Count pierces in a DXF — Kolos Hetyéssy

Try it now

Your drawing is read in memory and discarded right after. The second sample tab, “Messy export”, has a rectangle drawn as loose lines and a cut-out with a 0.5 mm gap.

Your own file 01 Mounting plate 02 Messy export 03 Blocks & BOM

The live demo needs JavaScript, which seems to be switched off. The sample tabs show the engine's real output without it.

Rounded corners as polyline bulges, six round holes, and a slot drawn as four loose entities.

mounting-plate.dxf 55678 bytes

svg_preview

Result

Cut length: 805.027 mm
Pierces: 7
Parts / holes: 1 / 6
Net area: 14605.313 mm²
Bounding box: 160.0 × 100.0 mm
Closed / open contours: 7 / 0

JSON response POST /v1/analyze-dxf

{
  "api_version": "2.0",
  "unit_code": 4,
  "unit_name": "Millimeters",
  "active_layer_count": 2,
  "ignored_disabled_layer_count": 0,
  "clamped_z_anomaly_count": 0,
  "total_entity_count": 10,
  "pierce_count": 7,
  "closed_loop_count": 7,
  "total_cut_length": 805.0265,
  "bounding_box": {
    "min_x": 0.0,
    "min_y": 0.0,
    "max_x": 160.0,
    "max_y": 100.0,
    "width": 160.0,
    "height": 100.0,
    "bounding_area": 16000.0
  },
  "entity_counts_by_type": {
    "ARC": 2,
    "CIRCLE": 5,
    "LINE": 2,
    "LWPOLYLINE": 1
  },
  "layer_summary": {
    "0": {
      "entity_count": 10,
      "cut_length": 805.0265
    }
  },
  "bom_blocks": [],
  "mm_per_unit": 1.0,
  "open_contour_count": 0,
  "part_count": 1,
  "hole_count": 6,
  "net_area": 14605.3133,
  "duplicate_length_removed": 0.0,
  "total_cut_length_mm": 805.027,
  "net_area_mm2": 14605.313,
  "bounding_box_mm": {
    "min_x": 0.0,
    "min_y": 0.0,
    "max_x": 160.0,
    "max_y": 100.0,
    "width": 160.0,
    "height": 100.0,
    "bounding_area": 16000.0
  },
  "ignored_entities": {
    "invisible": 0,
    "on_disabled_layers": 0,
    "filtered_by_layer_option": 0,
    "corrupt_coordinates": 0,
    "unreadable": 0,
    "not_cut_geometry": {}
  },
  "file_info": {
    "dxf_version": "AC1032",
    "binary": false,
    "repaired": false
  },
  "warnings": [],
  "svg_preview": "<svg …> (shown above)"
}

A doubled line, a text, dimensions, a title frame (excluded with exclude_layers=FRAME) and a 0.5 mm gap.

messy-export.dxf 57412 bytes · ?exclude_layers=FRAME

svg_preview

Result

Cut length: 1005.164 mm
Pierces: 3
Parts / holes: 1 / 1
Net area: 22745.003 mm²
Bounding box: 200.0 × 120.0 mm
Closed / open contours: 2 / 1
Duplicate length removed: 100.0 mm
Excluded by layer filter: 1
Ignored DIMENSION: 1
Ignored TEXT: 1

1 contour(s) have open ends: the drawing may have gaps; each open path needs its own pierce.

Removed 100.0 units of duplicate/overlapping lines from the cut length.

JSON response POST /v1/analyze-dxf

{
  "api_version": "2.0",
  "unit_code": 4,
  "unit_name": "Millimeters",
  "active_layer_count": 4,
  "ignored_disabled_layer_count": 0,
  "clamped_z_anomaly_count": 0,
  "total_entity_count": 7,
  "pierce_count": 3,
  "closed_loop_count": 2,
  "total_cut_length": 1005.1637,
  "bounding_box": {
    "min_x": 0.0,
    "min_y": 0.0,
    "max_x": 200.0,
    "max_y": 120.0,
    "width": 200.0,
    "height": 120.0,
    "bounding_area": 24000.0
  },
  "entity_counts_by_type": {
    "CIRCLE": 1,
    "LINE": 5,
    "LWPOLYLINE": 1
  },
  "layer_summary": {
    "0": {
      "entity_count": 7,
      "cut_length": 1105.1637
    }
  },
  "bom_blocks": [],
  "mm_per_unit": 1.0,
  "open_contour_count": 1,
  "part_count": 1,
  "hole_count": 1,
  "net_area": 22745.0025,
  "duplicate_length_removed": 100.0,
  "total_cut_length_mm": 1005.164,
  "net_area_mm2": 22745.003,
  "bounding_box_mm": {
    "min_x": 0.0,
    "min_y": 0.0,
    "max_x": 200.0,
    "max_y": 120.0,
    "width": 200.0,
    "height": 120.0,
    "bounding_area": 24000.0
  },
  "ignored_entities": {
    "invisible": 0,
    "on_disabled_layers": 0,
    "filtered_by_layer_option": 1,
    "corrupt_coordinates": 0,
    "unreadable": 0,
    "not_cut_geometry": {
      "DIMENSION": 1,
      "TEXT": 1
    }
  },
  "file_info": {
    "dxf_version": "AC1032",
    "binary": false,
    "repaired": false
  },
  "warnings": [
    "1 contour(s) have open ends: the drawing may have gaps; each open path needs its own pierce.",
    "Removed 100.0 units of duplicate/overlapping lines from the cut length."
  ],
  "svg_preview": "<svg …> (shown above)"
}

