With initial sketches created for the most of the components, CAD modeling can commence. The creation of parts in the 3D space provide a much more realistic visual representation of the product than any sketch can provide. During this process for my team, we realized several issues with our initial designs that were not immediately clear from the sketches alone. Sizing of parts also becomes much more pressing, as limitations in overall dimensions must be considered along with the size of the parts that must be used to create working mechanisms.

​

​

Wing Mechanism: The wing mechanism created in CAD shown below was designed to be of minimal weight but still maintaining the structural integrity required to provide the form of the wing. The hole sizes were created with plenty of clearance for the shafts running through to connect them to allow for easy sliding when in operation. Each of these factors were important in order to minimize the torque required from the motor in order to operate the automaton portion and to allow most of the torque to go to the walker mechanism.