Shapes and parts
The modeler's body shapes (box, rounded, cylinder, tapered, stack, extrusion), part categories, mounting on rack rails, and decks.
Choosing a shape
In Shape and size, Shape sets the body's form. Pick the simplest one that matches the device's outline.
| Shape | For | Its own fields |
|---|---|---|
| Box | Most switches, routers and mini PCs: a rectangular case with rounded upright corners and rounded or chamfered top and bottom edges. | Corner radius, the edges |
| Rounded rectangle | Big rounded corners (up to half the width, for a stadium shape), or a bottom edge unlike the top, as on a Mac mini. | A bottom edge of its own |
| Round (cylinder) | Hubs, smart speakers, round workstations. A puck is a short cylinder with big round edges. | Diameter, a bottom edge of its own |
| Tapered box | A box whose top is smaller on some sides: a sloping front bezel, a NAS with a slanted front. | An inset per side |
| Box with blocks | The box plus blocks: a raised section on top, rack ears, a handle. | The blocks |
| Extruded outline | A flat outline run straight through: brackets, channels, plates, panels, shelves. | The outline, a profile, a length |
A face that can carry nothing on its shape is dimmed in Faces and ports, and says why.
Box
The default. Corner radius rounds the four upright corners seen from above (0 for square). The edges around the top and bottom are rounded or chamfered, by how far they reach in.
Rounded rectangle
Like a box, but the corners can be as big as half the width or depth. Untick The bottom edge is like the top to give the bottom edge its own size and shape. Each side's flat part is the straight stretch between the corners.
Round (cylinder)
Round seen from above, sized by its Diameter. Its round side is shown as four faces, a quarter each: front, right, rear and left, unwrapped. On those faces, positions run around the side from the face's left edge, so measure along the surface with a tape. What you place there is drawn on the surface, not cut in, and a photo can't be traced there. The top and bottom are round flat faces.
Tapered box
A box whose top is smaller by an inset per side (Front inset, Rear inset, Left inset, Right inset), measured flat: how far the top edge sits back from the bottom edge. The slanted sides are flat faces; on them, "up" runs up the slope.
Box with blocks
The box plus up to 12 blocks. Each block has its position from the body's left-front-bottom corner (From the left, From the front, Up from the bottom), its Width, Depth and Height, and a Corner radius. Add a block adds one. Only the box's faces carry ports; the model grows to take in the blocks.
Extruded outline
A 2D outline on one face, run straight through the body.
- Drawn on: the front (it runs to the rear), the right side (it runs across) or the top (a plate).
- Profile: Plate, Angle (L), Channel (U), Zee (Z), or Its own outline. A standard profile has a Thickness of material.
- Length (or, for a plate on the top, Thickness): how far it runs through.
- Outline points: one "u, v" pair per line, in mm from the face's bottom-left corner as seen from outside, up to 64 points. The body's size follows the outline.
Ports and zones go on the outline's face or the one opposite, inside the outline and clear of its holes. The walls carry nothing.
Parts
In Device or part, choose Part and a Category:
- Shelf
- Tray
- Mount or bracket
- Panel
- Accessory (plate, spacer…)
- 3D-printed part
The part is published in that catalog category. Start from sets a ready-made starting point:
| Starting point | What it is |
|---|---|
| Plate | A flat plate, seen from above. |
| L bracket | An angle, seen from the side. |
| 10″ 1U shelf | A front plate and a deck, on 10-inch rails. |
| 10″ 1U panel | A faceplate for keystone jacks, on 10-inch rails. |
| 19″ 1U tray | A channel with a deck, on 19-inch rails. |
Mounting on rails
Under Mounting in Shape and size, Mounts on says how the device or part is held:
- a flat surface (the default): it stands on a shelf, a tray or a desk;
- 10″ rack rails, 19″ rack rails or DeskPi RackMate TL1 rails: it fixes to the rack's rails.
On rails, two more fields appear:
- Height on the rails: in rack units (1U is 44.45 mm), in steps of half a U.
- Flange: from its front to where its ears sit against the rails, usually the faceplate's thickness (2 to 3 mm).
Anything that mounts in a rack needs this: a shelf, a blanking panel, a 1U device with ears. A part mounts on one set of rails. The review warns when the model is wider than the rack's faceplate or taller than its U.
Decks
A deck is a flat surface that devices stand on: a shelf's or a tray's. A shelf or tray needs one to hold anything in a project. Add a deck adds one the size of the model's top; then set:
- From the left, From the front: its front-left corner in the model;
- Height of its surface: from the bottom of the model;
- Width and Depth: its usable area;
- Carries up to: a load limit in kg (0 for none given).
In a project, a modelled shelf holds devices like any other shelf, with the usual checks for fit and load. See Checks. The review flags a deck that reaches past the model.
Limits
- A cylinder is round: an oval body isn't possible.
- Nothing is cut into a cylinder's round side, and a sunk zone there is drawn flush.
- A block carries nothing.
- A tapered body's sides are flat planes.
- A deck is a rectangle.
- A body is at most 1,000 mm in any direction, with up to 128 ports, 48 zones and 48 LEDs and buttons.