I've just now done exactly this. Model something (not an apple) not because I want to print it, but because I need to import it into CAD to check clearances etc. around it. I can abolsutely imagine modelling different sized apples if I was building an apple sorting machine.
I do this all the time when working with stuff that is either perishable or expensive. I just print a 3D model of it and use that as a stand in for the real thing until I have it working.
