A 3D screenshot shows what the robot looks like. A 2D engineering drawing shows how to build it. Onshape's drawing tool turns your assembly into a dimensioned, annotated document — the kind judges want to see and builders can actually use.
Screenshot vs Drawing: A screenshot of your Onshape assembly is Developing-level evidence. A 2D drawing with dimensions, material callouts, and a BOM table is Expert-level evidence. It takes 15 extra minutes and moves you two rubric levels.
🖼 Example Engineering Drawing
📋 Creating a Drawing — Step by Step
1
Open a new Drawing tab: In your Onshape document, click the + tab → Create Drawing. Select the Assembly or Part Studio you want to document. Choose A3 or A2 sheet size for robot drawings.
2
Insert the Front view: The view appears in the toolbar. Click the sheet to place it. Right-click the view → Insert View to add Top, Right, and Isometric projections. Position them with spacing.
3
Add dimensions: Click Dimension in the top toolbar. Click two points on your view (edges, centers) to add a dimension line. Click the dimension text to edit the value if needed — but Onshape calculates real values from the model automatically.
4
Add callout bubbles: Click Balloon in the toolbar and click a feature (hole, edge, surface). Number it. These numbers link to the BOM table you'll insert in the next step.
5
Insert BOM table: Click Insert → BOM. Onshape generates a parts table with item numbers matching your balloons, quantities, and part names from the assembly. Drag it to the sheet corner.
6
Export to PDF: Three-dot menu (top right) → Export → PDF. This gives you a print-ready file to insert into the engineering notebook as a full page.
✅ What to Annotate for Notebook Evidence
Annotation Type
What It Shows
Notebook Value
Overall dimensions
Width, height, depth of the mechanism
Proves you analyzed fit within 18" constraint
Critical clearances
Gap between moving parts, arm-to-body clearance
Proves interference analysis before build
Material callouts
"2mm aluminum" vs "1/16" polycarbonate"
Shows deliberate material selection
Fastener callouts
"M5 × 12mm button head at each drive shaft bearing"
Build reference — eliminates guessing at the robot
Motion indicators
Arrows showing travel range, min/max positions
Proves you modeled the mechanism's full range
One drawing replaces five screenshots: A single drawing with Front/Top/Side/Iso views plus a BOM table captures everything a judge wants in one document. It takes 15 minutes in Onshape and covers your Build Plan, Constraints analysis, and Parts documentation in one notebook page.
📖
OFFICIAL ONSHAPE — DRAWINGS DOCUMENTATION
Drawings help, view creation, BOM insertion, and dimension tools
⚙ STEM HighlightEngineering: Engineering Drawings as Communication Standards
Engineering drawings are a standardized communication protocol in mechanical engineering. ANSI/ISO drawing standards (orthographic projections, section views, GD&T symbols) ensure that a part drawn by one engineer can be fabricated by another with zero ambiguity. In VRC, Onshape drawings translate your 3D CAD intent into specific dimensions and tolerances that your build team can execute without asking questions. A drawing without proper annotations is not an engineering drawing — it is a sketch.
🎤 Interview line: “We create dimensioned Onshape drawings for any custom-cut part before fabrication. The drawing specifies hole positions, edge distances, and tolerances — not just the shape. This eliminates an entire category of build errors where parts were cut incorrectly because dimensions were estimated. Our rework rate dropped from 40% to under 10% after we adopted formal drawing review before cutting.”
Why do engineering drawings use specific dimension tolerances (e.g., 2.000 ± 0.005 inches) instead of just target dimensions?
⬛ To make drawings look more professional and technical
⬛ Tolerances define the acceptable range of variation — they communicate which dimensions are critical for fit and function vs which can vary without affecting performance
⬛ Tolerances are required by VRC rules for robot documentation
📝
Notebook entry tip:Build & Program — Orange slide — Include your Onshape drawing screenshots in the CAD documentation section. Export a dimensioned drawing for at least one custom-fabricated part and paste it into your notebook with an annotation explaining which dimensions were critical (tight tolerance) and which were less critical. This is the kind of engineering rigor that distinguishes Expert-level notebooks.
Vocabulary, discussion questions, and the official PTC/Onshape Communicating Your Design unit guide.
💡 What this unit covers: How to produce presentation-worthy documentation from your existing Onshape robot document — drawings, high-quality CAD images, motion animations, file importing, and sharing for judges, sponsors, and families.
Key Vocabulary
Drawing
A technical document used to convey geometry and dimensions for manufacturing or presentation. Created from your Part Studio or Assembly in Onshape.
Drawing Template
A special template that enforces a drawing format or layout — useful for laser-cut DXF exports or standardized team documentation.
Bill of Materials
A table embedded in a drawing listing all parts required for the assembly — automatically generated from the Onshape model.
Named Views
A saved view state — captures the perspective, zoom, and orientation of the model. Use to create consistent, repeatable camera angles for CAD images.
Camera & Render Options
Settings that change how your model looks when exported — background, lighting, and edge display. Critical for producing clean, professional CAD images for the notebook.
Link Sharing
Generates a view-only link to your Onshape document — the recipient does not need an Onshape account. Share with judges, sponsors, and families.
Import
Insert most file types into Onshape as a tab — PDFs, images, STEP files, and more. Use to consolidate all robot documentation in one place.
Discussion Questions
Drawings
What manufacturing processes does your team use that would benefit from formal drawings?
Will you need drawings for your own team, or for machinists in outside shops?
Displaying Your Robot
How can high-quality CAD images be used by your team — notebook, sponsor packets, social media?
What are the critical movements of your robot that you need to communicate to judges?
Sharing Your Robot
Who should your team share the robot document with — judges, sponsors, parents, other teams?
How does making your document public help your team and the broader VRC community?
What story do you want to tell about your design process, and what media types would support it?
Official PTC/Onshape Resources
📚 Unit Guide — PTC / Onshape
Communicating Your Design
Full instructor guide: drawings, CAD image export, animations, file importing, and link sharing for judges and sponsors.