CAD stands for Computer Aided Design

A way to show a 3D part or assembly in a 2D space

Accomplished through adding 3D modifiers to a 2D sketch (Like extruding or revolving)

We use Onshape on this team: https://www.onshape.com

Onshape allows us to share and work on CAD documents easily, like a Google Drive for CAD

There are 3 different parts to using CAD. Drawing, Parts, and Assemblies 

Drawings are made of one or more different views of a Sketch

We used this for showing the dimensions of an object for manufacturing

There are many different rules on how to dimension and mark drawings

On a drawing you can control whether to show the part as an isometric, of side of the part

These drawings are often done scaled, but can be done 1 to 1 with complex parts.

Parts are the individual components of your end design

Example:

• The parts of a lamp are the lamp shade, light bulb, and the lamp base

• The parts of a candle are a wick, wax body, and the glass container

Our robot this year had about 100 parts

This is the stage when you are actually creating mass in onshape

You can also change the material, color, and density of the part

Assemblies are files with multiple parts related to each other.

2 parts can relate in several different ways called mates

Some mates allow objects to spin on 1 axis, others fasten parts in place

A lot of times you will have assemblies inside of other assemblies

Our robot this year had assemblies of each of our mechanisms to form the completed CAD

Assemblies are often not stationary and can move using certain types of mates.

Communication: It provides an more visual way to communicate designs without illegible drawings

Math: CAD does all the math for you, making it easier to predict weight and make measurements

Manufacturing: CAD allows you to display dimensions through drawings and you can print out 1-1 copies that can be taped and cut around or dimensions that can be used to create the piece

Integration: Allows us to see if 2 mechanisms on the bot are trying to take up the same space or if they interfere with one another