Basic Box Designer (Free)

About

Basic Box Designer is an indirect 3D modeling tool tailored specifically for laser cutters. Customization is facilitated through an intuitive menu with customizable parameters.

Features:

  • IN and MM unit versions available.
  • Custom height, width, depth.
  • Custom material thickness.
  • Customizable finger joints.
  • Inside and Outside measurement reference. This is useful for making boxes inside of other boxes, such as drawers and sleeve fit boxes.
  • Laser Kerf correction for better fingerjoint fitting.
  • Notch/finger pulls for slide drawers.
  • Lid/no-lid configurations.
  • Optional NO finger joint configuration.

While this generator is primarily designed for laser cutters/engravers, the exported SVG (2D) and STL (3D) files are versatile and can be adapted for CNC tools and 3D printers as well.

The Basic Box Designer script operates within the powerful JSCAD environment—an open-source project that enables parametric 3D modeling through code. Check it out here: JSCAD.

Shortcut ‘View’ keys

To enhance viewing and navigation of 3D and 2D objects, six shortcut keys are available.

3D

2D

Mouse Navigation

Pan (Move)

To pan or move a 2D or 3D model on the screen, press and hold the ‘SHIFT’ key, while at the same time hold down any mouse button (left, right, or scroll wheel). Drag the mouse to move the model around the 2D/3D space.

Orbit (rotate)

To rotate a 2D or 3D model on the screen, press and HOLD down any of the mouse buttons while dragging/moving the mouse.

Zoom

To zoom in or out within the 2D or 3D space, scroll the mouse wheel forward or backward.

Procedures

Export to SVG file

SVG is a native format for laser and CNC cutting machines. To export your 3D box to an SVG file, follow these steps:

  1. Under the VIEW/EXPORT menu group, select 2D from the ‘View’ dropdown.
  2. Press the ‘t’ key to display a top down view of the 2D layout.
  3. Select ‘SVG’ from the file type select dropdown box.
  4. Press the ‘Export’ button.
  5. Output SVG will be save in the ‘Downloads’ folder.

Export to STL file

STL is a native format for 3D printing machines. To export your 3D box to an STL file, follow these steps:

  1. Under the VIEW/EXPORT menu group, select 3D from the ‘View’ dropdown.

  2. Select ‘STL (ascii)’ or ‘STL (binary)’ from the file type select dropdown box.

  3. Press the ‘Export’ button.

  4. Output STL will be save in the ‘Downloads’ folder.

OBJ File Export for use in Blender

OBJ file format works great within Blender

  1. Under the VIEW/EXPORT menu group, select 3D from the ‘View’ dropdown.
  2. Select ‘OBJ’ from the file type select dropdown box.
  3. Press the ‘Export’ button.
  4. Output OBJ will be save in the ‘Downloads’ folder.