Part lists and cut lists from BIM for timber prefab

The missing link: from BIM model to production part list

In timber prefab and modular manufacturing, you know the problem. The architect hands over a Revit model or IFC file. You're in production planning and you need to extract part lists, cut lists, and production batches. Now. By hand.

You pull elements from the model and drawings, group them by machine, by production batch, by cutting schedule. Somewhere you need a complete picture of every timber element, every connection, every dimension. And that's where it breaks: one missing item, and no one notices until it hits the saw or the job site. Back-order, transport costs, idle crew. Not good.

The cutting optimisation tools and CAD-CAM suites you know are solid. But they all assume the part list already exists. The step before that, from BIM model to complete part list, stays manual.

MEP prefab solved this years ago through CAD-CAM integration. Timber prefab never had a standard answer for it.

From model to production-ready part list

Koto extracts your part lists straight from the model. You configure once what each element is, how to group it, which columns you need. Then it runs automatically, every time you add a new project.

It works with what you have: Vertex BD native, or IFC from Revit, Archicad or Tekla. Koto reads elements from your model, groups them into production batches, and hands you the data.

What you get: complete part lists in your own column format, cut lists with cutting optimisation, production batches ready for your planner, all as Excel or CSV to feed into your ERP. Koto delivers data and lists up to the production floor. Machine control itself happens in your CAM software.

An example: one wall element

Take a six-metre timber frame wall element. The model contains the geometry: studs, top and bottom plates, a window opening, sheathing. The part list production needs goes further than that.

The rules you configure once determine what comes out:

• The studs and plates as sawable lengths, grouped per section, with the cut list attached.
• The sheathing per type and thickness, with sheet counts including saw loss.
• The non-modelled material through recipes: screws per running metre, angle brackets per stud, membrane and tape per square metre of wall.
• Everything in your own column format, with your article codes, ready for Excel or the ERP.

The next wall, and the next project, gets exactly the same build-up. The difference with manual work is not the first list, it is the fiftieth: still just as complete.

Why prefab CAD suites aren't the only answer

Prefab CAD suites like hsbCAD, SEMA, Dietrich's or Cadwork deliver full production output, but only inside their own modelling environment. That is a fine choice if your whole process already lives there. If it does not, you want something that works with the model you already have.

That is what Koto does. Your BIM model, your existing Vertex BD setup, your IFCs. Configure once, then it runs automatically on every project. No switching drawing packages, no new modelling environment.

And because it builds on IFC and open standards, your data stays yours: switch CAD or ERP later and your rules and list structures keep working.

Every project, every time, complete

Production planning isn't a one-time task. You do it for ten, twenty projects a year. Each one needs its own part list, cut list, production batches.

That's where manual work gets painful. Same mistakes again and again. Same quality-check steps, over and over. Configure once, then it runs automatically means you encode the work once and basically never touch it again. Every new project plan fills itself.

And completely. No missing items.

Frequently asked questions about part lists and cut lists from BIM

What is the difference between a part list and a cut list?

A part list enumerates all components of an element or project, with counts and dimensions. A cut list translates the timber components into sawable lengths, optionally optimised to limit offcuts.

Does Koto also control machines?

No. Koto delivers part lists, cut lists and cutting optimisation as lists and data, up to production. Machine control happens in your own CAM software.

What happens when the model changes?

When a new model version comes in, you regenerate the lists with the same rules. Nothing needs manual updating.

In practice now

Koto is live today at prefab manufacturers across the Benelux. Timber frame builders and modular manufacturers use it in daily work preparation. The result: less manual work, less checking afterwards and fewer back-orders from incomplete lists.

You can see it on your own BIM models. Request a demo with your own Vertex BD or IFC file and watch how Koto builds your part lists. That way you know immediately whether it fits your workflow.

Interested in more about generating part lists with Koto? Or curious about cutting lists and saw optimisation? Get started whenever you are ready.