My sneaking suspicion is that we have some very brilliant frame designers amongst us that may not even realize it.  Or perhaps they do but just don't think they can or believe it's too much trouble to have even a single prototype frame cut for them from carbon fiber.  Or maybe you have a frame designed but just don't know what the next step is.  It could be that you already know a shop to cut your frame but don't yet realize that you've overlooked some critical design constraints imposed by the physical limitations of the CNC machining process.  Then I'm hoping this will be of value to you.

Rather than an in-depth study of each aspect of frame design, I plan to just briefly speak to the general areas and maybe go a level or two deeper in areas that either I feel are of particular importance or that you folks think I should talk more about.  The following index will link to these various sections as I find time to write them.

In the meantime, please don't hesitate to make suggestions or requests on topics I ought to cover and, to the extent I feel qualified to cover them, I will do my best.  And with that said, know that I am by no means an expert at frame design.  Maybe 99.99% of the stuff Chris Rosser talks about may as well be spoken in Greek to me.  But I have managed to set up what I'd like to think is a pretty quaint little boutique FPV frame shop in my own little corner of the interwebs with sales to the U.S., U.K., Australia, Italy, and Mexico. 

Make no mistake, this would not have been possible without intoFPV - period.  And so I'm hoping to take what I've learned and share it with the very dudes and dudette who even made this possible.  So here's what I plan to pontificate endlessly about ...

I)  3D Programs (Sketchup but much of the concept can be used in Fusion)

II)  Drone frame design basics
    Part 1:  Stacks and Motor Mounting Constraints
    Part 2:  Designing the Frame
    Part 3:  Testing the Design
    Part 4:  Advanced Design Techniques

III)  Production ("domestic" vs. China / one-off vs. bulk order)

Stay tuned ...


[Update Dec 23, 2021]  I hosted my copy of Sketchup Make 2015 (64-bit) on Google Drive.  This is a free version so there shouldn't be any issues.  This is the one I've been using.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oAGfsLS...sp=sharing

Ooh. Thank you. The only things that are keeping me from trying is a lack of knowledge, and the perceived cost in my head of getting a prototype cut. Haven’t actually priced it, it just seems like it would be expensive.

I’d like to design a frame but entering in data for 3D cutting is where I’d need to see some examples.
Is all the measurements put on (x,y,z) graphs ?

(18-Dec-2021, 10:33 PM)Rob3ddd Wrote: I’d like to design a frame but entering in data for 3D cutting is where I’d need to see some examples.
Is all the measurements put on (x,y,z) graphs ?

For 'flat' workpieces such as carbon fiber plates, arms, camera mounts, etc as in the popular carbon frame construction, the prevailing manufacturing technology is a deductive cutting process, *mostly* in 2d. In cnc terminology, this is called '2.5 axis' cutting by some.

Because of that, the typical way to convey the shapes to cut is a 2d vector file, scaled to your units used in design. Dxf file is probably the most common and formal file type, but some cutting service providers such as sendcutsend.com can take pdf, AI, svg or similar files.

These files don't have 'dimensions' per se, but all the outlines are proportionally relevant to each other, and the file is scaled to suit your units. This can be done by giving the manufacturer any one dimension, and they can handle scaling. That being said, I have not had a problem sending dxf files to get flat pieces cut out in years, without the manufacturer even asking. Most cad software will output dxf 1:1 these days so scaling is less of an issue.

Any modern CAD software can export a dxf. Check out fusion360. It's free for hobbyist use, and even free for small businesses <$100k/yr. From there, all it takes is sending the dxf files over to your selected manufacturer. Chances are that and your material specifications is all they need. (well... That and your money, obviously)

3D Programs

The first thing Nick from CNC Madness told me when I sent him my first file to cut was to use Fusion 360.  You’ll find most everyone in the FPV community that does any sort of computer aided design (or “CAD” as the cool kids call it) for purposes of computerized numerical control (CNC) machining or 3D printing will typically be using Fusion 360.  Not I lol.  I am old school.  I started learning CAD back when my printer was still the laser cut plywood monstrosity on Black Friday sale at my local Micro Center.  I used what was then Google’s Sketchup now owned by Trimble.  Make sure to download the free “Make” version and not the Pro version.  While I am using SketchUp Make 2015, the approach should be similar.

