Get Started Here:

Mount Maker was designed to be an easy tool to use, sometimes though it takes a little show and tell to figure it all out. Here you can find some tutorials and tips to get you on your way. Got a specific question about something not covered, or found a bug? Feel free to contact me and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible!

 

First Steps:

In this video I will show you how to get going with the basics. more of a reader? look below as I take you through step by step.

When you first open Mount Maker, it will look a bit like this. To navigate:

  • Hold right click and drag to move the camera around. (IF YOU ARE ON MAC, USE THE “Z” KEY TO MOVE CAMERA)

  • Use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out.

  • Left click to navigate menus

Mount Maker currently has 3 types of models you can generate:

  • Camera Sleeve - This mode will combine a sleeve with a standard action camera bracket on the bottom

  • GoPro Bracket - This mode will allow you to build just the bottom plate that mounts to the drone with a standard action camera bracket on top

  • Full Mount - Finally this mode will allow you to attach a sleeve directly on to a custom mount removing the need for an action camera bracket.

You can select any of these modes with the top left dropdown.

Camera Sleeve Mode:

This is the most simple mode. Start by selecting your camera from the dropdown shown with the blue arrow on the top left, a relevant model will appear.

Under the SLEEVE OPTIONS window, you will find a dropdown where you can select variations of sleeves for that camera model such as half or open screen versions. This dropdown is shown with the yellow arrow on the right.

Keep in mind, the 2 sliders on the right are unusable in this mode, we will come back to that in the Full Mount section.

GoPro Bracket Mode:

Currently only custom designed bases are available in this mode, but that’s okay! most drones can be made to work with the settings provided. Everything you need will be in the BOLT PATTERN window.

  • Width - Changes the width of the mount. The measurement is from the center of the mounting holes

  • Total Length - Changes the overall length of the mount. The measurement is from the center of the mounting holes and accounts for arm length.

  • Thickness - Changes the plate thickness, on most prints, you would probably want 1.5mm or greater for better strength.

  • Arm Length - This allows you to extend the bolt arms while maintaining the same overall bolt patter, it is useful when your mount might cover the flight camera in the front.

  • M1 Dropdown - This dropdown allows you to select between M1, M2, and M3 bolt sizes.

  • No Edging - This dropdown allows you to add extra material to strengthen your arms, this includes chamfer (triangular) and fillet (rounded) additional surface area. The idea here is to increase your surface area while avoiding the flight camera.

Full Mount Mode:

Full mount is where everything gets used to create a comprehensive mount! So back to sleeve options:

  • Vertical Spacing - This slider allows you to raise the height of the camera and can be especially useful when trying to create clearance for the bolts or a weird battery.

  • Horizontal Displacement - This slider allows you to move the camera forward or back along the angle axis.

CAMERA ANGLE:

  • This window contains a dropdown which does exactly what you think. You can select any angle in 5 degree increments to suit your flight style, up to 50 degrees anyway. If you need more than 50, you can contact me and let me know you are especially insane!

The other options should have been covered in the other modes, so take a quick look!

Importing your own sleeve:

This is a more advanced feature and it assumes you know how to source a mount followed by removing any base it may have. You can begin this process by clicking the IMPORT SLEEVE button on the top right. A file browsing window will open up where you can select the model you want.

THIS MODEL MUST BE .OBJ FORMAT, ANYTHING ELSE WILL BE IGNORED.

Once you click import in the file browser, the import settings window will open. Make sure you get everything to your liking before confirming the import in this window. You will have to reimport if anything doesn’t work.

MAKE SURE TO CENTER THE MODEL DIRECTLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BLUE CROSS WITH NO GAPS. This will be used to center your sleeve on the rest of the mount, it must be flush for a successful print.

  • Object Name - This will be used in the future to label and save multiple imported sleeves.

  • Scale Slider - you can change the uniform scale of your object with this. The blue cross has millimeter markings to help align everything correctly.

  • Xpos, Ypos, Zpos Sliders - These are used to move your object around and get the desired alignment.

  • Rotation Slider - This can be used to make sure your camera faces forward. In the picture here, the camera is facing the wrong way. The front should be “below” the blue ruler.

Once your sleeve is imported, you can select it from the bottom of the camera menu.

Exporting:

Once you are happy with your mount, click the export button on the top right (blue arrow marked in picture). The export file browser will open up, find the folder you want to put it in and give it a filename. All exports will be in .STL format and you do not need to give the filename an extension (.STL at the end of name not needed)

That should about sum up the basic uses for Mount Maker! Now all that’s left is for you to run it through your slicer and get to printing.

I highly recommend using TPU or other semi flexible filament. Supports will be needed for most prints, usually using tree supports works the best for me.

Of course if you still need help, or would like to request a feature, feel free to contact me below.

Thanks for trying out Mount Maker, I hope it was able to help you out!