A MINSERT array of a bracket block with nested press-in nut blocks and attributes.

nested-sheet.dxf 56328 bytes

svg_preview

Result

Cut length: 1403.575 mm
Pierces: 18
Parts / holes: 6 / 12
Net area: 10975.532 mm²
Bounding box: 200.0 × 90.0 mm
Closed / open contours: 18 / 0

bom_blocks

Block	Quantity	Layer	Attributes
BRACKET	6	0	–
PEM_NUT_M4	12	0	PART = CLS-M4-1

JSON response POST /v1/analyze-dxf

{
  "api_version": "2.0",
  "unit_code": 4,
  "unit_name": "Millimeters",
  "active_layer_count": 2,
  "ignored_disabled_layer_count": 0,
  "clamped_z_anomaly_count": 0,
  "total_entity_count": 31,
  "pierce_count": 18,
  "closed_loop_count": 18,
  "total_cut_length": 1403.5752,
  "bounding_box": {
    "min_x": 10.0,
    "min_y": 10.0,
    "max_x": 210.0,
    "max_y": 100.0,
    "width": 200.0,
    "height": 90.0,
    "bounding_area": 18000.0
  },
  "entity_counts_by_type": {
    "CIRCLE": 12,
    "INSERT": 13,
    "LWPOLYLINE": 6
  },
  "layer_summary": {
    "0": {
      "entity_count": 18,
      "cut_length": 1403.5752
    }
  },
  "bom_blocks": [
    {
      "block_name": "BRACKET",
      "layer": "0",
      "quantity": 6,
      "sample_attributes": {}
    },
    {
      "block_name": "PEM_NUT_M4",
      "layer": "0",
      "quantity": 12,
      "sample_attributes": {
        "PART": "CLS-M4-1"
      }
    }
  ],
  "mm_per_unit": 1.0,
  "open_contour_count": 0,
  "part_count": 6,
  "hole_count": 12,
  "net_area": 10975.532,
  "duplicate_length_removed": 0.0,
  "total_cut_length_mm": 1403.575,
  "net_area_mm2": 10975.532,
  "bounding_box_mm": {
    "min_x": 10.0,
    "min_y": 10.0,
    "max_x": 210.0,
    "max_y": 100.0,
    "width": 200.0,
    "height": 90.0,
    "bounding_area": 18000.0
  },
  "ignored_entities": {
    "invisible": 0,
    "on_disabled_layers": 0,
    "filtered_by_layer_option": 0,
    "corrupt_coordinates": 0,
    "unreadable": 0,
    "not_cut_geometry": {}
  },
  "file_info": {
    "dxf_version": "AC1032",
    "binary": false,
    "repaired": false
  },
  "warnings": [],
  "svg_preview": "<svg …> (shown above)"
}

How it works

Export the part as DXF and drop it into the box above.
The pierce count is one per closed contour plus one per open path, after loose lines and arcs have been joined into contours.
If the result has open contours, check the warning: a gap in the drawing costs an extra pierce, and often means a mistake in the drawing.

Why counting entities gives the wrong number

Many home-made DXF tools count one pierce per LINE, ARC or CIRCLE entity. For a part exported from CAD as loose segments that overestimates badly, and for a polyline it is right only by accident. Here the count follows the geometry:

Drawing	Entities	Pierces
Rectangle drawn as 4 lines	4	1
Plate with 4 round holes and a slot drawn as 2 lines + 2 arcs	10	7 (outline, 4 holes, bore, slot)
Cut-out polyline with a 0.5 mm gap	1	1, plus a gap warning

The second row is the “Mounting plate” sample above, and its numbers are the engine’s real output. In a test sheet with 2,500 holes the engine reported 2,501 pierces: the outline plus every hole.

Questions

Why is the pierce count not the number of entities?

A rectangle drawn as four separate lines is still one contour, so it needs one pierce, not four. The engine joins lines, arcs and polylines that touch into contours first, then counts one pierce per contour.

What happens with gaps in the drawing?

A contour that does not close is an open path. Each open path needs its own pierce, and the result includes a warning that the drawing may have gaps.

What about parts that share an edge (common-line cutting)?

Shared edges are handled: parts laid out to share a cut are not reported as gaps, and the shared edge is counted once in the cut length.

Does it tell parts and holes apart?

Yes, by nesting: a closed contour inside another is a hole, and a contour inside a hole counts as a part again. The result has the number of parts and holes and the net area.

Is my drawing stored?

No. The demo service reads it in memory and discards it right after sending the result back.

Need it in your own software?

The same engine is available as an API: whole files instead of a preview, every export format, automation.

CAD DXF Quote API →

Related tools

Free toolCAD DXF Quote API

DXF cut length calculator

Exact cut length of a DXF for laser, waterjet, plasma or CNC quotes, duplicates counted once.