Build guides you can actually follow

Complete 3D printing and STEM projects with printable models, bills of materials, wiring, code and step-by-step photos.

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Built something worth sharing?

Write it up once, attach your models, BOM, wiring and code, and the guide stays useful to every maker who finds it. The editor walks you through it step by step, and drafts are private until you submit them.

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Build guides

How to make and publish a build guide

A build guide in five steps

A build guide shows other makers how to build something you made: what it is, what to buy and print, and every step to put it together. The editor walks you through five steps, and you can jump between them in any order.

1
BasicsName your build, write a one or two sentence summary, and pick a category and difficulty.
2
Photos & videoAdd a cover photo of the finished build. A main video is optional.
3
Parts & filesList everything a builder needs to buy or print, and attach your STL, 3MF, firmware or other files.
4
InstructionsWrite a short introduction, then add numbered build steps with a photo for each.
5
PublishCheck the list, choose a licence and submit. The PrintPal team gives it a quick review before it appears on the hub.

Once your build has a title, the draft saves automatically a few seconds after you stop typing. Nobody else can see it until you publish, and you can come back to it any time from My builds.

Before you start

Gather the photos you took while building. Phone photos are fine.
Have your model files and any code ready to upload.
Jot down the parts you used and where you bought them.

Start with an introduction

Say what the build does, why you made it, and what the finished result looks like. Mention any skills it needs, such as soldering or flashing firmware, so readers know what they're signing up for.

Then add your build steps

New guides start with an Introduction section and a Steps section. Inside Steps, click Add step for each stage of the build.

Give every step a short title that says what to do, like Mount the motor.
Keep each step to one action, or a few closely related ones.
Add a photo to each step. Readers follow the pictures more than the text.
Use the arrow buttons to reorder steps and sections.

Section types

Use Add a section below your instructions to add any of these:

Section	Use it for
Text	Paragraphs, lists and links. Good for the introduction, background and wiring notes.
Steps	Numbered instructions with a photo for each step. The core of most guides.
Image	One photo with a caption.
Gallery	Several photos in a grid, like the finished build from every angle.
Video	A YouTube or Vimeo link, or an uploaded clip.
Code	Firmware, scripts or config files, shown with a copy button.
Callout	A highlighted box for tips, warnings and safety notes.
Divider	A line that separates parts of the guide.

Give a section a heading and it shows up in the guide's table of contents. To see the guide the way readers will, switch to Split or Preview at the top of the Instructions step.

Cover photo

Shows on the hub card and at the top of your guide.
Use a bright, sharp photo of the finished build against a plain background.
Landscape (16:9) crops best. JPG, PNG, WebP or GIF, up to 12 MB.
No cover photo? A main video works too, and failing that the first photo in your instructions is used.

Main video

Paste a YouTube or Vimeo link, or upload a video file up to 200 MB. It plays at the top of the guide.

Parts list

List everything a builder needs, including the parts they print. Set printed parts to 3D printed.
Set the type to Tool or Software for things they need on hand but don't use up, like a soldering iron or a slicer. Those get their own table.
Add a buy link where you can, pasted as a full web address (https://…).
Already have a list somewhere? Click Paste a list and add one part per line, like 4x M3 x 10 screw.

Files

Drag files onto the upload box or click it to browse. Each file can be up to 100 MB.
Accepted: 3D models (STL, 3MF, OBJ, STEP, SCAD, F3D, Blend), print files (G-code, BGCODE, UFP), code and firmware (INO, PY, C/C++, JSON, HEX, UF2, BIN), PCB files (KiCad, Eagle), documents (PDF, TXT, CSV, XLSX) and archives (ZIP, 7Z, TAR).
Anything else? Put it in a ZIP first.
Use each file's description for print settings, like 0.2 mm layers, 4 walls, no supports.

Text sections, step instructions and callouts use Markdown, a simple way to format with ordinary characters.

You type	You get
`bold`	bold
`italic`	italic
`## Wiring`	A heading. Use two or three `#` marks.
`- item`	A bulleted list, one item per line
`1. item`	A numbered list
`[PrintPal](https://printpal.io)`	A link
`M3 x 10`	Inline code, handy for part numbers and settings
`> note`	A quote
``` … ```	A block of code, with three backticks on the lines above and below it

Each new line you type starts a new line in the guide. Leave a blank line between paragraphs.

For longer firmware or scripts, use a Code section instead. It shows the filename and gives readers a copy button.