The program was meant for architects measuring in meters.  When you first open the program, you’ll want to go into Windows \ Preference and in the Template section in the System Preferences window, select “Architectural Design – Millimeters” …  (and you can delete the scale dude in the middle lol.)



Let’s go over some of the controls you will end up using tirelessly.  Since the keyboard shortcuts are (oddly) not indicated in the tooltips that appear when hovering over an icon, here is a list of them for easy reference:


Let’s start with a square.

Click the drop-down arrow next to the circle icon and click on Rectangle in the drop-down menu.  Or just hit R.



Drag out a square then enter “2,2” which will appear in the lower right window labeled Measurements.  While you can drag out shapes, entering the exact measurements allows you to be as precise as you need.  Hit enter and a 2mm x 2mm square will be drawn.



Click on Draw then Lines then select Line.  Or just hit L.



Hovering your pointer along parts of an object will highlight certain things.  In this case, hovering your Line pointer at the center of a segment of the box indicates this is the midpoint of that segment.  You will find this comes in extremely handy.



You will also find that if you draw a line starting from that midpoint straight down, it will also indicate if you are hitting the midpoint of that line.  Note as well that the line being draw turns to red which indicates that it is now parallel to the red axis.  Sick, I know.



Go ahead and draw another line along the green axis.  You now have a perfectly quartered square.  You get a cookie.



Click on the Tape Measure icon or just hit T.



Measure any line segment to confirm that it is 1mm in length.  This tape measure tool will be absolutely invaluable at ensuring that your measurements are precisely accurate.



Click on Draw then Shapes then Circles or just hit C.



From the center of the box …



… drag the circle to the end of that line segment.  The Measurement window in the lower right should read exactly 1mm since the radius of this circle draw from the center of a 2mm box should be 1mm.  Maths!!!



Select your perfectly drawn circle inside a perfectly drawn box by clicking 3 times anywhere inside the object or drag the pointer across the entire object.



Click on Edit then Copy or press CTRL-C to copy the selected object.  Then click on Edit then Paste or press CTRL-V to place a copy of the selected object.  



Get into the habit of doing this every so often as this is a way of saving “versions” of your model.  You will come up with your own technique but mine is to move down then if I make a change, I paste the “branch” to the right of the downstream.  In this example, I did a modification to the camera plates of the Ashigaru “branching” off to the right.



Click on Camera then Pan or just hit H to be able to move the working area around



Pan the view to center it on the copied object.  



(Get used to switching between pan, orbit, and select quickly and often.  These 3 viewing controls will allow you to navigate through some incredibly tight and confusing 3D spaces when you are hunting for that “water leak” … you’ll know what I mean soon enough [insert sinister laugh here].)

Click on Tools then Erase or just hit E.



Erase the 4 lines inside the circle by either running the eraser over each one individually or by running over all 4 then releasing the mouse button which is what I did in this image.



Select the lines segments surrounding the circle by holding down the Shift key while clicking on each line segment.  If you accidentally click on an interior area or circle segment, just click on it again to deselect it.



Click on Tools then Offset or just hit F.



Move the Offset pointer to the edge of the box, click once, then start dragging out the selected shape.  Type in “0.5” which should show in the Measurement window in the lower right.  Then hit enter.



Delete the inner box by either using the Erase tool or selecting each line segment and hitting Delete.



And here is where Sketchup rears its one of many, many ugly heads.  Notice that by clicking anywhere in your new box, the entire object is shaded.  However, clicking inside any area of the prior box above it will shade only the area bounded by lines.  What this means is that the new box below does not recognize the circle inside the box as being geometrically in line (yea … don’t ask).  Put another way, if you try and delete just the circle, you get odd results in this case, the outside of the box being deleted.



You will come across this a LOT.  To fix it, simply redraw any portion of the geometry of that circle.  Here I clicked anywhere on the circle and hovered my mouse along the circumference until I found the next nearest snap point.



Click the mouse button and the circle will be redrawn as evidenced by the lighter line.



You can now click on the inside of the circle and delete that area.



Select the entire object as you did before by either triple clicking on it or dragging the mouse across it.  Click on File then Export to DXF or STL.



Choose “millimeters” for export units.



This next step is hugely important.  In the next menu, open the drop-down menu and select “polylines” …



The reason this is important is that this method ignores any stray geometry that may not lie on the X and Y plane which is all we care about.  CNC shops will not be able to process files rendered with all that extraneous geometry.  Typically, the confirmation message you should get should indicate a single exported face (there are some exceptions).



