Hello FRC Teams,
The FRCDesign.org team has been working hard over these past few weeks on something new and exciting. As part of our ongoing efforts to improve FRC CAD resources, we are tackling the monumental task of refreshing the MKCad Library.
We’ve identified a few key areas of improvement we hope to address with the new library:
Key Areas for Improvement:
- Organization of documents (decluttering, easier to search)
- BOM, material, and appearance accuracy and consistency
- Configurability of components/assemblies
- Integration of simplified models and full-detail models into a single, configurable model
- Persistence of mate connectors between configurations so mates don’t break
- Feedback and model vetting process
- Updated reporting system for missing parts
While we’ve carefully considered addressing common pain points in the library, we would love to gather feedback from the community on what else could be improved. However, we are limited in scope as to what we can change.
What Can Change:
- Organization of documents
- Model related changes
What Likely Can’t Change (At the moment):
- Interface changes
- Subfolder functionality
- Advanced filtering functionality
The main reason we are focusing on frontend library improvements is that we currently lack the resources to address backend enhancements. While we plan to revisit this in the future, it is beyond this project’s scope. If anyone is experienced with Onshape app backend development and is willing to contribute, please contact us.
Transitioning from MKCad to FRCDesignLib:
We recognize the critical role MKCad plays in how teams use Onshape for robot design, so we are committed to thoroughly testing the new library before the original documents are phased out. To minimize the risk of any missing components during the transition, we plan to release a “complete” beta version of the new library as a separate app from MKCad sometime before kickoff for teams to try. This ensures that the legacy and new libraries are both available to teams during the season.
If all goes well, after the 2025 season, the MKCad app will be fully replaced with the new FRCDesignLib app (no “reinstall” will be required—the MKCad app will simply be updated to be the FRCDesignLib app). The old documents will remain accessible via link, so no previously inserted parts will be broken, but they will no longer receive updates and will no longer be accessible from the app.
Current Changes & Alpha Testing
For a preview of the improvements, check out the updated MKCad Electronics tabs! This includes Electronic Components, Motors, and Sensors. Since the format of the electronics tabs will remain the same, these tabs have already been replaced to offer an immediate improvement to the library.
We are also looking for alpha users to help test the new app. If you’re interested in gaining early access, contact @AndrewCard. Please note that everything is very subject to change, and there is a chance that parts and files may be deleted during the testing process.
If you have any feedback or suggestions, please leave it in this thread.
Thank you to everyone who has supported FRCDesign.org. We greatly appreciate the community’s feedback!
-The FRCDesign.org Team
