No-CAD Gridfinity: 5 Tray Planning Examples from a Phone Photo
Planning a Gridfinity tray from a photo without CAD
A photo-based workflow can help you design a tray without drawing every tool outline in CAD. The five examples below are illustrative planning scenarios, not documented customer projects or print-test results. Tray dimensions, clearances, and printing time must be checked for your actual objects and printer.
Planning example 1: A socket set
Arrange the sockets so each outline is visible and the pieces do not touch. Use the supported scale-reference or calibration option in your project. Review each detected outline and adjust the layout, pocket depth, and labels as needed.
Do not choose a fixed tray size from the socket count alone. Socket diameters, wall thickness, spacing, and access for your fingers all affect the space required.
Planning example 2: A kitchen drawer
Start with the drawer's usable width and length. Group the objects you actually want to store, such as scissors, pens, or a tape measure, and check their complete outlines before arranging them in the tray.
Long objects and wide handles may need more than one grid cell. Review the proposed layout against the real drawer and confirm print time and material use in your slicer; this example does not provide measured print results.
Planning example 3: An electronics bench
Separate reels, tweezers, and other objects before photographing them. If two outlines merge, rearrange the objects and take another photo. Choose pocket depths and spacing that leave enough access to lift each item out.
For more layout ideas, see Gridfinity for Electronics. Treat a suggested arrangement as a starting point and verify it against your actual equipment.
Planning example 4: Camera lens caps and filters
Use diffuse lighting and a background that makes the edges visible. Keep the camera directly above the objects where possible. Reflections can obscure boundaries, so check the detected outlines and retake the photo if needed.
Choose the tray size from the actual diameters and required spacing. A photo does not establish a tested fit or a guaranteed tolerance.
Planning example 5: Workshop hand tools
Measure the longest objects and the available drawer space before choosing a layout. Rotating a tool changes its orientation, not its dimensions.
For example, a 4-by-2 Gridfinity footprint has a nominal span of 168 by 84 mm on a 42 mm grid. Its diagonal is about 188 mm, so a 250 mm hammer cannot fit inside that footprint even before allowing for walls and clearance. Do not use a 4-by-2 pocket for that example.
Select a larger layout only after checking the tool's full outline, the tray's usable interior, and the printer's build area. A nominal six-cell span is 252 mm, but that alone does not guarantee room for a 250 mm tool once walls and clearance are included.
Checks to make before exporting
- Scale: use the project's supported reference or calibration workflow and check a known dimension.
- Photo: keep objects separated, outlines visible, and lighting even.
- Layout: review the tool boundaries, usable tray space, spacing, and pocket depths.
- Printer: check the exported model, build area, material, and time estimate in your slicer.
Using GridPilot
GridPilot provides a photo-based design workflow with layout and preview controls. You can design and preview without an account. An account is required to export. The Free plan includes 100 square inches of exports per month; a paid plan is required for more.
For an introduction to the workflow, see Custom Gridfinity Bins Without CAD.
From a planning example to a documented result
To present a project as a completed print test, retain the input photo, final design dimensions, slicer settings, a photo of the printed tray with its tools, and any fit adjustments. Those records are not provided for the five scenarios above, so they should be used as planning guidance.