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Getting started

Plan your first drawer ​

Let's take one real drawer from a tape measure to a ZIP of print files. You'll enter the drawer size, draw a few bins, check them in 3D, and get a list of what to print. Along the way, you'll link a bin to a design so it has a file to print.

This page teaches the clicks in the layout editor. For advice on which bin sizes to pick, read the planning guide.

Before you start ​

Grab a tape measure and measure the inside of your drawer in millimeters: the width, the depth, and the height under the closed drawer. Use the smallest value on each side.

Step 1: Open the layout editor ​

Open the layout editor in your browser.

On your first visit, you get an empty layout. On a desktop screen, the grid is 10 grid units wide and 8 grid units deep. An animated hint on the grid says Drag to draw your first bin, and it stays until you draw your first bin.

Step 2: Set the drawer size ​

  1. In the left sidebar, find the Grid size group, and click Add your drawer's measured size under the steppers.
  2. Type the sizes that you measured, then press Enter:
    • Measured width (mm)
    • Measured depth (mm)
    • Measured height (mm)
Typing a measured drawer size of 400 by 300 by 80 mm into the Grid size group. A card then suggests a grid that fits.Typing a measured drawer size of 400 by 300 by 80 mm into the Grid size group. A card then suggests a grid that fits.

Your measurement doesn't resize the grid on its own. Instead, a card suggests the largest grid that fits, and shows how much spare room it leaves.

  1. Click Fit grid on the card. The grid snaps to the new size.

The line under the steppers shows the grid size in millimeters and the free space. If the fit needs half units, the Layout Tool also turns on Half-grid mode for you.

TIP

No card? Then the grid already fits your drawer. You can also set the size with the Width (u) and Depth (u) steppers, or drag the edges of the grid.

The measured height also sets Drawer height. Once you place bins, a line below the size tells you if the tallest stack fits under the closed drawer.

Step 3: Draw your first bin ​

Drag across the empty cells you want the bin to cover. The bin appears and stays selected, so you can edit it right away. It gets the height of the active layer, and the right panel shows Bin properties.

Dragging across the grid from the bottom-left cell draws a new 2 by 3 bin, which stays selected.Dragging across the grid from the bottom-left cell draws a new 2 by 3 bin, which stays selected.

Step 4: Edit the bin ​

With the bin selected, change it in the right panel:

  • Width and Depth: the size in grid units.
  • Height (mm): the height in millimeters. The same height shows in height units below the field.
  • Label: a name, for example "Screws".
  • Category: a group for the bin. The category gives the bin its color on the grid.
A selected 2 by 3 bin next to its properties in the right panel. The height goes up to 42 mm, the label Drill bits goes in, and the category changes to Green.A selected 2 by 3 bin next to its properties in the right panel. The height goes up to 42 mm, the label Drill bits goes in, and the category changes to Green.

You can also change a bin right on the grid:

To do thisDo this
Move a binDrag the bin to a new position.
Resize a binDrag a handle on the edge or corner of the selected bin.
Turn a bin 90 degreesPress R.
Copy a binPress Ctrl+D (Cmd+D on a Mac).
Delete a binPress Delete.
On the grid, the Drill bits bin moves up three rows and its right edge drags one cell wider. R turns it, Ctrl D copies it, and Delete removes the copy.On the grid, the Drill bits bin moves up three rows and its right edge drags one cell wider. R turns it, Ctrl D copies it, and Delete removes the copy.

Keep drawing until the drawer looks right. Made a mistake? Press Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on a Mac) to undo it.

Step 5: Look at the drawer in 3D ​

Click 3D View in the toolbar above the grid, or press V. The 3D preview opens next to the grid and shows your bins at their real heights. It's a quick way to spot a bin that is too tall.

Clicking 3D View in the toolbar opens the 3D preview beside the grid. A close-up shows each bin at its real height.Clicking 3D View in the toolbar opens the 3D preview beside the grid. A close-up shows each bin at its real height.

Step 6: Read the print list ​

The Bin list section in the right panel is your print list. It groups the bins that print the same, and it shows how many of each you need. Below the list, a summary estimates the filament, the print time and the cost.

The bin list in the right panel, with rows for each bin size and the summary of filament, time and cost.The bin list in the right panel, with rows for each bin size and the summary of filament, time and cost.
  • To paste the list into a spreadsheet, click Copy bin list as TSV (the copy icon in the list header).
  • To print a paper plan of the drawer, click Print in the header.

Step 7: Get the print files ​

A bin on the grid has no print file until you link it to a saved design. Here's how to make one:

  1. Select a bin on the grid. In the right panel, under Linked design, click Create.
  2. A window titled Create design from bin opens. Type a name, or click Use bin label.
  3. Click Create & open designer. The bin designer opens with a new design at the size of the bin. The Layout Tool saves the design and links it to the bin for you.
Selecting the Drill bits bin and clicking Create under Linked design. In the Create design from bin window, Use bin label fills in the name, and Create & open designer opens the bin designer with the new design.Selecting the Drill bits bin and clicking Create under Linked design. In the Create design from bin window, Use bin label fills in the name, and Create & open designer opens the bin designer with the new design.
  1. Click Layout in the tool switcher to go back to the layout editor.
  2. Click Export in the header, then click Download ZIP.
The Export window of the layout editor, with the format, the file name, a note that 5 of the 6 bins have no linked design and are skipped, and Download ZIP.The Export window of the layout editor, with the format, the file name, a note that 5 of the 6 bins have no linked design and are skipped, and Download ZIP.

The ZIP file holds each linked bin and the baseplate for the drawer. The export skips bins without a linked design and tells you how many it skipped. Design your first bin shows what you can change in the design.

TIP

Print one bin before you print twenty. A single test bin tells you if the fit and your print settings are right.

Want the draw hint back? Click Settings in the header, then click Reset onboarding at the bottom of the window.

Next steps ​

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Copyright © 2025–2026 Andy Aragon