NIX.Film Stories
The Parts My DJI Ronin 4D and Inspire 3 Were Missing
Building NIX · September 2026 · Nick Platzer
I shoot with a DJI Ronin 4D and fly a DJI Inspire 3. Both are remarkable machines, and both arrive with the same gap: the moment you rig them for real work, the accessories you need do not exist. For two years I improvised. Now I am building the parts myself, under the name NIX.
In short
- Ronin 4D: a base plate that keeps the ToF sensors clear and puts the microphone ahead of the motors, plus two microphone brackets.
- Inspire 3: a holder that lets you service the drone at working height with the arms free. A backpack carrier follows.
- Status: printed parts in their last revisions, the first machined plates at the machine shop. No launch date yet.
- Videos first: every part gets its own video before it goes on sale. Specifications and prices follow there.
- First to know: one email when the shop opens, at nix-film.com/notify.
01
Ronin 4D · Base plate
A base plate that keeps the ToF sensors clear
The Ronin 4D has no good bottom. Put a standard dovetail plate under it and you cover the sensors its fourth stabilisation axis depends on. You gain a quick release and lose an axis, and the camera does not tell you.
The problem
- A standard plate blocks the sensors under the body. The fourth axis just stops working.
- The only cold shoe sits on the top handle, directly above the gimbal motors: the worst place on the camera for a microphone.
The part
- A full dovetail with a cutout that leaves the sensors a clear line of sight. Tripod, shoulder rig, support system, nothing lost.
- Forward mounting points that put the microphone ahead of the motors, pointed at the subject.
- Machined from aluminium an hour from my desk, then anodised.
I will show it properly in its own video when the finished plates are in my hands.
02
Ronin 4D · Microphone brackets
Two brackets that put the mic ahead of the motors
Two printed brackets go with the plate.
- Mono bracket: holds one shotgun microphone.
- Stereo bracket: holds a pair in a fixed pattern you set once and never measure again.
- Not only for the Ronin 4D: both mount on the standard locating pin interface that most professional camera tops use. If your rig has that interface, they fit.
03
Inspire 3 · Holder
A holder that keeps the drone off the ground, arms free
Servicing an Inspire 3 in the field means putting it somewhere. On the ground it collects dust and scratches. In your hands it stays in your hands.
The problem
- The metal cradles I found clamp the drone flat and lock the arms.
- Nothing can change between transport and flight position while it is mounted.
The part
- Grips the body only. The arms stay free through every mode: fold, unfold, swap batteries, clean the gimbal, change lenses.
- All of it at working height, on any tripod. Soft wherever it touches the drone. Fits inside the case.
A carrier that moves the same holder onto a backpack for the walk to the spot is designed on paper. It follows once it has been tested on a real trail.
04
Status
Where things stand right now
- Printed parts: last revisions on my bench.
- Machined plates: the first ones are at the machine shop, waiting for the anodiser.
- Launch date: none yet. I will not name one until the finished parts are in my hands.
- Videos first: every part gets its own video before it goes on sale, so you can see what it does before you spend anything. Specifications and prices follow in those videos, not before.
- One launch: the shop opens once, complete, with everything at the same time.
05
Notify list
How to hear about it first
There is one door until then: a notify list. Leave your email and you get exactly one message when the shop opens. If you want to follow the build, tick the box for the build updates, a short note from the workshop at most twice a month: what got machined, what failed, what changed. No newsletter you did not ask for.
One email when the shop opens.
Build updates only if you tick the box. Unsubscribe with one click, any time.
Get notified
nix-film.com/notify
Nick, Überlingen