💻 CAD · Beginner · Onshape for VRC

Onshape Setup
for Spartan Design

Before you design anything, you need a working Onshape environment. This guide covers:

Logging in to your DUSD enterprise account
Creating and organizing team documents
Learning the interface controls
Importing the VEX part library so you can start modeling

▶ Onshape in Spartan Design

Onshape is our primary design platform — the tool Spartan Design uses to plan, communicate, and build better robots. Before any metal gets cut, the design exists in Onshape. That means fewer rebuilds, better teamwork, and a notebook full of engineering evidence that judges can actually follow.

🚗 Design

Drivetrains, mechanisms, and full robot layouts — modeled in 3D before a single screw is turned.

🗣 Communicate

Shared across squad members and mentors in real time — everyone sees the same model, no guessing.

🎓 Train

Rookies and Shadows learn how robot systems fit together by seeing them in CAD — before touching hardware.

🔧 Build Accurately

Correct shaft lengths, verified clearances, and right-first-time part cuts — CAD eliminates the guesswork.

The Spartan Design CAD workflow

Design in Onshape → Build from CAD → Test & Measure → Improve in CAD → Next Prototype

// Section 01

Accessing Your Onshape Account

Your school uses a DUSD Enterprise Onshape account — no sign-up required. Your account already exists. Log in at dusd.onshape.com using your school credentials and you are in.

🖼️

    [Image Placeholder: Onshape login screen on DUSD enterprise account — browser interface showing team documents folder structure]

💡

Your DUSD enterprise account is already private. All documents created in the team workspace are private to your district account. Do not create a separate personal Onshape account for team work — use dusd.onshape.com. Personal accounts default to public and would expose your robot designs to competing teams.

Step-by-Step: Getting Into Your Account

Go to dusd.onshape.com

Your school uses the DUSD Enterprise Onshape account. There is no sign-up — your account already exists. Go to dusd.onshape.com and log in using your school Google or district credentials (the same login you use for your Chromebook or school apps).

No personal email needed. Do not create a separate personal Onshape account. Your district account is already set to private and enterprise-tier. Everything your team builds lives here.

Confirm you can see the team workspace

After logging in, you should see the Spartan Design team folder or a document your mentor has shared. If you see “My Documents” but no team documents, you have not been added to the team yet — ask your mentor to share the team folder with your school account.

If you see nothing: Go to “Shared with me” in the left sidebar. The team documents may be there. If still nothing, message your mentor — they need to share the folder to your school email.

Set Chrome as your default browser

Onshape runs best in Chrome. Firefox and Edge work but have occasional rendering issues. If you are on a school Chromebook, Chrome is already set. If using a personal laptop, make sure Chrome is up to date.

Hardware note: If your laptop struggles — rotating assemblies feels laggy, zooming hesitates — see the Laptop Guide for GPU and RAM requirements. Chromebooks with 4GB RAM may have trouble with large assemblies.

Test camera controls before your first build session

Open any document in the team workspace and practice: right-click + drag to orbit, scroll wheel to zoom, middle-click + drag to pan. These three controls are everything. If you cannot orbit a part smoothly, resolve that before the session starts — it will slow down the whole team.

Bookmark dusd.onshape.com now

Add it to your browser bookmarks bar. Every CAD session starts here. You should be logged in and on the team document within 30 seconds of sitting down — not spending 5 minutes remembering the URL.

✅

Before your first session, confirm: You can log in at dusd.onshape.com, you can see the shared team document in the workspace, and you can orbit a 3D model using right-click + drag.

Your school uses dusd.onshape.com. A teammate says “I’ll just make my own free Onshape account and share files from there.” What is the problem with this?

Free accounts cannot open VEX part libraries

Free personal accounts make documents public by default — your robot designs would be visible to every competing team on the internet. The DUSD enterprise account keeps everything private.

Free accounts have a file size limit that VEX assemblies exceed

There is no problem — either account type works the same

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// Section 02

Team Document Structure

How you organize your Onshape documents determines how fast you find things and how cleanly you can hand off work between team members. Get this right from day one.

💾

License Cost

Free education account for VEX students. Cloud-based, no install.

📊

Skills First

Camera controls, sketch tools, VEX library. Master before parts.

📚

VEX

Part Library

Don't draw VEX parts — use the official Onshape library.

📚

Sections

Account, doc structure, interface, library, checklist, coach notes.

How Onshape Documents Work

An Onshape document is like a project folder. Inside each document you can have multiple Part Studios (where you create individual parts) and multiple Assemblies (where you put parts together and add motion). Think of a document as one complete robot design — everything for that design lives in one place.

