For Coaches & Mentors
Coach & Mentor
Resource Hub
Everything you need to run effective Onshape sessions with your team — PTC/Onshape unit guides, vocabulary lists, discussion questions, and links to the official Onshape Learning Center.
Quick access — jump to any unit guide
💡 How to use these guides: Each student-facing guide has a "For Coaches" tab at the end with vocabulary, discussion questions, and resource links. Show the student sections on screen during team meetings, then switch to the For Coaches tab for your session notes and discussion prompts.
PTC / Onshape CAD for Robotics Competitions — Unit Guides
Six official unit guides from PTC and Onshape, integrated into the student guides on this site. Each covers vocabulary, lesson breakdown, preparation notes, and links to the official Onshape document for that unit.
Unit 1
Intro to Onshape
Why CAD, navigating Onshape, updating an existing robot. Includes scavenger hunt activity and the official VEX Onshape document.
CAD basics
navigation
collaboration
🔗 Open Guide →
Unit 2
Assemble a Drivetrain
Mates, mate connectors, parts libraries, fastened and revolute mates. Students build a full drivetrain assembly in Onshape. Have physical parts in the room.
mates
assemblies
parts library
🔗 Open Guide →
Unit 3
Creating Custom Components
In-context modeling, sketching, constraints, extrude, fillet, hole. Students build two custom parts to mount a distance sensor to their robot.
sketching
in-context
part design
🔗 Open Guide →
Unit 4
Collaboration
Teams, folders, versioning strategy, branching, commenting, Link Tab, OneIPM project management, single vs multi-document robot design.
versions
branching
comments
🔗 Open Guide →
Unit 5
Manufacturing
3D printing, laser cutting, CNC routing and milling. Design considerations, export workflows (STL, DXF, STEP), and discussion questions for each process.
3D print
laser cut
CNC
🔗 Open Guide →
Unit 6
Communicating Your Design
Drawings, CAD image export, assembly animations, file importing, and link sharing for judges, sponsors, and families.
drawings
sharing
notebook
🔗 Open Guide →
External Resources
🎓 PTC / Onshape
CAD for Robotics Competitions — Resource Center
All six unit guides, Onshape documents, and supplemental materials from PTC. Official source for the curriculum used in this site.
🔗 PTC Resource Center →
🎓 Onshape Learning Center
Self-Paced Courses
Online courses students can complete during or between meetings. Navigating Onshape, Assemblies, Branching & Merging, In-Context Design, and more.
🔗 Onshape Learning Center →
🛠 OneIPM
Project Management in Onshape
Free project management tool embedded directly in Onshape for FIRST robotics teams. Assign tasks and track progress inside your CAD document.
🔗 Get Started →
Team Structure & Roles
Resources for understanding how Spartan Design is organized — useful for parents, new students, and coaches running orientation sessions.