Congratulations!!  You have made your first M2 spec’ed screw hole.  You can literally send that DXF file to CNC Madness and say, yo Neil, bust me out this sick screw hole, brah!  All you gotta do is tell him the thickness, and the DXF file tells him the X and Y.  Cool, right?

Lol ok it’s not much.  But believe or not, you have enough basics now to really get going.  I mean what’s a frame really?  4 sets of screws measuring 20x20 or 30x30?  Well you already know how to make a screw hole.  Arms?  Another 4 sets set on a 12mm or 9mm radius offset by 90 degrees (pro tip:  protractors ftw!!).  All these pieces come together to provide constraints around which you design your frame.  

With that said, this is literally enough to know how to design a frame.  But only in concept.  And while the shop may accept your DXF files, you may find that reality does not often jive with the perfect world of 3D modeling software.  For starters, drill bits can’t cut right angles lol.  That’s the stuff I’ll get into next in Drone Frame Design Basics …

I will study this when I get time.
Thanks for posting.

I do like pyrodrone floss frames with aluminum decks or chassis so I may make my first frame using one of their chassis but change angles/thickness on arms.
I'd like to use what I like about 3-4 frames and integrate into one frame.
Theres several frames I'd build again or redesign but with different features.
I'll start brain storming some ideas.

Oh and if you don't have a digital caliper, definitely get one. I don't recall spending too much on mine and it works just fine for even the precision required for frame design evidently. Even just to have around they are a super handy tool.

100% agree with getting a digital caliper and experimenting with reverse engineering a simple part to establish some understanding of measurements and tolerances.

Don’t get lost with the recommendations of a Starrett or Mitutoyo, they are good brands focused on precision but we don’t require that in our hobby.

One other advice will be to develop designs and polish your skills working in metric measurements.

Drone Frame Design Basics – Part 1:  Stacks and Motor Mounting Constraints
 
So let’s make a true-x 4 inch frame.  Alrighty then!  Lol … you’ll find this is easier than it sounds.  [ronin from the future] … might be easier than it sounds but a lot harder to write than it sounds lol.  So I’m breaking this one up into parts.  [/ronin from the future]
 
Before we start, lets talk about constraints.  Drone frame design, and I’m guessing much of engineering (I am by no means an formally educated engineer), is subject to a lot of constraints.  You want a 20x20 stack?  Then you are constrained to at least a 20x20mm box at the center of your frame.  4 inch props?  Better makes sure they clear the frame and each other.  Since these are constants that you simply can’t violate, it’s worth starting out here then designing the frame around these constraints.
 
Let’s start with the stack.  Let’s say you want a 20x20 and a 16x16 stack capable frame.  Start by drawing a 20x20mm square.  Hit R, drag out a square, and type in 20,20 (which will appear in the lower right window) and hit enter.
 

 
Start with a corner and draw out a circle (press C) then type in 1.05 to make the radius exactly 1.05mm.  The extra 0.1mm of diameter is to provide just enough room for the screw to go through the hole without having to be forced.
 

 
It is important to understand that this buffer is unique to each CNC shop.  Others may require a larger or smaller buffer depending on the tolerances and condition of their machines and drill bits.  This is why establishing a relationship with a shop is critical so you get a very, very good feel for what they are capable of doing.  Knowing the proper amount of buffer is particularly critical when designing perpendicular joins such as camera side plates notched into the top and bottom plates.
 
Proceed to make 2.1mm diameter circles on all four corners of the 20x20mm square.
 

 
Split the square into quarters by drawing lines (press L) across the midpoint segments of the four sides.  Recall that hovering the pointer along a line segment will indicate its midpoint.  Also recall that as you draw, the lines should turn green or red to show that they are being drawn parallel to the green and red axes, respectively.
 

 
To the right of this 20x20 template, replicate everything you just did but starting off with a 16x16 square.
 

 
Select the entire 16x16 template by triple clicking anywhere on it (or dragging the mouse across it).  Then right click and select Make Group in the dropdown menu.
 

 
Going back to the 20x20 template, select it by triple clicking on it (or dragging the mouse) then copy and paste the 20x20 template just below it.
 

 
Select the grouped 16x16 template by clicking once on it then copy and paste a duplicate next to the newly duplicated 20x20 template.
 

