Sheet

Sheet is the root node for all sheet metal manufacturing — the raw material from which parts are cut and formed.

A Sheet node is the starting point for all sheet metal workflows in the Graph View. It represents the raw flat material — the sheet metal blank — from which the final part is manufactured. Every sheet metal part begins with a Sheet node.

When to use this process

The Sheet node is created automatically when you import a DXF or GEO file, or when you create a rectangular part using File → Create → Create Rectangular Cut. You do not typically create it manually — it is the foundation that subsequent cutting and bending operations work on.

The Sheet node defines:

• The material (steel, aluminium, stainless steel, etc.)
• The sheet specification (grade, surface finish)
• The thickness of the material
• The dimensions of the starting blank

What Can Be Edited

You can edit the following on an existing Sheet node:

• Material and specification — right-click in the Graph View and select Edit Sheet Material and Process
• Thickness — right-click in the Graph View and select Edit Thickness
• Multiplicity — edit the quantity in the Tree View

What Cannot Be Edited

The sheet dimensions (width and height) come directly from the imported geometry — they are derived from the contour in the DXF or GEO file and cannot be changed on the Sheet node itself.

If you need different sheet dimensions, edit the source geometry in the 2D Geometry Editor and re-import the part. The Sheet node is recreated from the new geometry.

Step-by-step

When WSi creates a Sheet node:

1. A new Sheet node appears at the leftmost position in the Graph View.
2. The material, specification, and thickness are taken from the import data or the creation dialog.
3. The Sheet node connects to downstream process nodes (Sheet Cutting, Bending, etc.) automatically.

Result

The Sheet node appears as the first node in the graph for a sheet metal part. Its geometry output (the flat sheet outline) becomes the input for the next operation — typically Sheet Cutting.

In the Tree View, the Sheet node shows the material, thickness, and mass of the blank. In the Graph View, it appears as the leftmost node with a sheet icon.