Rough Planner: Auto / Tilt-Search / Manual
Once you've entered your rough dimensions, Rough Planner searches for the best orientation to cut your design. Three modes:
Auto mode
Click Auto search. Rough Planner tests hundreds of orientations automatically, ranking them by yield %.
Results show:
- Top 10 orientations sorted by yield % (highest first).
- Yield % for each (e.g., 45%, 42%, 41%).
- Estimated weight of the finished stone in carats.
- Orientation angles (the tilt/rotation of the rough).
Pick the one with the best yield, or pick one with slightly lower yield if it has better color orientation (if you can see the rough, you might prefer a lower-yield option that shows the best color in the table).
Auto search is fast and gives you the full landscape of options. It's the best place to start.
Tilt-search mode
If you have a rough with an obvious flat face or grain (common in many gemstones), you can tell Rough Planner to stay on that face and search for the best tilt angle.
Tilt rotation sets the initial orientation (0–360°, the compass direction your stone sits at on the dop). Rough Planner then nudges the tilt angle to optimize yield while staying roughly on that rotation.
This is useful when you have physical constraints — e.g., a rough with a natural flat face that you want to keep face-down on the lapidary setup.
Choosing an orientation
All modes show the same calculation — the difference is just how you arrive at the orientation:
- Auto: Brute-force search, best for exploration.
- Tilt-search: Guided search with physical constraints.
Once you pick an orientation you like, move to the next step: Rough Planner: Yield & Handoff.