How to Create a Custom Connector

Learn how to create your own confirmat screw configuration by copying and modifying the default settings.

What you'll learn

How to find and export default hardware configurations
Understanding the YAML structure for connectors
Key parameters: shift, edge_offset, spacing
How to test your custom hardware in SketchUp

Prerequisites

Gava plugin installed in SketchUp
Basic understanding of panel furniture construction

Find the Default Connector

Open Gava Settings and navigate to the Hardware tab. Find the default Confirmat configuration.

Settings → Hardware → Confirmat 7x50

Screenshot: Hardware settings panel with Confirmat selected

Understand the Structure

Let's break down the confirmat configuration to understand each parameter.

confirmat_7x50.yaml

gava_dsl: "1.0"

id: confirmat_7x50
name: Confirmat 7x50
type: screw

auto_placement:
  mode: edge_spacing
  edge_offset: 50      # Distance from panel edge
  spacing: 300         # Distance between screws

panel_a_drillings:
  edge_face:
    - name: confirmat_body
      diameter: 5      # D5 hole in edge
      depth: 50        # Full screw length
      shift: 9         # Center of 18mm panel

panel_b_drillings:
  front_face:
    - name: confirmat_head
      diameter: 7      # D7 for screw head
      depth: 10        # Countersink depth
      shift: 9         # Same as Panel A shift

The 'shift' parameter is the most important — it determines the hole position relative to the panel thickness center.

Key Parameters Explained

Here are the critical parameters you'll want to customize:

Important Parameters

shift: 9: Distance from base_edge to hole center. For 18mm panels, 9mm = center
edge_offset: 50: How far from panel corners the first connector is placed
spacing: 300: Distance between multiple connectors along the edge

For panels of different thickness, adjust the shift value: shift = thickness / 2

Customize for Your Panels

Modify the shift value based on your panel thickness:

Shift calculation for different thicknesses

# For 16mm panels:
shift: 8               # 16 / 2 = 8

# For 19mm panels:
shift: 9.5             # 19 / 2 = 9.5

# Or use formula:
shift: "$thickness_a / 2"

If shift is wrong, holes won't align properly when panels are joined!

Save and Test

Save your custom connector and test it in SketchUp on a simple two-panel assembly.

Screenshot: Testing the connector in SketchUp

Create a simple L-joint with two panels to verify hole alignment before using in production.

What's Next?

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