In your DUSD enterprise account, your team’s documents live in a shared workspace folder.

Create one document per robot season (e.g., "2026-27 Robot v1")
Use Part Studios for designing parts; Assemblies for putting them together
Share the document with all team members — everyone can view and contribute simultaneously
Use descriptive names: "IntakeDrivetrain_v2" not "Untitled"

📝

Part Studio vs Assembly — the one-line version: Part Studio is where you make parts. Assembly is where you combine parts and check if they fit together. You will use both constantly.

Spartan Design Folder Structure

Your mentor sets up the top-level team folder in the DUSD workspace. Your job is to create documents inside it using this structure. Consistent naming means anyone on the team can find anything in under 10 seconds.

📁 Spartan Design 2026–27
📂 Season Robot
📄 v1 — Drivetrain Concept
📄 v2 — Intake Added
📄 v3 — Competition Build
📂 Mechanism Concepts
📄 Intake — 3-Ring Concept
📄 Intake — Wide Roller Concept
📂 Reference Parts
📄 Custom Plates
📄 Custom Gussets
📂 Notebook Evidence
📄 Screenshots — labeled for EDP entries

Naming Convention — Use These Exactly

Everyone on the team must follow the same naming rules. Inconsistent names slow down collaboration and make notebook documentation harder.

What You’re Naming	Format	Example
Document	[Robot Version] — [Year]	Competition Build v3 — 2026
Part Studio	[Subsystem] — [Version]	Drivetrain — v1
Assembly	[Subsystem or Full Robot] — Assembly	Full Robot Assembly
Custom Part	[Function] — [Material] — [Thickness]	Motor Mount — Poly — 1⁄4in
Version (version control)	v[number]: [what changed]	v4: Added intake gusset, moved battery

💾

Version control in Onshape: Use the “Create version” button (clock icon) before making any major change. It takes 5 seconds and means you can always roll back. This is the CAD equivalent of a git commit.

You are about to redesign the intake mechanism. Before you start modifying the assembly, what should you do?

Duplicate the entire document first, then make changes in the copy

Create a named version in Onshape before making any changes — this preserves the current state so you can roll back if the new design is worse

Start editing immediately — Onshape automatically saves history

Export the current assembly as a STEP file as a backup

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// Section 03

Learning the Interface

The three things you must master before you can design anything: camera controls, the feature tree, and the difference between Part Studio and Assembly mode.

📌 Quick Take Three skills to drill before any real CAD work: camera controls (orbit/pan/zoom), sketch tools (lines, dimensions), part library access. Spend 30 minutes on each before designing.

Camera Controls — Memorize These

You will use these hundreds of times per session. Muscle memory is the goal — looking up how to rotate should never slow you down.

ORBIT

🖰

Right-click + drag

Rotate around the model. This is your most-used control.

PAN

👉

Middle-click + drag

Move the view without rotating. Use to center work in view.

ZOOM

🔍

Scroll wheel

Zoom into wherever your cursor is pointing.

FIT ALL

⛶️

Press F

Fit the entire model in view. Use when you get lost or zoomed too far.

FRONT VIEW

■

Click the cube corner

The view cube (top-right) snaps you to any orthographic view. Click a face, edge, or corner.

SELECT ALL

✍️

Ctrl+A

Select everything in the current context. Ctrl+Z to undo any action.

The Feature Tree

The left panel in Onshape is the Feature Tree — a history of every step you took to create the model. In a Part Studio it shows sketches, extrudes, and operations in order. In an Assembly it shows every part and every mate.

⚠️

The most common beginner mistake: Editing features out of order. If you click into the middle of the feature tree and add something, every feature after it may break. Always work at the bottom of the feature tree unless you specifically need to edit an earlier step.

Part Studio vs Assembly — When to Use Each

🔧 Part Studio

› Creating a new custom part
› Sketching a gusset or plate
› Extruding, cutting, filleting
› One part at a time

🆕 Assembly

› Combining parts together
› Adding mates (constraints)
› Checking for interference
› The whole robot view

⚙ STEM HighlightParametric vs Direct Modeling

Onshape is a parametric CAD tool — every dimension is stored as a number that can be changed, and every subsequent feature updates automatically. This is different from drawing programs like Illustrator where you drag things by eye. When you change a shaft diameter from 0.375” to 0.25”, every bearing bore, every collar, every part that references that shaft can update in seconds. Industry CAD tools (SolidWorks, CATIA, Creo) all work the same way. Learning Onshape teaches the same mental model used by aerospace and automotive engineers.

