The builder traces your tool from one straight-down photo — all it needs is something of a known size in the frame to measure against. Two minutes on the photo saves a reprint later. This page covers the whole method: references, the boundary rule, shadows, your part number, and the quality score.
Lying on a flat surface — floor or table — in the exact pose it will sit in the case. Battery on or off, exactly how you'll store it.
Something of a known size placed around the tool: a sheet of paper, AA batteries, coins, a dollar bill, a card. The builder finds it on its own and measures the tool against it.
Phone flat and parallel to the surface, directly over the tool. Rest the phone on the table edge or hold it level — tilt stretches the outline.
Inside the boundary your references form, the tool is the only item. Everything outside the boundary is ignored — see the boundary rule below.
Pick the reference in the builder's Reference dropdown so it knows what to look for. If more than one kind is in the photo, that's fine — they check each other, and a second reference makes the measurement stronger.
The default. Lay the tool flat on a plain US Letter sheet with all four corners in the frame — the builder finds the corners, corrects the camera angle automatically, and the sheet sets both the scale and the boundary (below).
No sheet of paper handy? The builder knows the exact size of everything on this list — use whichever you have, and pick the same one in the Reference dropdown:
AA batteries. Lay three or more AA batteries around the tool, spread out toward the corners of your layout. Any brand works; every AA is the same size.
Sheet of paper — A4. The same idea with an A4 sheet — just pick A4 in the dropdown so the scale is right.
Coins. US coins are exact minted sizes. Scatter several around the tool — they check each other, so a worn or partly covered coin doesn't throw the measurement off.
Dollar bill. Lay one bill flat beside the tool — a bill is a known, exact rectangle.
Dollar bills — one at each end. For long tools: a bill at each end holds the scale along the whole length.
Card. Any credit-card-sized card works — they're all one standard size. Lay it flat beside the tool, fully in frame.
Cards — one at each end. Two cards, one at each end — the same idea as the two bills, for long tools.
CD / DVD. A disc is exactly 120 mm across. Lay one beside the tool, in the same plane.
Tape measure. Lay a tape flat beside the tool, in the same plane. In the builder you'll tap two tape marks and type the distance between them — the straighter down you shoot, the truer the size.
Tape measures — both sides. A tape down each side of the tool, for wide tools, so both edges get measured.
The box itself. Photograph the tool with the case it's going into — the case's known size becomes the scale.
Custom object. Anything whose exact size you already know — pick Custom object in the builder and type its dimensions in.
Draw an imaginary line connecting your outermost references — that's the boundary. The builder judges only what is inside it:
One tool inside. Within the boundary, the tool must be the only item. A second tool, a loose bit, or a stray battery inside the boundary is the most common reason a photo is declined.
Outside is ignored completely. The rest of your bench — other tools, clutter, cables, shadows — makes no difference at all if it sits outside the boundary. Don't tidy the whole bench; just arrange the boundary.
Spread the references wide. References near the corners of your layout make a bigger, more forgiving boundary and a better measurement than references bunched in one spot.
The tool's own shadow stays with the tool. A soft shadow hugging the tool is read as part of it — that's normal. A hard shadow thrown across the tool from you or the phone is the problem (next section).
Shoot straight down. Phone parallel to the surface, tool centred. Tilt is the #1 cause of wrong-size outlines — paper mode forgives a little, battery mode forgives less.
Keep shadows off the item. A shadow falling on the tool inside the boundary draws a fake edge the tracer can't tell from the tool itself. Stand so your body and phone don't block the light — bright room light, no flash. Shadows outside the boundary don't matter.
Zoom to fit. Tool and references fill most of the frame. More pixels on the tool means a smoother, truer outline — a tool photographed from across the room traces rough.
Tool flat, in its storage pose. Lying the way it will sit in the insert, fully inside the boundary, nothing hanging past it. Decide about the battery now: battery on or off changes the outline. Same for chucks, bits and blades.
