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Originally Posted by GlennGraham
Is CAD software available for FVC teams through a similar program as for FRC?
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There is a large library of vex parts already drawn for Inventor at
www.vexcad.com
Currently,
FIRST does not supply FVC teams with Inventor software. Hopefully, they can reach an agreement with Autodesk to supply at least one seat to each registered FVC team in the future. I'd contact your local FRC teams who should have several seats on Inventor installed for their teams use. They should be able to assist with training and possibly mentoring FVC students at the FRC teams location.
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Originally Posted by GlennGraham
Thanks for bringing this up. In FLL, all the teams I have seen have access to a playfield for practice during the development season (low cost and small size). It really lends itself to the iterative nature of LEGO robot design. For Vex (do to larger cost and size of the playfields), do most teams build a mock-ups of some of the field elements and practice with them "piece meal"? Build full playing fields? Have a shared, community playfield that everyone can schedule time on? Can anyone share their experiences with any of these options (or others)?
Thanks,
-Glenn
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The playing field components will be available through
www.vexlabs.com.
FIRST is working with IFI to keep the cost of an official playing field around $1000. While this may seem high, most of that cost is for the playing field walls which should be reusable for at least a few years (
FIRST has promised that playing field dimensions shouldn't change for 'several' years), similar to the FLL plywood and 2x4 playing field. If you have multiple teams in your area, they could share the cost of the playing field walls and share use of the playing field during the build season. Once you have purchased the playing field walls, each year's playing field components should be able to be constructed for under $500, which isn't too bad for official field components. Low cost components could be built for even less. Another nice feature is that teams can buy a 'half field' kit which gives you the wall components for half of an official playing field for about $400. This is the route that our team took this year. We'll probably buy a second half field kit next year so that we'll have a full field to use for local competitions and demonstrations. Most FVC field components are available "Ala Carte" from IFI so you only have to purchase the components that you can afford or need.
As far as extra time needed for cutting and bending of metal components. Just one big word of advise - NEVER throw out any metal components. Keep everything because sooner or later you'll need the exact same custom piece on another robot. At WPI they have been working with the vex hardware for quite some time so they have a large box of pre-cut pieces from old projects. Before a student cuts a piece they are instructed to check that box first. Chances are they find a piece ready to go, saving both time and money.
Good Luck with Vex!