 
Press M to bring up the Move pointer and place it over the center of the 16x16 template.
 

 
Click once to pick up the grouped 16x16 template from its center then move it to the center of the 20x20 template.
 

 
With the grouped 16x16 template selected (as indicated by the blue highlight), hover the pointer over any of its line or curve then right click and click Explode.  This will ungroup the 16x16 template allowing it to “combine” with the 20x20 template.
 

 
Now that the objects are combined, you can select any specific section, line, or curve.  More importantly, you now have a set of 16x16 M2 mounting holes perfectly centered in the middle of a 20x20 M2 mounting pattern.  Voila!
 

 
Select this entire object by triple clicking (or dragging mouse) then right click and Make Group.  Be sure not to delete any of the lines as they serve as excellent guides in the precise placement and positioning of the template.
 

 
Now let’s make some motor mounts.  We’ll have 12mm mounting pattern for this frame. 
 
Understand that rather than being a 12mm square, motor mounting pattern is defined in diameter.  So if you picture a circle with a diameter of 12mm and superimpose a square within that circle tilted at 45 degrees (or a diamond), the holes would be where the corners touch the circle. 
 
Start by drawing a line (press L) that is 12mm long.  Click then drag the pencil pointer and enter 12 (window in lower right) then press enter.
 

 
Draw a circle by hovering the pointer to the center of the line until the Midpoint is indicated.  Click once then go along the line to the endpoint and click again.  This will draw a perfectly 12mm diameter circle.
 

 
From the center of the circle, draw out lines along the red axis to cut the circle into quarters.  Be sure the lines are red as you draw them out ensuring they are parallel to the red axis.
 

 
For each of the four intersections, draw a circle with radius 1.05 in the same manner you did so with the stack mounting holes.
 

 
Make the entire object a group by triple clicking on or dragging the mouse over it.  Then right click and select Make Group.
 

 
Click on the Rotate icon or press Q bringing up the Protractor tool.  This extremely useful tool will allow you to rotate objects to specific degrees of rotation.  As with object lengths, the degrees of rotation may be input manually for precision.  With the Protractor pointer active, hover over the center of the circle.
 

 
Click once, then move the pointer along any of the lines.  In this example, after clicking at the center, I moved the pointer to the snap point at the middle of the top circle.
 

 
Now click again and you will be able to rotate the grouped object.  Enter in 45 (appears in lower right window) then press enter to rotate it exactly 45 degrees to the right.
 

 
Congratulations!  You’ve now made precisely a measured M2 12mm motor mounting pattern!
 
Alrighty then.  In the next part, we’ll start bringing this together with the frame itself.  Exciting stuff lol.  

Continued in Part 2: Designing the Frame …

So sketchup basic will work?
Default template decimal mm.

I'd actually recommend Fusion 360 and just using the same concepts. I recall it having very similar tools. For me, Sketchup just works even though it is not nearly as user friendly. In particular, I don't think you run into geometry issues with Fusion 360 nearly as much as you do with Sketchup. It assumes it is user error and fixes it for you behind the scenes.

Personally, I like that you see every single, ugly error though. It forces you to be as clean as possible with your geometry. So any version should work. But if you can, try to find the version I use which a lot of sites host for download.

I will recommend Fusion360 too. I personally use FreeCAD but that how I started about a decade ago and although I like Fusion360 features I have somewhat have this comfort level with FreeCAD.

Drone Frame Design Basics – Part 2:  Designing the Frame
 
Be sure you have gone over Drone Frame Design Basics – Part 1:  Stacks and Motor Mounting Constraints before diving into this part.  Now that we have our stack mounting and motor mounting templates ready, we can design the bottom plate and arms around those constraints.
 
First, I like to make sure I have about 1.5mm of minimum clearance around each screw hole to any edge of the design.  So I’ll draw circles with a radius of 2.5mm around any M2 screw hole that will be near an edge or corner.  Using the Circle tool (click Shapes  then select Circle or just press C), draw circles around the M2 holes for the 20x20 template since these holes will be closest to the edge of the frame.
 

 
Copy and paste the entire object further below and leaving some room this time so we can start making the outlines of the bottom plate around the stack template.  From the duplicated objected, draw lines that extend from the middle of the outer top and bottom sides extending out 15mm.  Recall that these lines will be colored red as you draw them indicating they are parallel to the red axis.
 

