Shell Faces

Splits a solid or multi-face shell into its faces so every node after it panelizes face by face (panels end exactly on the face edges). With no Solid connected, the Surface passes through.

A single design surface (used when no Solid is connected)

Surface

A solid, a multi-face surface or a list of surfaces

Solid

Leave out the flat bottom face of the solid (e.g. a vase or a building on the ground)

SkipBottom

FaceCount

Panelization

Discretize any surface, solid or mesh into fabrication-ready flat panels inside BeeGraphy, from the panel pattern all the way to nested, labelled cut sheets.

Workflow
Input: Shell Faces (a solid into its faces).
Panelize: one node for the whole pattern step: optional boundary (build the surface from curves or trim it), the pattern (Voronoi, UV Grid, Triangulation or Hexagonal, only the chosen one runs), the density from Target Size, and the cut to the outline and around holes. Mesh Panelize does the same for scans and imported meshes.
Optimize: Panel Size keeps every panel between a minimum and a maximum size by splitting big panels and growing small ones (no merging), with optional snapping to the border and seam rows. Panel Structure (members and joints) and Panel Planarize (flatten and measure flatness) are also in this step.
Panel geometry: Panel Faces (with optional gap and frame), Perforation, Pipes and Panel Preview (colour by panel, flatness, size or part type).
Fabrication: Panel Schedule (part types, table, CSV, flat outlines for nesting) and Sheet Report (engraved labels centred in each part, sheets, yield, waste, cost and a cutting check).

Optional steps that add material or patterning (gap, frame, perforation, pipes, planarize, structure, snap / seam rows, attractors) are off by default (value 0).

Limits
Curved panels are cut from the surface for display. A full rebuild of a large model with 700 to 900 panels takes one to four minutes, most of it in Panel Faces.
Pieces cut at an outline edge can stay below Min Size. They are only grown when their neighbours stay above it.

Panelization · Input

Panelization · Patterns

Panelization · Optimize

Panelization · Panels

Panelization · Fabrication

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Panelization

From surface to trimmed panels in one node: optional boundary (build the surface from curves or trim it), the pattern (Voronoi, UV Grid, Triangulation, Hexagonal; Mesh passes through), density from Target Size, then the cut to the outline and around holes.

The face to panelize (none = flat 10 x 6 rectangle)

Boundary curves (outline and holes, or 2-4 open edge curves)

Curves

0 = off, 1 = build the surface from the curves, 2 = trim the surface to the curves

BoundaryMode

0 Voronoi, 1 UV Grid, 2 Triangulation, 3 Hexagonal, 4 Mesh (panels from Mesh Panelize)

Pattern

Panel span in model units, the main density control (0 = use U / V Count). Corners near a boundary outline snap onto it automatically.

TargetSize

Columns when Target Size is 0 (Voronoi / Triangulation make U x V cells)

UCount

Rows when Target Size is 0 (Voronoi / Triangulation make U x V cells)

VCount

Seed

Relaxation rounds, more = more even cells (Voronoi, Triangulation)

RelaxIterations

Points that make panels smaller near them

Attractors

AttractorStrength

AttractorRadius

Panels from Mesh Panelize (used when Pattern is 4)

MeshPanels

Panelize

One closed outline per panel, on the surface

PanelCurves

The surface the panels lie on: wire it to every later node

PanelCount

Panels on a mesh (scan, imported model): even regions grown over the triangles, their borders smoothed and laid on the mesh. Feed its panels to Panelize (Mesh Panels, Pattern 4).

Mesh

Pattern selector: computed only when 4 (leave unwired to always compute)

Mesh Panelize

Keeps every panel between Min Size and Max Size (span): panels too big are split, panels too small are grown by pushing their shared corners outwards along the surface, only into neighbours that are themselves above Min Size (never merged; a pattern that is too fine overall is left unchanged with a warning).

MinSize

MaxSize

Panel Size

SmallestSpan

LargestSpan

Panel count, splits and span range, with a note when panels are outside Min / Max Size

Summary

Frame members and joints between panels: one member per shared panel edge, member and joint types (matching lengths and angles), and flags for short members and sharp joints. It only reports; the panels pass through unchanged.

Flags members shorter than this (0 = no flag)

MinMemberLength

Panel Structure

MemberLines

MemberTypes

MemberTypeCount

JointPoints

JointTypes

JointTypeCount

FlaggedMembers

FlaggedJoints

Moves panel corners so every panel becomes flat while neighbours keep sharing corners and the result stays close to the surface, then measures every panel: deviation from flat, flat and warped panels. Planar Faces are always exactly flat (each panel laid on its own best-fit plane), ready to cut.

Rounds of corner moving: more rounds give flatter panels (0 = corners stay, panels are only measured)

Iterations

0 = free, 1 = corners stay on the surface

SurfaceWeight

Closeness

FlatTolerance

Panel Planarize

PlanarCurves

PlanarFaces

FlatPanels

WarpedPanels

Deviations

MaxDeviation

AvgDeviation

MaxDeviationBefore

MaxMove

FlatCount

The panel faces: optional Gap (panels shrink so neighbours are Gap apart) and Frame Width (one mitred border frame per panel; a panel too narrow for the frame becomes one solid frame piece), then flat panels are filled directly and curved ones are cut from the surface so neighbours meet without gaps.

FrameWidth

Panel Faces

PanelFaces

FrameSurfaces

Final outlines (after gap / frame): wire to Panel Preview and Panel Perforation

Panels too small for the gap or frame, or that could not be built

FailedCount

Round holes in every panel, optionally graded by attractors.

HoleSpacing

HoleSize

MinHoleSize

EdgeMargin

Panel Perforation

PerforatedPanels

HoleCurves

HoleCount

OpenRatio

One tube along every shared panel edge plus a ball at every corner (frame preview).

PipeRadius

Panel Pipes

PipeSurfaces

PipeCount

One colour per panel for Apply Material: by panel, flatness, size or part type.

ColorBy

Panel Preview

Colors

Legend

Part types (panels with the same flat shape, mirror images included) and one row per panel (ID, part type, corners, area, perimeter, deviation, status, centroid, unroll error), plus every panel unrolled flat for cutting and nesting.

Gap between laid-out flat panels (0 = automatic)

LayoutGap

Shape tolerance for part types (0 = no part types)

TypeTolerance

Raise the tolerance until at most this many types (0 = off)

MaxTypes

Panel Schedule

Table

FlatOutlines

Label text per panel, e.g. "5-3" (panel P05, type T3)

PanelIds

TypeIds

TypeCount

TypeShapes

Everything from the nesting result in one pass: where to engrave each part's label and how big (text centred in the part and kept inside its outline with a margin; connect the Font node for exact Label Curves), sheets used, yield, fewest possible sheets, cost and a cutting check (overlapping parts, parts over the sheet edge).

Sheets

NestedPanels

PanelTexts

SheetCost

Optional: the Font node. Labels are measured exactly and drawn as Label Curves

Font

Sheet Report

Text start point for the Text node (bottom-left of the text), placed so the text sits centred in the part

Shell Faces

Ports

Inputs

Outputs

History