Plain, contrasting surface. A dark tool on a light surface, or the reverse. A red tool on a red mat is a guessing game the tracer will lose.
References fully in frame. Every battery, coin and bill corner visible, nothing cropped at the photo's edge — a half-seen reference can't be measured.
Type the tool's model number exactly as it's printed on the tool (for example 2526-20). It's required for tools and tool boxes, and it works for you twice:
For numbers in our measured library, the builder can offer you our verified outline — traced from a real tool, checked for fit — instead of relying on your photo alone.
Your trace is cross-checked against the manufacturer's published size for that number. If the two disagree, you'll see what your photo measured next to what was expected — usually a mistyped number or a tilted photo, and the message tells you which to check.
Analysis takes a few minutes (about 3 on average). When it's done you get your photo back with the tool and references outlined and a quality score:
70% and up passes. The outline hugging your tool is the one that gets cut into your insert. Higher is better — a score in the 90s means a clean, straight, well-lit shot.
Below 70% is declined — with the reason shown. You get the same photo back with the problem area outlined in red and a plain explanation underneath of what went wrong and what to change. Nothing is charged for a declined photo, and retakes are free.
The score rewards the rules. Straight-down, shadows off the tool, references spread wide and fully in frame, one item inside the boundary — follow the six rules and the score takes care of itself.
Surface square in the frame, tool flat in the middle, references around it. This traces clean the first time.
A tilted shot stretches one end of the tool. Paper mode corrects mild tilt — this much, it can't.
Batteries, bills and tape lying on the surface beside the tool — not propped on the tool or curled.
Your body or the phone blocking the light draws a fake edge. Move the light, not the tool.
Close enough that the tool and references fill most of the shot — more pixels on the tool means a smoother outline.
A tiny tool in a big photo traces rough and small errors become millimetres. Step closer.
Tool flat in its storage pose, references spread around it forming the boundary, on a plain contrasting surface.
In the builder, tap Add photo — take one or pick from your library. Type the part number and confirm the reference kind; the builder detects the references itself.
After analysis, your photo comes back with the outline drawn on and the quality score. If it hugs the tool, you're set. If it's declined, the red outline and the note under it tell you exactly what to fix.
At the bottom of the builder, choose the case your insert is for — real case blanks, measured from the actual cases.
Cut in carves the pocket into the blank. Walls only builds a standing wall ring in the tool's shape. Add smoothing or rolled edges, and set the clearance if you want a looser or tighter fit.
Download the finished insert file and print it — or have us make it for you. The case fits the tool, because it was built from your tool.
| What you see | What it means & the fix |
|---|---|
| Declined — more than one item | Something besides the tool is inside the boundary your references form. Move it outside the boundary (it doesn't have to leave the photo) and retake. |
| Declined — reference not found | The batteries, paper or bill couldn't be detected: cropped at the edge, too dark, or bunched together. Spread them around the tool, fully in frame, with the light on. |
| Declined — shadow on the tool | A hard shadow is falling on the tool inside the boundary and reading as part of it. Change where you stand or where the light is. Shadows outside the boundary are ignored — only the tool matters. |
| Declined — photo at an angle | The shot is too tilted to trust the scale. Phone flat and parallel, directly overhead. Paper mode corrects mild tilt; the others can't. |
| Size disagrees with the published size | Your trace measured differently from the manufacturer's spec for the number you typed. Check the number digit by digit first — then the tilt. The message shows what measured vs. what was expected. |
| Tool could not be separated | The tool is too close in colour to the surface under it, or a shadow covers it. Change the surface or sheet colour, or fix the light. |
| Photo looks soft or blurry | Camera shake or missed focus. Brace the phone, tap the tool to focus, retake. |
Build it from your photo in the builder and download the print-ready file to print yourself.
Open the builderWe print it on the Mesh3DLab farm and ship it to you. Send a request and we'll reply by email with the price and timing.