Two kinds of checkCopy Anchor Link

Rack Maker checks the project on every change, in two ways:

• Clearance checks come with the parts. Each catalog part can declare its own checks, such as "Device fits the GB10 cradle" or "Layout fits inside 10U". The more specific a part is, the more it checks.
• Problems come from Rack Maker itself and apply to every project: parts that overlap, collide or overhang, overloaded shelves, not enough power, and parts that aren't attached properly.

Both show in the right sidebar, and a summary shows in two more places:

• the Checks cell at the end of the summary row says "clear to print" or "fix before printing"
• the status bar says "checks pass", or how many checks are failing and how many problems there are. Click it to jump to the list.

Clearance checksCopy Anchor Link

The Clearance checks card lists every check the parts in the project declare. Its header says "all clear" or how many are failing. Each check has a badge:

Under each title, a line gives the numbers behind it, such as the size of the device against the size of the deck, or the headroom in millimetres.

Hover a failing check to highlight the parts it's about in the 3D view and on the elevation. Click a check to select its part and open it in the inspector. When several copies of a part give the same result, such as seven trays that all pass, they share one row.

What gets checked depends on the parts. Some examples from the catalog:

• Fit: a device fits the tray, cradle or bay it sits on, and a switch fits between the rails or clears the posts.
• Height: the layout fits inside the rack's height, and devices fit under the unit above.
• Overlap: no two mounts overlap on the rails, and no two shelves share a step.
• Clearance: a shelf clears what stands on it, and a caddy clears the carry handles.
• Your own hardware: the rack's measured hole pitch matches what the parts expect, and a key height has been measured rather than assumed.
• Printing: a printed part fits the print bed.

If the card says "No checks yet", nothing in the project declares one. The problems below still apply.

ProblemsCopy Anchor Link

The Problems card appears only when there's something to report. Its header says how many were found. Each problem has a level:

Under the message, a short code names the kind of problem. Hover a problem to highlight its parts, and click it to select the first one.

What Rack Maker checksCopy Anchor Link

A few more codes, such as expr.error or param.unknown, mean a catalog entry has a mistake in it. If you see one, report the entry.

Weight, power and airflow come from the figures on each catalog entry. A device with no weight or power figures adds nothing, so the checks are only as good as the catalog data.

When a check blocks printingCopy Anchor Link

Some checks guard printed parts: if they fail, the part would print wrong. While such a check fails, the Printed parts card says "blocked by a failing check" and holds back the affected files. Fix the check, or choose Export anyway if you know better. See Exports and printing.

Fixing thingsCopy Anchor Link

A few habits help:

• Start from the red. Click a failing check or an error to select the part, then change it in the inspector.
• Measure. Many checks compare against assumed sizes. Enter your own numbers in Measurements, and the checks use them.
• Try another part. Replace with in the inspector lists everything else that fits the same place.
• Undo. Ctrl+Z takes back the last change if it made things worse.

Checks run in your browser from the catalog data. They catch what the parts describe, not everything that can go wrong with real hardware, so measure before you print or buy.