Chung Leong wrote: > Isn't that an NP-complete problem or am I crazy?
It is NP complete. Its known as the "cutting stock problem" (aka "Knapsack problem"). Here's a Wikipedia page that describes it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutting_stock_problem There are commerical applications available that "solve" the problem in 2D for use in the woodworking industry (among others). This is generally done to minimize waste when cutting down panels (plywood, etc) into smaller pieces for cabinets, etc. -Don -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
