"You're never going to see a power tool or a tractor or whatever designed in OpenSCAD."
I beg to differ on this, I've been using OpenSCAD for a couple of years now, and the two most complicated designs I have done were for a dual drive robot base and a simple 3-axis CNC machine. Many of the parts were COTS (which I built modules for) and the rest were designed for these projects, including some parts which were sent directly to my 3D printer. In doing this, I've been developing various functions and modules that simplify common operations such as attaching two separate parts and using difference to form a free fit hole for a specific type of screw. I find this to be much easier than clicking on dimensions in a sketch, but this is because I have all of the mental habits developed by learning to build complex software.
I beg to differ on this, I've been using OpenSCAD for a couple of years now, and the two most complicated designs I have done were for a dual drive robot base and a simple 3-axis CNC machine. Many of the parts were COTS (which I built modules for) and the rest were designed for these projects, including some parts which were sent directly to my 3D printer. In doing this, I've been developing various functions and modules that simplify common operations such as attaching two separate parts and using difference to form a free fit hole for a specific type of screw. I find this to be much easier than clicking on dimensions in a sketch, but this is because I have all of the mental habits developed by learning to build complex software.