[GilaMonsterAlex]

I can see what the OP is saying. I don't see how they didn't have a plan before building. My team loves the fabrication aspect. We do everything in house. They love it so much that no one has any real interest in drawing an entire robot before building. So this year I got stuck drawing portions of the robot in Inventor. Next year I hope to have some students spooled up on the program to draw the robot as we progress.

As for knowing design before fabricating? I think you need to know how to make something before you can really be a great designer. That doesn't mean you need to actually drill a hole but you need to know its possible. It's just more fun to learn by actually doing it.