InBraille

What is InBraille?

InBraille is a free browser tool that turns typed text into Braille and exports it as a printable STL plate. It comes from the 3D and Inclusive Technology Lab at the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco in Brazil and was built by student developer Lucas Guerra. You pick the Brazilian, North American or Chinese Braille alphabet, convert your text and turn the plate in a 3D preview before you download. The page opens in Portuguese, with English and Chinese in the language menu.

You set how many Braille cells fit on a line (8 to 50), the plate thickness, dot smoothness, alignment and rounded corners, and you can give each line its own plate. A dots-only mode leaves out the plate and exports just the 0.65 mm dot caps plus a small orientation bar, so you can merge them onto a model you already have. Plates get one larger corner dot so you mount them the right way up.

Brazilian mode adds capital and number signs, but North American mode spells words out letter by letter with neither, so have English signs checked by a Braille reader. The Braille to Text tab also exports Braille pasted from another translator. It is a small MIT-licensed project with few users and suits teachers, makers and accessibility projects that need quick tactile labels.

What you can make

• Braille plates and signs
• One plate per line of text
• Loose Braille dots to add to other models
• Tactile labels for classrooms and homes

How to use InBraille

1. Open the site and switch the language to English in the top menu if needed
2. Pick a Braille alphabet, type your text and press Convert
3. Adjust cells per line, plate thickness or dots-only mode under Advanced Options
4. Press Generate & Preview STL, download the STL and lay it flat in your slicer