Gridfinity Software Compared
There are four ways to get Gridfinity bins: download pre-made STLs, generate them in your browser, script them in OpenSCAD, or model them with a CAD plugin. They all produce the same 42 mm standard — they differ in setup, flexibility, and how fast you get from "I need a bin" to a file in your slicer.
The Short Version
| Approach | Setup | Custom sizes | Custom features | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online generator (this site) | None — browser | Yes | Compartments, cutouts, labels | Most people, most bins |
| Pre-made STL libraries | None — download | Fixed sizes | Whatever was uploaded | Standard bins, specialty tool holders |
| OpenSCAD scripts | Install + edit code | Yes | Extensive, code-driven | Programmers, batch generation |
| CAD plugins (Fusion 360, Blender) | Install + learn CAD | Yes | Full CAD freedom | Integrating bins into larger CAD projects |
Online Generators
A browser-based generator gives you parametric bins with no installation: set the size, toggle features, watch the 3D preview update, download the file. This site's bin generator adds compartments, scoop ramps, label tabs, honeycomb walls, and freeform cutouts drawn with a pen tool; the baseplate generator handles magnet holes, edge padding, and automatic print-bed splitting.
Two things set it apart from most generators:
- A layout planner, not just single bins. Plan the whole drawer on a grid, then generate every bin from one print list. Bins are designed in context, not one at a time.
- STEP and 3MF export, not just STL. STEP opens cleanly in Fusion 360 or FreeCAD when a bin needs CAD-level edits; 3MF carries color and material data for multi-material printers.
It also works offline as a PWA, and designs never leave your device.
Pre-Made STL Libraries
Printables, Thangs, and MakerWorld host thousands of ready-made Gridfinity models — search "Gridfinity" plus a size like "2x3". For standard bins this is zero-effort, and for elaborate specialty holders (engraved socket sets, tool-specific organizers) someone has often already done the design work.
The limit is fit: libraries can't stock every combination of footprint, height, compartments, and cutouts. When the bin you find is almost right, a generator closes the gap. Use the sizes reference to check dimensions before downloading.
OpenSCAD Scripts
OpenSCAD generators — the best known being the community's gridfinity-rebuilt project — define bins in code. Change a parameter, re-render, export. They're deeply configurable and ideal for generating dozens of bins programmatically.
The trade-offs: you install OpenSCAD, edit variables in a text editor, and wait for renders instead of dragging a slider with a live preview. Output is STL/3MF mesh, not a CAD solid.
CAD Plugins: Fusion 360 and Blender
Community plugins generate Gridfinity geometry inside full CAD packages. Choose this when bins are part of a larger design — a custom insert that mates with a device you're modeling, or a bin that bolts to something. You get real parametric solids and the full feature tree.
For storage bins alone, it's the heaviest path: install the software, install the plugin, learn the tool. If the goal is a drawer full of organized parts rather than a CAD assembly, a generator plus a layout planner gets there faster. And because this site exports STEP, you can start a bin in the browser and finish it in Fusion 360 when you really do need CAD edits — the approaches combine.
Which Should You Pick?
- Organizing a drawer this weekend → online generator + layout planner
- Standard sizes, no customization → STL libraries
- Generating 40 bins from a spreadsheet → OpenSCAD
- Bins inside a bigger CAD project → Fusion 360 plugin, or generate STEP here and refine there
New to the system entirely? Start with What is Gridfinity?, then run your drawer through the calculator.