Your first project
Start a project from a template or an empty rack, place parts, check the fit and get the parts list and STLs.
Before you start
Creating a project needs an account: see Accounts and sign-in. If someone sent you a project link, you don't need one: open the link and skip to Place parts.
Templates
Every project starts from a template. Pick one in the New project card on Projects:
| Template | What you get |
|---|---|
| RackMate TL1 as built | The DeskPi RackMate TL1 cluster: trays, net cradle, top caddy. |
| RackMate T0 portable demo | A DeskPi RackMate T0 (4U): EdgeXpert, Pi 5 + Beryl AX, 2.5G switch, DC PDU, floor fans. |
| GhettoRak: 8 DGX Sparks on wire shelving | An 8-node DGX Spark cluster on a 12″ × 18″ chrome wire shelving unit turned sideways, on casters: eleven shelves, a 400G MikroTik, a UniFi 10G switch, and the power on the bottom shelf. Someone else's build, recreated and credited to them. |
| Empty 10″ 6U | An open-frame 10″ rack, 6U tall, nothing in it yet. |
| Empty 19″ 12U | An open-frame 19″ rack, 12U tall, nothing in it yet. |
| 19″ 12U rack from a model file | A 19″ rack that is only a mesh, with its rails declared on its catalog entry. |
A template is only a start: you can remove, move or replace anything in it.
Create the project
On Projects, in New project, choose a Template, type a name if you like (for example "homelab rack"), and select Create project. The project opens in the editor.
On your first visit, the welcome at the top of the page has a button per start: it picks that template in New project for you.
Place parts
The Parts palette on the left lists everything you can add, in groups. Type in search parts to find a name, a maker or a kind of part. Parts that don't fit this rack are hidden unless you tick show parts that don't fit this project.
To add a part, either:
- drag it onto the 3D view or the Front elevation; the places it can go light up as you drag;
- or click it, then click a place. Enter puts it in the first free place.
On a touch screen, tap a part, then tap a place.
To move a part, select it and drag it, in the 3D view or on the elevation. See Placing parts.
Change what you placed
Select anything to see it in the Inspector on the right: its values, where it sits, what it holds, and what it can be swapped for. See The inspector.
Ctrl+Z undoes a change and Ctrl+Shift+Z redoes it.
Check the fit
Clearance checks run on every change. Click a failing check to select the part it is about. The status bar at the bottom shows the count at a glance. See Checks.
Get the parts list and the STLs
- BOM & quote lists every part to buy, priced from its listings. Export it with Export CSV or BOM CSV. See BOM & quote.
- Printed parts lists the parts you print, with an STL per part and Download STLs (.zip) for the whole set. A failing check holds printing back until you fix it or choose Export anyway. See Exports and printing.
Saving and sharing
There is no save button. Every change is saved to the server as you work, and the status bar shows saving…, saved or synced. History, in the right sidebar, goes back to any earlier revision.
Copy link copies the project's link. Anyone with it can open and edit the project, from any device, so share it the way you would share a password. For a view-only link, use Read-only link. See Sharing.
Take the tour
Press ? in the project's toolbar for a one-minute tour of the editor.