How 3D is becoming less relevant for me

[asid61]

Originally Posted by InFlight

I would suggest the design process starts even earlier.
What are the requirements?

What motors ( rpm and torque curve) can I use
What ratio is required to match the motor and output.

Spacing needed for gear, sprocket or pulley system.

Once you have requirements and math done, you can then look at different implementations that would most efficiently solve the problem.

That's pretty fair.
For me it varies; sometimes I'll start with JVN calculator, other times I'll design the mechanism first and then look for how to move it around. I think there are uses for both methods. Fortunately, the existence of the Versaplanetary lets you cheat a little bit by sticking a 1 or 2 stage in as a placeholder, and let prototyping figure out what it should be exactly later on.

The 973 RAMP videos have also really opened up new horizons. For anybody looking to get into more layout sketching, the RAMP videos are great.