieces that meet at a seam at the centerline so each piece fits a standard slab.
- Create area "Master bath". Add area in your project.
- Draw the whole top first. Use Rectangle: 72" wide × 22" deep. This is the entire vanity top.
- Place the sink. Cutout tool, click the piece, click the front edge, click the left corner, distance 36" (centered), setback 4". Pick your undermount sink template.
- Plan the seam. The most logical place to seam is the centerline — directly through the sink cutout (acceptable, often invisible) or just to one side of the sink (better, but creates uneven pieces). Decide based on slab availability.
- Split the piece. Vertical toolbar → Split. With the vanity piece selected, click a point on the front edge at the seam position. Hold Shift and click the corresponding point on the back edge — the Shift constrains the cut to vertical. The piece becomes two.
- Rename for clarity. Select the left piece and rename it "Vanity left"; same for right. (Right-click → Rename.)
- Nest separately. Click Nest. Each half nests on its own slab if needed, and the report will tell you total slab count.
Tutorial: Exporting clean DXF for WCAM
WCAM (and similar stone-CAM packages) want a DXF with one layer per cut type, no annotations, no construction lines, no dimensions. Counters Studio's CAM-DXF export does this — here's how to verify it'll import cleanly.
- Finish drawing. All pieces closed, all edge profiles painted (Edges tool), all cutouts placed.
- Click Export → CAM DXF. Choose Edge-type style — this gives WCAM the per-segment edge-tool info.
- Save the file. Use a clear name: Smith-kitchen-CAM.dxf. Put it where your CNC programmer expects (usually a shared shop folder).
- Spot-check in WCAM. Open the .dxf in WCAM. You should see: one closed polyline per piece on the layer named after the piece, plus separate polylines on
EDGE_*layers for the painted profile sections. No text, no dimensions, no construction lines. - If WCAM complains about open polylines, go back into Counters Studio, select the piece, right-click → "Close polyline." Re-export.
- If WCAM imports at the wrong scale, your project was set to mm but WCAM is expecting inches (or vice versa). Counters Studio's CAM-DXF respects your project unit; configure WCAM's import dialog to match.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Undo | Ctrl+Z / ⌘+Z |
| Redo | Ctrl+Y / ⌘+⇧+Z |
| Delete selected | Del / Backspace |
| Deselect / cancel current tool | Esc |
| Finish polyline | Enter |
| Constrain to 15° / 90° angles | Hold Shift while drawing |
| Square / equal-side rectangle | Hold Shift while drawing Rectangle |
| Multi-select | Hold Shift + click each piece |
| Pan canvas | Middle-click + drag, or hold Space + drag |
| Zoom in / out | Mouse wheel |
| Zoom to fit | Double-click empty canvas |
| Rotate piece in nest view | Hold R while dragging |
Shop tips
Working knowledge that took us a lot of jobs to figure out.
Always draw at real-world dimensions
Don't scale down "for clarity." Draw the kitchen at 120" × 25.5", not 12 × 2.55. CAM tools expect real dimensions; nesting expects real dimensions. The canvas auto-zooms to fit, so there's no benefit to working small.
Use one piece per closed run
If a section of counter is one continuous piece that the customer will see as a single surface, draw it as one shape. Use Split later to introduce seams when planning fabrication. Drawing seams from scratch makes it harder to see the final product.
Set edge profiles before nesting
The Edge-type CAM export depends on which segments you've painted with which profile. Nest after you've finished painting so the export carries the right layer info.
Don't forget the splash height
Counters Studio tracks which edges have splashes, but the splash height lives in the project metadata. Set it once per project (4" is standard, 6" or full-height is common in modern kitchens) so it shows up correctly on prints and quotes.
Keep sink templates in a library project
Make a project called "Sink templates" and import a DXF for every sink you use regularly. To place one in a real job, open the template project alongside the real one, copy the sink, paste in the real project. Saves re-importing manufacturer DXFs for every job.
One slab orientation per supplier
If your slabs come from multiple suppliers with different default dimensions, save a nest preset per supplier so the nest view starts at the right slab size each time.
Troubleshooting
The piece won't select
You're probably in a drawing tool, not Select. Press Esc or click the Select arrow in the toolbar.
Edge-editing buttons are grayed out
Nothing is selected. Click a piece first; the edge buttons will light up.
Imported DXF looks 25.4× wrong
You picked the wrong unit when the import dialog asked Metric vs Imperial. Undo, re-import, and pick the other unit.
Cutout placed in the wrong spot
Re-run the Cutout tool with the corrected distance/setback values — or select the cutout and drag it. The cutout is grouped with the parent piece, so moving the piece moves the cutout with it.
The slab tool keeps making the wrong shape (L instead of straight, etc.)
The slab tool infers the shape from where you start and end your drag. If your drag turns a corner, you get an L; if it turns twice, you get a U; straight drag gives a single run. To force a single rectangle, use the Rectangle tool instead.
Nest yield is much lower than expected
Most likely causes: one piece is rotated to a non-90° orientation, or grain direction is set on a piece that doesn't need it. Open the piece's properties, unset grain if it doesn't matter, and re-run nest.
Export DXF doesn't open in my CAM software
Make sure you used Export → CAM DXF (not the regular Export → DXF, which contains annotations and dimensions that some CAM packages reject). If CAM DXF still fails, your CAM software may be expecting AutoCAD 2000–2007 format — let us know via support and we can look at compatibility flags.
The app feels slow with a large project
Each area is loaded separately, so a project with 30 areas is usually fine. If a single area has hundreds of pieces (rare for residential work), consider splitting the job into multiple projects. If a single piece has tens of thousands of vertices (imported from a high-res CAD source), use Edit imported → Simplify to reduce.
I can't see my project after I created it
Refresh the project browser. If still missing, the project is likely on a different account (you signed up twice, or signed in with a different email). Check your email in Settings.
Stripe / billing question
Click Manage subscription in your account menu to open Stripe's customer portal — you can update payment method, cancel, or view invoices. For other billing questions, email us at Contact@Counters.Studio.
Questions, feedback, or you found a tool that's not in this guide? Email Contact@Counters.Studio — we read every message.