Documentation

How to Use Tooltrace

Complete guide to creating perfect tool inserts for Gridfinity bins and shadowbox foam.

Getting Started

Tooltrace makes it easy to create custom inserts for your tools. Here's the basic workflow:

Upload Your Photo

Take a top-down photo of your tools placed on a sheet of paper (Letter or A4 size). The paper is used as a scale reference.

Select the Paper

Click on the sheet of paper in your image to help Tooltrace understand the scale of your tools.

Select Your Tools

Click the "Add Tool" button, then click on each tool you want to trace. The AI will automatically detect the outline.

Configure Settings

Choose between Gridfinity or Foam mode, adjust the offset distance, and customize dimensions.

Export

Download your design as STL, 3MF, STEP, DXF, or SVG file ready for 3D printing or CNC cutting.

We recommend using Google Chrome for the best experience. Some features may not work correctly on other browsers.

Interactive Tutorial

Practice the basic workflow with this interactive tutorial. Click through the steps to learn how to select paper and trace tools.

Learn Tooltrace

Follow this quick tutorial to learn how to create tool outlines

View full documentation

Ready to try it for real?

Once you've completed the tutorial, head to the Designer to start creating your own tool inserts!

Taking Photos

The quality of your photo directly affects the accuracy of your tool traces. Follow these guidelines for best results.

Understanding Parallax Error

When you take a photo from too close, the camera "sees over" the edges of taller tools, creating an oversized trace. This is called parallax error.

The Solution: Telephoto Approach

To minimize distortion, increase your distance from the tools and use optical zoom (if available). This flattens the perspective and produces more accurate traces.

Minimizing distortion with telephoto approach — Long distance and zoom flattens perspective for more accurate traces.

Recommended Workflow

Achieving precision with the telephoto capture workflow — The 3-step workflow for high-quality input images.

Increase Distance

Stand back and use optical zoom to frame the paper without moving closer.

Crop Tightly

Edit the photo to crop out surrounding floor and maximize resolution on the subject.

Upload

Submit the high-perspective, cropped image for accurate tracing.

Paper Selection

Selecting the paper correctly is critical for accurate scaling. This is the most common source of sizing issues.

Selecting the sheet of paper in Tooltrace — Click on the paper to select it. The corners will be highlighted.

Paper Size Settings

Make sure to select the correct paper size that matches what you used in your photo:

Letter
US Standard

8.5" × 11" (215.9 × 279.4 mm)

A4
International Standard

210 × 297 mm (8.27" × 11.69")

Common Mistake

If your exported model is the wrong size, the most likely cause is incorrect paper selection or paper size setting. Double-check that your paper setting matches the actual paper used in your photo.

Selecting Tools

After selecting the paper, you can add tools to your design by clicking on them.

Adding a New Tool

Click 'Add Tool'

Press the "Add Tool" button in the sidebar or use the keyboard shortcut (N or Enter).

Click on the Tool

Click anywhere on the tool you want to trace. The AI will detect the outline.

Refine the Selection

If needed, click additional points to include missed areas or adjust the detected outline.

Selecting control points on a tool — Click to add points to refine the detected outline.

Tool-Specific Settings

Each tool has individual settings you can adjust:

Tool outline settings — Duplicate, delete, adjust symmetry, and rotate individual tools.

Duplicate: Create a copy of the tool trace
Delete: Remove the tool from the design
Enforce Symmetry: Mirror the outline for symmetrical tools
Angle: Rotate the tool to optimize layout

Rotating a tool — Adjust the angle to fit tools more efficiently in your layout.

Settings & Options

Tooltrace offers various settings to customize your design.

General Tooltrace settings — Access settings through the gear icon in the toolbar.

Offset Distance

The offset distance adds clearance around your tool outline, making it easier to insert and remove tools. Choose based on how snug you want the fit:

0mm

None— Exact fit (tools may be tight)

1.5mm

Small— Slight clearance for easy fit

3mm

Medium— Recommended for most tools

4.5mm

Large— Extra clearance for frequent use

User Preferences

Set your default preferences in the account settings to save time on future projects.

User account settings — Configure default color, unit, insert type, and paper size.

Gridfinity vs Foam

Tooltrace supports two types of inserts. Choose based on your manufacturing method and use case.

Gridfinity

3D printable modular storage system with standardized grid sizing.

Perfect for 3D printing
Modular and rearrangeable
Standard 42mm grid units
Exports: STL, 3MF, STEP

Foam (Kaizen)

Traditional shadowbox foam for CNC cutting or manual cutting.

Custom dimensions
Fits any drawer/case
Laser/CNC compatible
Exports: DXF, SVG, STEP

Switch between Foam and Gridfinity mode using the settings panel. Your tool traces are preserved when switching modes.

Pro Features

Tooltrace Pro unlocks advanced features for power users. Free users can use these features in their designs but will need to upgrade to export the final CAD file.

Detail Mode

Enhanced AI processing that captures finer details in complex tool shapes. Takes up to 1 minute per tool but produces highly accurate outlines for intricate tools. Free users get a limited number of traces to try it out.