🎤 Interview line: “We use parametric CAD to design the robot before we build it. When we change a dimension — say, we decide to use 4-inch wheels instead of 3.25-inch — every part that depends on that decision updates automatically. It’s the same workflow NASA engineers use.”

You want to see how your drivetrain’s gear train fits together and check for interference between parts. Which Onshape environment do you open?

Part Studio — all your parts are already there

Assembly — this is where you combine parts, add mates, and check how everything fits together

Either one works equally well for checking fit

Drawing — create a 2D drawing view to see dimensions

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// Section 04

The VEX Part Library

You do not draw VEX parts from scratch. Use supplier CAD or a verified team/community library for V5 motors, C-channels, wheels, gears, sensors and the Brain. Confirm the part number, dimensions and source version before inserting a model; a library entry does not establish competition legality.

📌 Quick Take Use verified VEX component CAD instead of redrawing standard parts. Community Onshape collections are not automatically official or complete; check them against VEX product CAD and the current manual.

🖼️

    [Image Placeholder: VEX part library in Onshape — VEX folder expanded showing V5 motors, wheels, and structural parts]

Finding and Inserting VEX Parts

Open your Assembly tab

Create a new Assembly inside your document (“+ → Assembly” at the bottom of the screen). Name it appropriately — e.g., “Drivetrain Assembly v1”.

Click the “Insert” button

The Insert panel opens on the right. This is where you find parts. Select “Browse documents” or use the search field.

Search for the VEX V5 Part Library

Search for “VEX V5RC Part Library” or “VRC Parts”. Search results may include community-maintained collections; verify their provenance, revision and dimensions. They are not a list of all legal parts. Your mentor should pin this to your team’s document for easy access.

Also useful: Search “Purdue SIGBots” — they maintain an excellent VRC-specific library with motor cartridges, bearing blocks, and common sub-assemblies pre-built. Using their library is not copying — it is working efficiently, the same way professional engineers use supplier CAD libraries. If dusd.onshape.com does not show public search results, ask your mentor to link the library document directly into the team workspace so everyone can insert from it.

Insert a part into the assembly

Click the part you want, then click in the viewport to place it. You can insert multiple instances of the same part — you will need 4 drive motors, 4 wheels, multiple c-channels, etc.

Add a Mate to constrain positions

Mates define how parts relate to each other. A Fasten mate locks a part in place. A Revolute mate lets a shaft spin inside a bearing. A Slider mate lets something move along a line. Start with Fasten mates — they are the simplest.

Key VEX Parts to Know

Part Name	What It Is	How You’ll Use It
VEX C-Channel	Structural channel; select the exact hole count, length, material and part number from the catalog	Drivetrain frame, arm structure, virtually everything structural
Bearing Flat	Bearing that supports a shaft and is secured to structure with appropriate fasteners	Wherever a shaft passes through a plate or c-channel
Shaft (3″, 4″, etc.)	Standard 1/8-inch square shaft; high-strength shafts are 1/4-inch square and require compatible bearings and inserts	Wheel axles, arm pivots, gear shafts
Spacers and shaft collars	Spacers set separation; secured shaft collars retain a shaft axially	Between the wheel and the c-channel on every drive shaft
V5 Smart Motor	11W V5 Smart Motor with integrated encoder and interchangeable gear cartridge; 5.5W V5 Smart Motors are a separate option	Connects to one of the V5 Brain’s 21 Smart Ports; competition motor limits are separate from port count
Gear (36t, 60t, 84t…)	Standard spur gears with VEX hole pattern	Speed/torque conversion in drive and mechanisms
Omni Wheel (3.25”, 4”)	Wheel with rollers that reduce resistance to sideways motion	Front/rear wheels on tank drive for smooth turning
Traction Wheel (3.25”)	Solid rubber traction — resists side sliding	Center wheels on 6-wheel drive for defense resistance

💡

VEX hole pattern: Many V5 metal components use a 0.5-inch hole pitch. Verify the selected part and its mating geometry; not every feature or mate lies on that grid. Measure shaft stacks, clearances and fabricated parts.

You need 4 V5 Smart Motors for your drivetrain. In Onshape, how do you add them?

Create them from scratch in a Part Studio using the motor’s dimensions

Use the Insert tool in the Assembly to add them from the VEX V5 Part Library — then place 4 instances of the same motor part

Import a STEP file from the VEX website

You only need one motor in CAD — mirror it for the other side

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// Section 05

Onshape Setup Checklist

Complete every item before your first real CAD session. Check them off as you go — they save your progress.

