We present a resistless technique with the potential to produce metallic nanostructures. By combining ion projection direct structuring (IPDS) and selective electroplating, structures as small as 200 nm have been obtained on p-Si (100). IPDS is based on ion projection lithography (IPL) which uses an open stencil mask and 4-10 times ion optical demagnification of the mask structures onto the wafer; IPL can expose resist at doses of some 10(12) ions/cm(2) with smallest feature sizes of 50 nm. IPDS does not need any resist; rather it uses the fact that impinging ions create defects at the wafer surface, which can be used to selectively trigger electrochemical reactions. So far Cu, Au, and Ni nanostructures have been produced by this process. Ion doses of 10(12)-3 X 10(13) ions/cm(2) (Xe+, Ar+) have been processed. Applications lie in the field of microelectrochemical systems and biosensor technology.