[DaveL]

In the past, I have used Visio for space claim, intake design and pneumatic cylinder length and placement analysis. We even had a company laser cut a support based on a Visio file. A few students have learned Visio. Its a great 2D tool that can be learned by most students in under an hour and Microsoft has agreements with many school districts for free software.

We are also getting students trained up in Solidworks. This spring we designed a simple product and then 3D printed it. We are moving toward our goal of designing the entire robot before construction.

If you create a survey, some of the things to ask might include:
Years in FIRST?
Have a CAD mentor on the team?
How large is your team (active students)?
What do you use CAD for? (Multiple Selection)
- 3D printing
- Custom frame design
- CNC milling
- Transmission design
- Space Claim
- Overall robot design
- Wire routing
- Other

How did your team get up to speed?
- Books
- Videos
- Mentors
- Help from another team
- Other

Which CAD product do you use?
- Solidworks
- Autodesk
- Visio
- PowerPoint
- ProE
- Creo
- Other

Dave