MakerNest Free Generators

What is MakerNest Free Generators?

MakerNest is a UK marketplace for 3D print files, and its Free Tools section has six small generators that run in the browser with a live 3D preview: a name keychain, a photo lithophane, a QR code plate, a Gridfinity bin, a cookie cutter from an outline image, and a sign or plaque with one or two lines of text.

Each tool has a short list of settings. The keychain sets the tag height, thickness, text raise and hole size; the lithophane sets width, detail and the minimum and maximum thickness; the QR plate takes a URL or up to 500 characters of text with a choice of error correction; the Gridfinity bin sets width, depth and height in grid units, wall thickness and a stacking lip, without magnet holes for now; the cookie cutter sets blade height and width, flange width and an outline threshold. Photos and images are processed in your browser and not uploaded.

Designing and previewing are free without an account, but the STL download asks you to create a free MakerNest account (no payment details). Downloads are STL only, as one part, so a two-color keychain, sign or QR plate means a filament change at the right layer. The tool pages say anything you make with the generators is yours to use, print and sell. The site also has a separate CAD Studio in beta for modeling from shapes, which is a regular modeler rather than a generator.

What you can make

• Name keychains and signs
• Photo lithophanes
• QR code plates
• Gridfinity bins
• Cookie cutters from an outline image

How to use MakerNest Free Generators

1. Open the Free Tools page and pick a generator
2. Type your text or upload an image and set the sizes
3. Sign in with a free MakerNest account
4. Download the STL and print