 
By now, you should be familiar enough with the Line tool to complete the object as in the following image:
 

 
By now, you should also be familiar enough with the Circle tool to replicate the M2 screw holes (2.1mm diameter / 1.05mm radius) and buffer area (5mm diameter / 2.5mm radius) to create those one ach of the four outer corners of the object.  These will be for M2 standoffs.  Note that the 5mm diameter of clearance is suitable for M2 knurled aluminum standoffs which typically have 4mm of outer diameter.
 

 
Activate the Tape Measure tool by clicking the icon or hitting T.  With the Tape Measure pointer active, click on the upper side of the object to measure the distance between the standoffs as 15mm.
 

 
This frame is compatible with 14mm nano cameras using a TPU mount on the front standoffs to secure the camera and make up for the 1mm difference (0.5mm on each side).  Generally, it is good practice to leave some small buffer rather than measuring your camera clearance to precisely 14mm (nano) or 19mm (micro). 
 
Note also that this is yet another constraint:  camera compatibility.  It just so happens this design is compatible with a nano with little to no modification.  However, if we wanted to make this compatible with 19mm micro cameras, we would then be subject to the constraint of needing those front standoffs to be about 19mm apart rather than the 15mm they are now.  We got lucky lol.
 
Now let’s work on the arms.
 
Go back to the motor mounting template, make a copy, and Explode the grouped object so we can work with it. 
 

 
(Note that you can “work” with a grouped object by double clicking on it.  This will bring you “inside” the group container allowing you to work with the object as if it was not grouped.  Exit the “container” by clicking anywhere outside of the object.)
 
Make your screw hole buffers by drawing out circles with a 2.5mm radius as you did with the stack mounting template.  This will show us how far the edges need to be from the holes.  You can use a larger radius if you think you need more material around the holes.
 

 
Select the Circle tool and draw a circle out from the center of the object to the outer edge of any of the screw hole buffers.  This form the outline of the arm ends ensuring that no edge is too close to any of the screw holes.
 

 
Draw vertical lines from the center of the object to the outer edge ensuring that the line is green indicating it is parallel to the green axis.
 

 
Draw lines along the left and right sides as shown in the image below:
 

 
Use the Eraser tool to remove the sides past the lines you just drew as shown in the image below:
 

 
From the center of the object draw 4mm lines out to both sides.  This will place markers along that line that are 4mm from the center. 
 

 
We are going to use these markers to draw arms that extend out 8mm in width.  Using the line tool, draw lines extending out 100mm from these markers and connect the ends to box it off as shown in the image below:
 

 
I know.  Not the prettiest arm.  But it is an arm complete with precise 12mm motor mounting lol.  Select the entire object then group it.
 
Now let’s make some props!
 
Well not really props.  But big ass circles to double as props so we make sure we aren’t slicing up standoffs or adjacent props.  Since this will be a 4 inch, draw a line that is 101.6mm long (4 inches) then draw a circle from the center of that line.  (Yes, I am moving faster along since you should be familiar with how to do this by now.)
 

 
Divide the circle into quarters to provide a reference for the exact midpoint.  Select the entire object and group it so it can be moved from the midpoint.  Voila, you have a 4” propeller!  Lol
 

 
Copy and paste the grouped bottom plate object and place it somewhere with a lot a space below.  Draw a line from the center out 75mm to the left of the object.  Copy and paste 2 of your 4” props nearby (don’t forget to group it before copying).  Now using the Move tool, click on the bottom edge of a prop and position it along the line.  Do the same for the other prop.  Now position the props taking advantage of how the move tool snaps to nearby locations so they are exactly aligned.  Make sure to position both props so there is sufficient clearance between them as well as to the front and rear corner standoffs.  In this image, there is 3mm clearance between the props and standoffs.
 

 
Copy the arm and paste it nearby.  Using the Move tool from the center of the motor mount, move the arm to position the motor mount exactly center on the front prop.
 

 
Click on the Protractor tool and position the Protractor in the middle of the motor mounts / prop.  Click once, then move down the center line of the arm a third of the way down or so (exactly is not important).  Click a second time and now as you move left or right, the arm will rotate around the center of the motor mounts (where you clicked first).  Position the pointer to the exact center of the stack mounting template.  (I told you those lines would come in handy.)  Click one last time to set the rotation.
 