Custom Shapes

Draw circles, squares, and rectangles directly on your design. Perfect for adding storage spots for batteries, screws, or other small items that don't need AI tracing.

Import Tools

Reuse traced tools from your other tooltraces. Great for standardizing tool storage across multiple inserts without re-tracing the same tools.

Magnet Holes

Add magnet holes to Gridfinity inserts for secure baseplate attachment. Configure pattern, diameter, and depth to match your magnets.

Custom Sizes

Customize finger hole diameter (default 20mm) and Gridfinity grid cell size (default 42mm) to match your specific needs or non-standard setups.

Try Before You Buy

You can use all Pro features while designing—the check happens only when you export. This lets you explore everything before deciding to upgrade.

Exporting Files

Tooltrace supports multiple export formats for different manufacturing methods.

STL

Standard mesh format

3D Printing

Universal 3D printing format. Works with all slicers (PrusaSlicer, Cura, Bambu Studio).

3MF

Modern 3D format

3D Printing

Includes color and metadata. Recommended for modern slicers.

STEP

CAD format

CNC / CAD

Solid model format for CAD software and professional CNC machining.

DXF

2D vector format

Laser / CNC

2D outline for laser cutters, CNC routers, and vinyl cutters.

SVG

Scalable vector

Cricut / Glowforge

Vector format for hobbyist cutters like Cricut, Glowforge, and design software.

Community

The Tooltrace Community is a free library of ready-to-use tool inserts shared by other users. Browse, download, customize, and publish your own designs.

Browsing & Downloading

Browse the Library

Visit the Community page to explore listings. Use the search bar to find specific tools by brand, model, or description. Filter by manufacturer, insert type (Foam or Gridfinity), or sort by popularity or recency.

Preview a Listing

Click any card to see full details including photos, a 3D model preview, download counts, and community ratings. Switch between the Photos, 3D Model, and Tool Card tabs to explore the design.

Download Files

Click one of the download buttons to get the CAD file. Gridfinity inserts offer STL, STEP, and 3MF. Foam inserts offer DXF and SVG. Files are generated securely on your device — sign in to download.

No tracing required

Community downloads give you finished, ready-to-use CAD files. No photos or tracing needed — just download and print or cut.

Customizing a Design

Every community listing has a "Customize This Design" button. Clicking it creates a personal copy in your designer where you can:

Reposition, rotate, or remove tools
Change offset distance, thickness, and panel size
Add new tools from your own photos
Switch between Gridfinity and Foam modes

Your edits are saved as a separate design — the original listing is never affected.

Publishing Your Own Design

Finish Your Design

Create and finalize a tool insert in the designer. Make sure all tools are properly traced and positioned.

Click Publish

Use the "Publish to Community" button in the designer. You'll be prompted to add details about your design.

Add Details

Upload 1–4 photos of your tools, enter the manufacturer and model, add a description, and optionally include purchasing links from approved retailers (Amazon, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.).

Submit for Review

Your listing goes through a brief automated content review. Once approved, it becomes visible to everyone in the community.

You can edit or delete your published listings at any time from the listing detail page. Toggle "My Cards" on the community page to see all your published designs.

Ratings & Tool Cards

After downloading a design, you can rate it on three dimensions to help others in the community:

Accuracy

How closely the insert matches the actual tool dimensions.

Ergonomics

How easy it is to insert and remove the tool from the holder.

Rarity

How hard to find or unique this particular tool insert is.

Each listing also gets a collectible Tool Trading Card that displays its stats, grade, and seller badges. You can view and download these from the "Tool Card" tab on any listing.

Troubleshooting

Solutions to common issues.

CAD Export Geometry Errors

Sometimes exports fail due to geometry issues—shapes overlapping or intersecting in ways that create invalid 3D geometry. Here are the most common causes and how to fix them.

Common Causes

Overlapping Finger Pockets

Two or more finger pockets are intersecting each other.

Self-Intersecting Geometry

A tool outline crosses over itself creating invalid geometry.

Tools Too Close Together

Tool outlines are overlapping or touching each other.

How to Fix

Adjust control pointsClick on the tool to add more control points, which slightly changes the outline and often resolves export issues.

Reposition finger pocketsMove finger pockets apart or remove duplicate finger pockets that may be overlapping.

Adjust tool positionsDrag tools apart to ensure they don't overlap or intersect with each other.

Re-upload the imageSometimes starting fresh with a new trace can resolve persistent geometry issues.

Still stuck?

If you've tried these steps and still can't export, contact support with your Tooltrace link. We can often help diagnose and fix tricky geometry issues.

Pro Tips

Use Colored Paper

Green, blue, or orange paper provides great contrast for most tools.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Press N or Enter to quickly add a new tool without clicking the button.

Duplicate Tools

Have multiple identical tools? Trace once and duplicate to save time.

Rotate for Efficiency

Rotate tools to pack them more tightly and reduce material waste.

Auto-Save

Your work is automatically saved. Come back anytime from 'My Library'.

Test Fit First

Print a single layer test or use cardboard to verify fit before full production.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions?

We're here to help! Reach out and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.