CAD

As we discussed earlier, planning your robot’s mechanical structure is an essential part of a successful robot project. Your plan can either consist of a few sketches on paper or a digital 3D design. A digital design, often called CAD, has many advantages. It allows you to iteratively change it, inspect every aspect of it to spot interferences and other problems early on, animate and test mechanisms before you have even built them, and easily share and collaborate on your design with others. It also allows you to export your design as files that are needed for manufacturing, such as CNC machining or—most importantly for DIY robotics—3D printing.

There are several user-friendly CAD software packages available, some of which have free versions for the hobby and maker communities. If you do not have CAD software yet that you are familiar with, Onshape (https://www.onshape.com/en/products/free) is an excellent choice for DIY roboticists. It is a state-of-the...