Re: Fixtures for FRC
 

"Robot elements that are designed before kickoff are not permitted." (unless the design is published prior to kickoff)

The fixture is not an issue here. It won't be on your robot, so it is not subject to the robot rules.

The key aspect is the design. If the design of the part occurred before kickoff then you either need to publish the design in advance, or else go through the design process all over.

Note, however, that while you have to re-design the part... you can use your off-season experience and experiments to streamline the design process.

And yeah... that is a pretty grey area. I'd say just publish your design, build your fixture and then proceed with a clear conscience. Just remember that the Game Design Committee has been known to throw the occasional monkey wrench in to the work to ensure that no one ever gets too confident about their ability to use a pre-season design.

Again... the issue is not the fixture... it is the design.

Jason

Re: Fixtures for FRC
 

Where were they published, out of curiosity?

Anyway, reflecting more on this topic, I think that you should have to release the design for it or for the part it is making. This is because it would be used in a manner like a blueprint would be, to make something. It's not a huge things to ask that teams release their fixtures for parts.

The spirit of the law is what matters here. It's more a of a question for Q&A.

Re: Fixtures for FRC
 

I don't understand how it could be a grey area.

Re: Fixtures for FRC
 

I had manufactured them last build season and was trying to figure out if the team could use the same fixtures to manufacture the newer swerve drive. The old swerve drive was published way bad when i can go find the file.(that is what the fixture was originally for)

If the team builds another swerve this year (i dont know if they will tell build season) and i know they have some changes they would want to make but as long as its close egnuff to the original the fixture will still work.

There will be changes to it no mater what post build season so the designs being re published is not a problem.

Re: Fixtures for FRC
 

Fixtures are fair game in that FIRST didn't mention them.

They also are merely a tool/process... common sense here.

There is no issue here, nothing needs to be disclosed or posted.

Re: Fixtures for FRC
 

I agree with you regarding the fixtures... however if the fixtures are specific to one design and are built prior to build, then that implies (requires!) that the design of the part was completed prior to build season. Since that part will be on the robot, it is covered by the design rules.

It isn't whether the fixture is built before build season, but rather whether the part was designed before build season.

Jason

Re: Fixtures for FRC
 

Jason has hit the answer in both of his posts I think. The fixture in general is not part of the robot so realistically, robot rules do not apply. However, the chicken and egg conundrum does apply here in that the design of the part made easy by the fixture, came before the season starts.
I am still awed by teams who dedicate themselves to a design before the game is announced. I have stated this many times before, we do not use crab drive if the game doesn't benefit from it's use. We won't know until the game is announced ( a few short weeks away) and the team has had a chance to analyze how to play the game effectively.