Check out Shapesmith, a brower-based open source parametric modeling program created by DIY Drones member Benjamin Nortier. As explains in this MakerBot interview, he created it to design UAV parts!
Excerpt:
I’m a software developer with an Engineering background and I’m also a 3D printing enthusiast. Shapesmith is a browser-based 3D modeling tool that I’ve been working on, and am very excited about. It is aimed at users who want to create high-quality parametric models for 3D printing, but who don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on expensive 3D CAD software.
I wanted to design an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) after being inspired by DIY Drones. I realised that it would be very attractive to 3D print aeroplane parts and I was using tools like Blender and Sketchup to design some airfoils or wings.
Comments
Cool
I like the interface - though of course, there seems to be much left to implement (like boolean ops), or basic subtractive ops, lines and pipes, but still a solid start.
Keep going.
A DIYdrones member should write video software. Unfortunately, installing thousands of browser extensions on every new computer gets tedius.
Clever software!
Nice, I have also been using Blender to design my motor mounts.
Too bad my video card doesn't support WebGL. I would like to have tried this. It's ok, I getting good with Blender, so can pretty much design anything on it now. My next project is to design a mini-quad and print the whole thing out on a 3D printer.