ShadowGrid

Help & FAQ

Short answers to the most common questions. Missing something? Use the feedback button in ShadowGrid (Settings → Feedback).

Taking the photo

What do I need?

A sheet of white paper (A4, A3, Letter or Tabloid), a phone or camera, and a 3D printer. The paper is used as a ruler, so ShadowGrid knows the real size of your tools.

How do I take a good photo?
  • Hold the phone straight above the paper, not at an angle.
  • Get the whole sheet in the photo, with all four corners visible.
  • Use even light. Avoid flash and a single lamp close by, which give hard shadows.
  • Put the paper on a plain table that is darker than the paper.
  • Keep the tools at least 1 cm from the paper edge.
My tools are shiny or grey. What helps?

Use yellow or beige paper instead of white. It makes it much easier to tell steel and shadows apart.

My tool is bigger than the paper.

Turn on Tools reach past the paper in the Photo step. The paper is then only used as a ruler, and the parts outside it are traced on the table too. Use a plain table that differs from the tool.

Can I take the photo with my phone and work on my computer?

Yes. Press Scan with phone on the computer, scan the QR code with your phone and take the photo. It appears on the computer a moment later.

Does it work with iPhone photos (HEIC)?

Yes. HEIC photos are converted automatically.

The outline

The AI takes a long time the first time.

The first time you add a photo, ShadowGrid downloads the AI model (about 58 MB). After that it is stored in your browser and starts much faster. Everything runs on your own device.

The outline is a bit off. How do I fix it?
  • Points: click a tool and drag its points. Drag a small dot on a line to add a point. Right-click (or long-press) a point to delete it.
  • Add and Erase: paint what is missing or what should go.
  • AI threshold: lower finds more of the tool, higher trims more of the background.
A shadow or something else is coloured.

Untick it in Found objects. If a shadow is still part of the tool, open Outline not right? and raise the shadow filter.

ShadowGrid did not find the paper.

Drag the four dots onto the paper corners in the Photo step, or click the paper to find it again. Also check that the right paper size is selected.

Design and fit

What thickness should I enter?

Measure each tool at its thickest point, for example with a caliper. The pocket is made that deep, so the tool sits flush or just below the top.

How do I make sure the tools fit?

Print a fit test first: a thin frame of each outline that prints in a few minutes. Lay the tools in it, then press Too tight or Too loose. Each press changes the clearance by 0.2 mm.

What are finger pockets?

Round cut-outs next to a tool, so you can get your fingers under it. ShadowGrid suggests them. You can drag them, add more or remove them.

The tray is too big for my printer.

Choose your printer under Settings → Printer. If the tray is bigger than the bed, ShadowGrid splits it into pieces along the Gridfinity grid, so they sit side by side in the baseplate.

What do the sizes mean?

Gridfinity uses units of 42 × 42 mm. A tray of 5 × 3 is 5 units wide and 3 deep. The height is counted in units of 7 mm, written as for example 3u.

Which files can I download?

STL for any slicer. With the extra features turned on in Settings you can also get 3MF with colours, and DXF or SVG outlines for CAD.

Saving and sharing

Where are my trays saved?

In your own browser, automatically, including the photo and the outline. Sign in to keep them on all your devices. Under My trays you can also back up all trays to a file.

Can I share a tray?

Yes. A share link gives others a copy of the tray (without the photo) that they can open and download.

Is my photo uploaded?

No, not when you use ShadowGrid without an account. The photo stays in your browser. Read more in the privacy policy.

Problems

It is slow on my phone.

The AI and the 3D model run on your device, so older phones are slower. A computer is quickest, and you can still take the photo with your phone using Scan with phone.

Something does not work.

Please tell us with the feedback button under Settings → Feedback. Describe what you did and what happened.

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