I polished up the final design in preparation to show Mathew which we hadn't seen in a while due to Ishan and I having
trouble meeting up.
Mathew advised that I use Cura for the 3D printing software, however that will only be to test out how the model imports into the 3D printing software as Mathew will take care of the actual printing.
I asked about the software to use for creating designs for the laser cutter, and was advised to use Adobe Illustrator.
Since the general station floor area was completed and mapped out, all that remained was to discuss how to print. Now it would be too tedious and wasteful to print the entire model as is with the floor and everything, so I thought it would be better to print all the pieces individually.
My plans for next week: Split up all of the pieces of that model into a new file which neatly fits them into the desires specifications and has the oriientation optimised for printing (Mathew says our printer is good enough to print arches without having to flip them but make a flipped file ready in case the arches do not turn out well). Also determine which pieces will be POI's and create a small hole for them so that you can pass a soldered pin down (plans for that will be drawn later).
Now for the rest of the model, create two versions. One which is a 3D version like you planned which would be more difficult to assemble, and one which is that layered approach. For both design the staircase you plan to use.