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Parts, printed and proven

Guides and explainers on parametric CAD, 3D printing, and getting from a plain English sentence to a part you can actually manufacture.

A maker in a workshop working at a laptop, surrounded by hand tools and timber

Explainers2026-07-268 min read

3MF vs STL: which 3D printing file format should you use?

STL is a bare triangle mesh with no units. 3MF is a compact container that locks in units and can carry color and print settings. When to use each, explained.

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A camera rig with an accessory monitor mounted on top, filming a scene

Design guides2026-07-203 min read

A GoPro bar mount that actually mates with your other GoPro gear

The real two-finger GoPro mount dimensions (3mm tabs, a 3.2mm gap, a 5mm bolt hole) and the bar-clamp clearance that keeps a printed mount from wobbling.

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A workshop pegboard wall neatly organized with wrenches and hand tools

Design guides2026-07-204 min read

A Skadis pegboard hook that actually clips in, not just squeezes

The real IKEA Skadis peg geometry (5mm hole, 40mm pitch), and the print clearance that clips a printed hook in firmly without snapping the peg.

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Two monitors on adjustable arms above a dark desk in a home studio

Design guides2026-07-204 min read

VESA to pegboard: the hole pattern and print orientation that hold

The real VESA 75x75 and 100x100 M4 screw pattern, why the standard bracket hole is 5mm, and the print orientation that keeps the mounting pegs from snapping.

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A person holding a Python programming book

Meshra workflows2026-07-107 min read

The Meshra API and Claude skill: let your own Claude design the part

Give your Claude Code the Meshra CAD skill: it writes the CadQuery, Meshra executes it in a sandbox and hands back STEP, STL, GLB files plus a slider editor.

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People watching a desktop 3D printer at work in a home workspace

3D printing2026-07-107 min read

Overhangs and supports: designing parts that print clean without them

The 45 degree overhang rule FDM printers use, why supports cost time and material and leave marks, and how to redesign a part so it prints clean without them.

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Calipers, a steel rule, and hobby knives on a cutting mat, the tools for checking how a printed part fits

3D printing2026-07-098 min read

3D printing tolerances: making parts that fit together

Why printed holes come out undersized, real FDM clearance numbers for running and press fits, and how to test-fit and adjust a parametric part instead of a mesh

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A cordless drill driving a fastener through a metal bracket into a wooden board

Design guides2026-07-098 min read

Designing a wall bracket that actually fits: a maker's guide

A practical guide to measuring your mounting target, sizing walls and screw holes, choosing fillets, and tuning fit with sliders instead of reprinting blind.

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A close-up of a computer motherboard showing the CPU socket and surrounding circuitry

Design guides2026-07-099 min read

Designing enclosures for electronics: fitting a board on the first print

A maker's guide to measuring a board, sizing walls and standoffs, adding vent slots, choosing a lid fit, and clearing connectors before you ever hit print.

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A robotic hand and a human hand reaching toward each other, fingertips almost touching

Meshra workflows2026-07-093 min read

From a sentence to a printable part: how Meshra builds real CAD

What actually happens between typing a prompt and downloading a STEP file: parametric code generation, a real geometry kernel, and sliders for every dimension.

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A developer working at a desk with source code shown on dual monitors

Explainers2026-07-098 min read

Parametric vs mesh modeling: why Meshra parts stay editable

A mesh is a frozen triangle surface with no memory of how it was built. A parametric CAD solid keeps every dimension as a named, editable number instead.

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A mirrorless camera fitted with a prime lens on a plain white background

Meshra workflows2026-07-097 min read

From a photo to a printable part: what AI can and cannot do

Meshra's photo-to-part turns a reference picture into a parametric CAD approximation, not a 3D scan. What it gets right, what it cannot do, and how to help it.

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A desktop computer on a clean desk displaying a design layout on screen

Explainers2026-07-097 min read

STL vs STEP: which file format your project actually needs

STL stores a triangle mesh approximation; STEP carries exact B-rep geometry. Learn when each format matters for 3D printing, CNC quoting, and editable CAD.

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