This week involved a whole lot of CAD work. To start off, I took a number of measurements (staff diameter, to double-check, length of support neck, dimensions of RPi and estimated fudge space for wires and sensors, etc.). Then I started learning how Blender worked, but quickly saw that it was likely too complicated for the types of simple drafting we wanted to do for our project.
While searching for a replacement program, I found a 3D print-ready file and started working with FreeCAD (which could open .stl files). However, basic object manipulation in FreeCAD is both lengthy and difficult, and even resizing the existing structure took hours (most of which the program spent not responding).
Eventually, Eric and I teamed up and got something rolling with TinkerCAD, and now have a 3D printable staff head.