Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Hill
Another thing to do in the off season is to make COTS parts in Solidworks (or whatever your team decides to use) your team uses a lot. It will save you time during the season. You can adjust the masses of certain items and even apply materials to make the look better for a render if you choose...stuff you shouldn't waste time on during the season that costs nothing to do now. I'd suggest CADing up a drive base or two in the off season. Not only will it make you more proficient in CAD, but it can provide some insight on drive base design that will help during the season (common pitfalls, difficult to CAD parts, etc.).
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^This exactly. One of the best ways to learn CAD is to start by making parts.
One of the things that helped our team was the Autodesk CAD guide which showed picture and measurements of increasingly difficult parts for us to make. Every time we hit a road block (which was very often in the beginning), we were able to learn a new way or tool to make us better. I remember the first part taking me an hour and a half to make. But through the knowledge I've gained I could make that same part in five minutes. Making parts for your bot is an especially efficient way to not only accumulate experience, but also to give you a head start in build season.