Polyboard tutorials

An overview of the basic settings, features and interface within Polyboard. How to change the language and units, plus a look at the Quick Design toolbars and the common commands they include. We also explain the different modes inside Polyboard (Cabinet Mode, Project Mode and Catalogue Mode) and set up a basic project from start to finish so you can quickly see what's possible with the software.

Polyboard's Quick Design libraries stock the materials for the panels you use, your edging and bar materials, all your hardware and lots more. These libraries are built into Polyboard's Manufacturing Methods, which are style sheets describing exactly how you want to build your projects so you can set them up for manufacture with the click of a button. This page offers an overview of the concept. Please go to the Hardware, Materials, Edging, Door, Drawer etc pages for details of the set up for each.

How to manipulate the carcass or outer panels of your furniture, from basic to free form and complex plans, and from sloping tops to plinths and boxing around columns and pipes.

Management of shelves and vertical separations in Polyboard, plus a look at the powerful Inner Casing feature for creating modern flexible designs very quickly.

Polyboard allows you to add doors to your models in a number of ways. You can choose from single, double and sliding doors, you can have them open left/right or top/bottom. They can be built in or sit outside the carcass. You can apply edging and hardware exactly how you want, plus a whole range of other fine adjustments.

Polyboard comes with a powerful set of features to set up drawers to your exact requirements, whether you use branded drawer systems like Blum's TANDEMBOX and LEGRABOX lines, or your own custom set up. You can have your drawers built in or to sit outside the carcass, you can adjust the heights of drawers individually, add extra design features to the facades, and modify the slack between and around all elements in fine detail. Get all drawer parts in your cut list and plans AND 100% accurate machining placements for all the drawer sliders and other hardware.

Within Polyboard the Structures Menu and its commands offer a powerful set of panel design features to add flexibility to your projects. They include a variety of tooling and cut out functions, adding bar materials and frameworks, creating sandwich panels and splitting individual panels into multiple materials and types.

Link parameters describe the relationship between adjacent panels, including doors, drawers and the front of the cabinet. You can adjust these parameters to accommodate a huge range of construction methods and joint types.

Polyboard allows you to add virtually any hardware or fitting to your projects you want. All the machining for CNC manufacture is included. Use our ready made Quick Design hardware library, or add your own configurations. Either way, automatically apply your favoured hardware using our Quick Design methods.

How to use Polyboard's material libraries to incorporate any material in your design you want. You can edit the materials used in a single piece of furniture, or better still use Quick Design methods to automatically apply the materials you want. Here we cover panel and bar materials. Edging materials are covered separately.

You can add edging on a unit by unit or project by project basis, but it's much more efficient to use our pre-configured Quick Design edging methods. These automatically apply edging exactly how you want each and every time and can be fully customised. Edging usage is included with costs in the workshop document and can be shown on the part by part labels as well, see our manufacturing output videos for more details.

The different options for processing the output of your manufacturing files, and how to set them up. Polyboard's workshop document includes the cut list, plans and a cost and material usage report. The software also comes with a label printing feature, and a powerful range of post processors to output the files for your CNC machine. In addition, we cover the integrations with our cutting and nesting optimisation software OptiCut and OptiNest, and integrations with selected CAM software.

Polyboard works with all types of CNC software and machines. These guides explain the process, the set up, the post processors that are available, and we’ve also included sample output for testing. Please contact us for further information if required.

In Cabinet Mode you design a single piece of furniture. In Project Mode you create the environment (normally the room layout) of your project. You are then able to quickly position, move and modify individuals units within it. Project Mode is great for 3D presentations and assembly plans, and to check your project is workable in situ. It also allows you to build more complex units in smaller parts, so they are easier to design and manufacture. Note: please watch the Quick Design Toolbar videos on the Getting Started page first. These cover many of the basic commands in Project Mode.

Polyboard allows you to create beautifully rendered 3D presentations for your customers. This page shows you how, including managing lighting effects, and adding images to your projects.

Catalogue Mode allows you to group multiple projects or individual pieces of furniture so you can output a combined cut list, and all the plans and CNC files for them in one go. This allows your entire catalogue to be optimised for manufacture together. You can also very easily adjust the quantities, dimensions and manufacturing methods associated with each. This makes Catalogue Mode great for large scale manufacture.

'How to' tips and tricks to open up more design possibilities for your Polyboard software, and work faster and better at the same time.