 
The arm is now angled perfectly to the center of the bottom plate with sufficient clearance for a 4 inch prop to the front standoffs adjacent prop.  Repeat this process for the bottom prop.
 

 
Since frames are typically symmetric, I personally like to work on just one side only.  When I’m done, I’ll delete the other side, copy the working side, flip it, and connect the two.  This serves to ensure that both sides are precisely identical.  Well, that and I’m lazy.  Copy the entire thing you have so far and paste it further down.  Delete the props and the 75mm line you drew as a guide.
 

 
Double click on the grouped upper arm to “enter” its container.  Now draw a line along the edge of the frame that intersects the arm.  Note the tooltip that indicates “Intersection Outside Active” ensuring you are precisely at that line intersection outside of the group.
 

 
Delete the portion of the arm that extends into the frame.  Do this by erasing the 3 lines highlighted in blue in the picture below.  Once delted, you’ll notice that the group “container” shrinks to reflect the shorter length of the arm.  “Exit” the container by clicking anywhere outside of the arm.
 

 
Do the same for the lower arm.
 

 
Select all three grouped objects (the 2 arms and the bottom plate), right click over any of them and then select “Explode” in the drop-down menu.  This will ungroup the objects and connect them as once single object where they intersect.
 

 
Select the entire right side of the bottom plate by dragging the pointer.  Be sure that absolutely nothing on the left half is selected.  Then delete the selection.
 

 
Copy the remaining left side and paste it to the right.  Make sure it is a decent distance away from the original left side.  Then right click over the copied side and select “Flip along” and “Green direction” in the drop-down menu.
 

 
Using the Move tool, anchor to the uppermost left corner and move the entire right side so it aligns perfectly with the original left side.
 

 
Notice that if you double click on either side of frame, only that side is highlighted suggesting that this is not a single object which is what we need it to be. 
 

 
This is one of the quirks of Sketchup.  In Fusion360, the program would likely correct this error without you noticing.  But in Sketchup, the geometry got tweaked ever so slightly (in the 0.0000001mm’s) that the center line is technically not overlapping.  You can fix these types of situations by simply re-drawing the center line that runs the entire model.
 

 
And now when you double click anywhere, the entire model is selected confirming that is all once connected, single objected.  Take that, Sketchup!!  lol
 

 
This part sucks.  You now need to delete any and all lines that do not serve as a physical border to the frame.  You will want to leave the screw hole circles but everything else needs to be deleted using either the Erase tool or by clicking on the line segment (circles and curves are nothing more than many line segments) and deleting them.  You will also want to zoom in as some areas that appear to be clean …
 

 
… are actually not once you zoom in.
 

 
In the end your frame should look like this.
 

 
Last but certainly not least, we need a top plate.  I’ve found it’s best to model your top plate from the very same model used for the bottom plate.  This ensures precise alignment of the standoffs.  Make a copy of the bottom plate and draw lines down to complete the sides as shown in this image.
 

 
Delete the arms and stack mounting holes leaving only the front and rear standoff holes.  Voila, top plate!  lol
 

 
Copy and paste your amazing creation and delete the screw holes by clicking on the area inside the hole and presing delete.
 

 
Congratulations on making a frame!!  Sure, it aint the most pretty but perfectly functional as a quadcopter frame with precisely measured components.  At this point, you can literally use the steps outlined at the end of the  first section, 3D Programs to export DXF files for the bottom and top frame and send it off to get cut!!
 
But … you may want to test it first.
 
When I first got into this thing, one of the draws was having a 3d printer.  I figured what better way to prototype designs and not have to deal with the cost and time of getting actual carbon prototypes cut.  Yea, not so much.  I don’t care how precisely tuned your 3d printer is, the tolerances suck.  Period.  No way you will be able to ensure the best fit for more complicated geometry like those for perpendicular joins using a frigging 3d printer.  I got to understand that pretty fast.  But lose hope not, young grasshopper.  For it turns out the very tool you used to design this stuff has for me served as the best tool to test the very stuff I used to design it!!  That didn’t sound as Yoda as I hoped.  Anyway, in the next and last part to this epic trilogy of a segment, I’ll show you how I check my models using … wait for it … the modeling program lol. All this in Part 3: Testing the Design.
 
And this is what your dilly should look like by now …
 

Some solid effort being put into these tutorials. Should be pinned as an important thread.

This thread is now pinned