The Combo — the interface if we go Workbench (1) + Graft (3)

Commissioned by Aristide 2026-08-19: "leaving these intact, what would the interface look like if we went with your suggested 1 and 3 combo, and included the research feedback." Read as mockups 1 (A — the Workbench) and 3 (C — the Graft): the docked workbench is the everyday ground state; C's tear-off and named per-user Adobe workspaces are the machinery under it. In practice: the app opens looking like A on every workstation; any panel tears off to a float or a second monitor; the workspace chip remembers each user's arrangement per stage; one click snaps everything home. Below, that interface drawn end to end — four screens of the same job walking left-to-right down the tab strip, with every research finding placed. Still static drawings; nothing functional; the three mockups above are untouched.

Screen 1 — Jobs home (the front door)
Jobs What's new — v0.9 ▾ Workspace: Aristide ▾ Aristide

Active jobs

TL-1016-93 split60MSO7, 0.125" JordanNest: 1 gap flag open
TL-1016-86 split60MSO7, 0.125" Post blocked: part-tab width missing from material table
novi signMSO7, 0.125" Heal: 2 open contours
ring 2" OD × ½" IDMSO7, 0.125" Aristidedrawn from scratch — born clean, Heal auto-passed
New job:   Browse folder… Drop files — DXF · DWG · AI · PDF · SVG Blank document — draw from scratch
"My customer says: I don't have a print. Can you just give me a 2-inch OD with a 0.5-inch ID?" — two dimensioned circles from a blank doc, then the normal workflow.

Machine

Laser 1 — bed 80 × 160 · loaded: MSO7, 0.125" · envelope check runs on every file
Material table — beam comp, kerf, lead length, tab widths per material × thickness. A missing number BLOCKS the stage that needs it (see -86 above) — never a silent fallback.
Licensing — runs fully offline; if licensing ever hiccups the software keeps cutting. Nothing may idle the laser.
4 active jobs⚠ 2 waiting on a persondouble-click a job → its canvas, at its current tab
Screen 2 — Heal (dock ground state)
novi sign · MSO7, 0.125" ⌂ Jobs Workspace: Jordan — Heal ▾ Jordan
Import
Heal
QC
Review
Nest
Cut Plan
Post
Deliver
🔍
RE-FIT
HEAL
heal canvas
Layers: ■ healed · ▣ original (gray)
Heal checks⇱ docked
units detectedinch
facets → primitives141 → 4 lines + 4 arcs
native arcs preserved12 / 12
max deviation0.0042 (gate 0.010)
fit-induced kinks0 (jog = FAIL)
⚠ 1 borderline chain — spike or arc? review it
Tolerance by feature class⇱ docked
lettering (read at distance)0.020"
holes (take hardware)0.002"
outer profile0.010"
the feature's function sets the gate — drag to override, geometry re-fits live

units: inch (detected)✓ envelope 80×160⚠ 1 review flag
Screen 3 — Nest (one panel torn off to monitor 2 — the graft at work)
TL-1016-93 · MSO7, 0.125" · sheet 1/1 ⌂ Jobs Workspace: Jordan — Nest ▾ Jordan
Import
Heal
QC
Review
Nest
Cut Plan
Post
Deliver
🔍
AUTO
draft
NEST
nest canvas
Layers: ■ healed · ▣ original (gray)
monitor 2 (this workspace): Nest controls · Parts table — torn off, remembered per user; ⇱ snaps them home
Nest checks⇱ docked
parts placed41 / 41
min part gap0.205 (floor 0.200)
X extent / remnant22.308 / 97.69 full-height
arcs preserved100% — 0 polylined
objectiveminimum X — voids before frontier
⚠ p012 ↔ p017 gap 0.187 < 0.200 — zoom
Auto-nest draftRepeat × 20 sheets
Nest controlson monitor 2 — snaps back here


Job log & cut-order timeline
14:02 auto-nest draft placed 41 parts in 3.8 s
14:05 Jordan moved p019, p026 into internal void — X 23.273 → 22.308, checks re-run ✓
units: inch✓ MetaCam-safe writer armed⚠ 1 nest flag
Screen 4 — Cut Plan (order, leads, pierces, tabs)
TL-1016-93 · MSO7, 0.125" · sheet 1/1 ⌂ Jobs Workspace: Jordan — Cut Plan ▾ Jordan
Import
Heal
QC
Review
Nest
Cut Plan
Post
Deliver
🔍
AUTO
leads
CUT
cut plan canvas
Show: order · leads · rapids · sim ▶
Cut plan checks⇱ docked
leads auto-placed8 / 8 — every one grabbable
pierce clear airmin 0.152 (≥ 0.150)
part tabs0.030 flats, lower-right
slug tabstable 0.018 / 0.033
outers lastall parts
rapids over held parts0 (1 rerouted)
compG41 norm · G40 declared on art
⚠ Ø0.25 hole — standoff unmet, pierced at centre — on the shop sheet
To Post⇱ docked
audit vs sourceruns on every posted NC
beam comp gatematerial table, blocks if missing
Post G-code →Slug report CSV

✓ every span holds pierce + tab + start together⚠ 1 reported exception

Where every research finding lives in this interface

FindingWhere it lives above
1 — learnable, visual, visible improvement cadenceStatus tab strip readable across the room; checks drawn on the geometry; "What's new" chip on Jobs home — the improvement cadence is shown to the user, which is half of why LightBurn won.
2 — everything in one app, live slidersImport → Deliver is one tab strip, no round-trips; tolerance and spacing sliders re-fit/re-check live on the canvas.
3 — usability beats feature countV1 scope rule: ship the eight tabs solid before any exotic feature; the dock ground state keeps every workstation identical and learnable.
4 — reliability/interoperability failures are what killImport accepts DXF · DWG · AI · PDF · SVG; everything delivered is MetaCam-safe; no live machine link to lose — we hand the control a file it already speaks.
5 — geometry fidelity is a hard gate"Arcs preserved — 0 polylined" is a standing gauge on Heal AND Nest; circles stay circles all the way to G2/G3.
6 — auto-nest distrusted, manual override non-negotiableAUTO is labelled draft; dragging a part is the primary gesture with a live gap chip; Jordan's void-filling moves are the designed-for workflow.
7 — repeatable nests for floor rhythm"Repeat this nest × 20 sheets" one click from the auto-nest button.
8 — automate the tedious, keep fine manual controlLeads, tabs, order all auto-placed ("nearly instant") and every one a grabbable marker on the geometry.
9 — general CAD pressed into nesting is a nightmareThe whole tool is purpose-built for this pipeline; nesting is a first-class stage, not a bolted-on script.
10 — licensing must never idle the laserPolicy card on Jobs home: fully offline-tolerant; a licensing hiccup can never stop cutting. Pixels can't fix this one — it is a company promise, recorded here so it ships as one.

What stays open

This drawing assumes the 1+3 pick is real — say so and it becomes the recorded panel-layout decision (closing the question from /design/look/). Still open regardless: draw-from-scratch v1 scope (screen 1 shows the ruled requirement, not a scoped design), visual styling (dark theme and icons are placeholders), and everything downstream of the definition phase — these stay drawings until the phase rule says build.