Fingers

Part finger settings are where the math starts to get interesting.

As your projects become more customized, you may have parts with custom dimensions, moved positions, different intersections, or special assembly needs. Part-level finger settings let you override the default finger behavior for a specific part instead of changing the entire project item.

Inheriting Finger Settings

By default, parts inherit finger size from the project item.

This is important: parts inherit the size, not just the count.

Each part uses the project item finger setting for the axis it belongs to. For example:

• A top part uses the project item’s width and length/depth finger settings.
• A front part uses the project item’s width and height finger settings.
• A side part uses the project item’s length/depth and height finger settings.

This keeps the finger spacing consistent across the project item.

Overriding Part Fingers

You can override one or both finger values for a part.

You can work by:

• Finger count
• Exact finger size

When you override a part’s finger setting, that setting can affect the parts that intersect with it.

For example, if a top part has a width finger override, that override affects the edges where the top intersects other parts along that width direction, such as the front top edge and back top edge.

This is useful when one part needs a different finger pattern than the rest of the project.

Short Fingers

Short fingers control what happens when a finger pattern does not divide perfectly across an intersection.

Options are:

• True
• False
• Inherit

Short fingers are partial fingers that appear at the beginning and end of an intersection. They may be half fingers, quarter fingers, or another partial size depending on the spacing.

For example, a finger count of:

5.5

with short fingers enabled may create:

5 full fingers

plus partial fingers at the start and end.

Use short fingers when you want the pattern to fill the available intersection more evenly.

Center

By default, fingers are computed from the project item center.

This helps multiple parts along the same axis maintain consistent spacing. If several parts share a direction, their fingers can line up according to the larger project item instead of each part inventing its own pattern.

That is usually helpful.

However, if a part is smaller, moved to a precise position, or being used for a more custom purpose, you may want the finger spacing centered on that part or intersection instead.

Use Center when the inherited spacing no longer feels appropriate for the specific part.

Finger Styles

Finger styles control how this part behaves when it intersects with other parts.

Normal

Normal creates a standard finger or box joint where parts intersect.

This is the default style for typical box-jointed construction.

Punch

Punch makes this part pass through other parts without creating fingers.

Think of it as a non-finger finger.

Instead of creating an interlocking pattern, the part forces an opening in the other part that matches the intersection shape.

This can be useful when:

• A part is rotated in more than one direction
• Standard fingers are not practical
• You want a clean slot-style opening
• You need one part to pass through another

Open

Open is the opposite of Punch.

This part creates an opening for other parts that intersect with it.

Use Open when you want the selected part to receive other parts rather than punch through them.

Puzzle

Puzzle is used when two parts of the same type intersect.

Instead of a standard finger joint, GCrafter creates a puzzle-shaped interlock between them.

This can be useful when building larger assemblies from multiple pieces, especially when the final part would be larger than your material sheet or machine bed.

Mitre

Mitre is an alternative to Puzzle for angled corner construction.

Use it for things like:

• 45-degree corners
• Thick picture-frame-style assemblies
• Inset cabinet faces
• Angled decorative joinery

Corner Style (aka Kerf Relief)

For CNC users, you can set the Corner Style in "Machine Settings." Typically, this will be fine for the entire project. Howerver you may wish to override this on a part by part basis.

Options are

• Dogbone (the minium amount required to make an inside corner)
• T-Bone Short Edge - does a circlular cut on the shortest segment of two intersections
• T-Bone Long Edge - does a circluar cut on the longest segment of two intersection
• Inherit - use whatever settings exists in the "Machine Settings" for this parts Project Item

Edge Radius

Just like how you can set the Corner Radius for a part, you can also set the radius on the corners of fingers. There is literally no justifiable reason for this other than sometimes it can just look cool. Combine this with "Slots" (see below) and you can make elegant extensions to give your design some flare.

Dividers

Dividers create slot-style intersections between parts.

Options are:

• None
• Auto
• Start
• End

None

No divider behavior is applied.

Auto

GCrafter tries to compute a divider between two intersecting parts.

This usually creates slots that are roughly half the depth of the intersection, allowing the parts to slide together.

Start

Creates the divider at the start of the intersection.

End

Creates the divider at the end of the intersection.

Important: Both Parts Need Divider Settings

Dividers only work when both intersecting parts have a divider setting.

This gives you finer control over which parts create dividers with each other. A part can intersect many other parts, but you may only want divider behavior with some of them.

Bias

By default, a divider formed between two parts is computed at 50/50. In a vertical, non-weight bearing scenario, this is typically just fine. However, imagine you were designing a chair, the seat pan for that chair is going to absorb 90% of the weight of the occupant, this would leave 50% of that 90% totally unsupported. If you were to adjust the bias of the pan down to 10%, 90% of the divider will be on the sides of the chair, while 10% will exist on the seat pan, essentialy just becoming an alignment lock between the pan and the sides.

With

In addition to choosing the divider "type", you can also set a divider "With" option. In some circumstances, a part may intersect one more that one part that is also set to be a divider, but you may only one a divider with one of those parts. In this case, select from the dropdown list, the cooresponding part it should create a divider with.

Slots

Slots can be both decorative and practical.

They are useful when normal fingers are not the right solution.

For example, imagine a middle part that intersects a top, a middle, and a bottom. The middle intersection may happen in a place where regular fingers simply do not work well.

In that case, GCrafter can extend the intersection so the resulting cut looks more like a fork or slot pattern. This allows the parts to assemble even when standard finger joints are not practical.

Slots can be controlled independently for:

• Top
• Bottom
• Left
• Right

These directions are based on looking directly at the part in its 2D plane.

Finger Directions

In GCrafter there are three basic part types. Top/Bottom, Left/Right, Front/Back. Now, if you go rotating and moving parts of all the place, this may be a little less clear.

But at a base level, these part types map respectively to

• Top/Bottom (X/Z Plane) - Horiztonal Fingers - In, Vertical Fingers - In
• Left/Right (Z/Y Plane) - Horizontal Fingers - Out, Vertical Fingers - In
• Front/Back (X/Y Plane) - Horizontal Fingers - Out, Vertical Fingers - Out

While this make all the edges of a box line up, it may not acutally be what you want, either because the intersection is in the wrong place, or the math creates an unwanted hole.

Using the settings here, you can invert a one or both finger directions. Turning In to Out or Out to In. If two parts intersect, you only have to set one, and the other part will respect the other parts choice, so they work in harmony together.

The Main Idea

Part fingers let you override the project item’s default joinery when a specific part needs special treatment.

Use them when:

• A part has custom dimensions
• A part has been moved
• A part intersects differently than the default box panels
• You need a different finger size or count
• You want a special finger style
• Standard fingers do not work for the intersection

This is where GCrafter gives you more control over how individual parts connect, slot, punch, divide, or interlock.