# Iterative Shrink-Fill Design ## Problem `StripNestEngine` currently picks a single "strip" drawing (the highest-area item), shrink-fills it into the tightest sub-region, then fills remnants with remaining drawings. This wastes potential density — every drawing benefits from shrink-filling into its tightest sub-region, not just the first one. ## Design ### 1. IterativeShrinkFiller New static class in `OpenNest.Engine/Fill/IterativeShrinkFiller.cs`. **Responsibility:** Given an ordered list of multi-quantity `NestItem` and a work area, iteratively shrink-fill each item into the tightest sub-region using `RemnantFiller` + `ShrinkFiller`, returning placed parts and leftovers. **Algorithm:** 1. Create a `RemnantFiller` with the work area and spacing. 2. Build a single fill function (closure) that wraps the caller-provided raw fill function with dual-direction shrink logic: - Calls `ShrinkFiller.Shrink` with `ShrinkAxis.Height` (bottom strip direction). - Calls `ShrinkFiller.Shrink` with `ShrinkAxis.Width` (left strip direction). - Compares results using `FillScore.Compute(parts, box)` where `box` is the remnant box passed by `RemnantFiller`. Since `FillScore` density is derived from placed parts' bounding box (not the work area parameter), the comparison is valid regardless of which box is used. - Returns the parts from whichever direction scores better. 3. Pass this wrapper function and all items to `RemnantFiller.FillItems`, which drives the iteration — discovering free rectangles, iterating over items and boxes, and managing obstacle tracking. 4. After `RemnantFiller.FillItems` returns, collect any unfilled quantities (including `Quantity <= 0` items which mean "unlimited") into a leftovers list. 5. Return placed parts and leftovers. Remaining free space for the pack pass is reconstructed from placed parts by the caller (existing pattern), not by returning `RemnantFinder` state. **Data flow:** Caller provides a raw single-item fill function (e.g., `DefaultNestEngine.Fill`) → `IterativeShrinkFiller` wraps it in a dual-direction shrink closure → passes the wrapper to `RemnantFiller.FillItems` which drives the loop. **Note on quantities:** `Quantity <= 0` means "fill as many as possible" (unlimited). These items are included in the fill bucket (qty != 1), not the pack bucket. **Interface:** ```csharp public class IterativeShrinkResult { public List Parts { get; set; } public List Leftovers { get; set; } } public static class IterativeShrinkFiller { public static IterativeShrinkResult Fill( List items, Box workArea, Func> fillFunc, double spacing, CancellationToken token); } ``` The class composes `RemnantFiller` and `ShrinkFiller` — it does not duplicate their logic. ### 2. Revised StripNestEngine.Nest **Note:** The rotating calipers angle is already included via `RotationAnalysis.FindBestRotation`, which calls `RotatingCalipers.MinimumBoundingRectangle` and feeds the result as `bestRotation` into `AngleCandidateBuilder.Build`. No changes needed to the angle pipeline. The `Nest` override becomes a thin orchestrator: 1. Separate items into multi-quantity (qty != 1) and singles (qty == 1). 2. Sort multi-quantity items by `Priority` ascending, then `Drawing.Area` descending. 3. Call `IterativeShrinkFiller.Fill` with the sorted multi-quantity items. 4. Collect leftovers: unfilled multi-quantity remainders + all singles. 5. If leftovers exist and free space remains, run `PackArea` into the remaining area. 6. Deduct placed quantities from the original items. Return all parts. **Deleted code:** - `SelectStripItemIndex` method - `EstimateStripDimension` method - `TryOrientation` method - `ShrinkFill` method **Deleted files:** - `StripNestResult.cs` - `StripDirection.cs` ## Files Changed | File | Change | |------|--------| | `OpenNest.Engine/Fill/IterativeShrinkFiller.cs` | New — orchestrates RemnantFiller + ShrinkFiller with dual-direction selection | | `OpenNest.Engine/StripNestEngine.cs` | Rewrite Nest to use IterativeShrinkFiller + pack leftovers | | `OpenNest.Engine/StripNestResult.cs` | Delete | | `OpenNest.Engine/StripDirection.cs` | Delete | ## Not In Scope - Trying multiple item orderings and picking the best overall `FillScore` — future follow-up once we confirm the iterative approach is fast enough. - Changes to `NestEngineBase`, `DefaultNestEngine`, `RemnantFiller`, `ShrinkFiller`, `RemnantFinder`, `AngleCandidateBuilder`, `NestItem`, or UI code.