Different starting points:
An idea
Bring your idea to our community of designers. They will take care of putting your pencil idea
into a 3D model. 3D models can help understand the fundamentals of what is needed to make the part.
A part
Take your 3D design to the community of fabricators. They can make it physical with various materials
to prove the concept. Making things is iterative and helps understand the long term functionality.
Prototype
With all your 3D parts, your physical parts, and bill of materials, you can now prototype. Take all
the parts and assemble them. Check your clearances and tolerances. Understand the prototype as a
system.