Computer Aided Design
The Computer Aided Design (CAD) team works to make a 3D model of our robot. Our team utilizes the program Inventor Professional 2009 to assist in the planning process. The main idea of CAD is to create a model of the robot before the team decides to cut metal to physically build the part of the robot that we designed. Many other subteams come to us after they have designed their portion of the robot to see where they can place their part on the robot. After we finish the robot, we work with other portions of Inventor; the program allows you to exceed 3D models into animating the model. Our final model is submitted into the Inventor Submission to be critiqued by the FIRST judges which is a separate award submission from the robot.
Our veteran member of the sub-team teaches the basic parts and components of Autodesk Inventor. In order to become proficient, a lot of experimenting is ideal. After a few weeks of experimenting and sharing new findings within the program with other CAD members, we become fluent with the program. If any other school teams need assistance with either starting up Inventor or learning Inventor, contact us and our team will be more than happy to assist.
Tips for Rookies: Teams that have a large number of members and want to expand their experience with FIRST should create an Inventor subteam. Teachers can obtain a free copy of an Inventor 2009 guide book. We highly recommend this! There are also tutorials online and within the program that give you step by step instructions. After learning the basics, it is up to your dedication and time to become advanced in Inventor. The bottom line is; the more you know, the easier it is to create parts. Experimenting is essential to learning and mastering this program.
Leader: Eric