📌 Quick Take The setup checklist takes ~15 minutes and prevents the "why doesn't this work" loop. Account, library, document structure, units — all configured before you touch a sketch.

✅ Setup Checklist

Can log in at dusd.onshape.com using school credentials

Use your district Google or school login — same as your Chromebook

Can see the team workspace or shared documents after login

If not visible, ask your mentor to share the team folder to your school email

Accepted the team document share from your mentor

You should see the Spartan Design document in your “Shared with me” folder

Can orbit a model using right-click + drag

Test this in the team document before your first session

Can zoom and pan with scroll wheel and middle-click

Muscle memory is the goal — practice for 2 minutes

Know where the Feature Tree is (left panel)

Open any document and identify it

Understand Part Studio vs Assembly difference

Part Studio = make parts. Assembly = combine parts.

Found the VEX V5RC Part Library in Insert panel

Search “VEX V5RC” — insert one motor into a test assembly

Created a version checkpoint in a test document

Click the clock icon → “Create version” → name it “Initial setup”

Set up team folder structure in your Onshape workspace

Season Robot / Mechanism Concepts / Reference Parts / Notebook Evidence

What’s Next

🚗

First Drivetrain in Onshape

Shaft planning, bearing placement, wheel spacing

⚙️

Mechanism Concept Sprint

Sketch before you build, tradeoff analysis

🔧

CAD to Build Handoff

BOM, screw plan, fabrication notes

💻

Laptop Setup Guide

Specs for Onshape + VS Code

🔬 Check for Understanding

You finish your Onshape setup and start a new Part Studio. You can't find the parts you designed yesterday. What is most likely wrong?

Onshape deleted the file after 24 hours on a free account

You are working in a different document or didn't save the document to the correct team folder — check Documents and the team's shared folder

The school's network blocked the save operation

You need to re-install the Onshape browser extension

Correct. Onshape auto-saves continuously — data loss from missing saves is rare. The most common cause of "missing" work is navigating to the wrong document or the file being in a different folder. Check Documents > All Documents and your team's shared workspace before assuming data was lost.

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For Coaches & Mentors

Vocabulary reference, discussion questions, and the official PTC/Onshape unit guide for running your first Onshape session.

📌 Quick Take Coaches: vocabulary list to teach, common student stuck points, and the PTC unit guide for those running formal Onshape lessons. Keep it as reference during student questions.

Key Vocabulary

Introduce these terms before the first Onshape session. Students will encounter all of them within the first 30 minutes of use.

CAD

Computer Aided Design — software that lets you build and test a robot digitally before cutting any metal.

Onshape Document

A collection of design data organized into tabs — like a Google Doc but for 3D models.

Part Studio

A tab inside a Document where you build individual parts using sketches and features.

Assembly

A tab where you combine parts together, position them, and define how they move relative to each other.

Mate

An Onshape feature that positions and connects parts in an Assembly — like bolting two pieces together digitally.

View Cube

The cube in the top right corner of the screen — click any face to snap to that viewpoint (Front, Top, Right, etc.).

Feature Tree

The left sidebar that shows every step used to build a part in order. Editing a step higher up automatically updates everything below it.

Normal

Perpendicular to a given surface — important when selecting sketch planes and orientation references.

Discussion Questions

Use these at the start of your first session to get students thinking about CAD before they open Onshape.

Why CAD?

What sub-teams does our program have? What teams should we add?
How should different roles work together during the design process?
How can Onshape help the team get more done and communicate better?

Navigating Onshape

How could the commenting and tagging tools help during our design review process?
When would you want multiple students in the same document at once?

Updating an Existing Robot

When designing our robot, what kinds of changes are most common mid-season?
Was there a time when being able to edit a model digitally would have saved time?
How does the feature tree change the way you think about making design changes?

Official PTC/Onshape Unit Guide

The full teacher guide for this curriculum — includes lesson breakdown, preparation notes, collaboration options, and links to the official VEX Onshape document.

📚 Unit Guide — PTC / Onshape

CAD for Robotics Competitions

Intro to Onshape unit guide for coaches and mentors. Covers Why CAD, Navigating Onshape, and Updating an Existing Robot — with discussion questions and preparation notes.

🔗 Open Unit Guide →

🛠 Official VEX Document

Intro to Onshape — VEX

The official PTC Onshape document for VEX robotics teams. Use for scavenger hunt, collaborative navigation, and the robot update exercise.

🔗 Open in Onshape →

🎓 Learning Center

Navigating Onshape Course

Self-paced online course from the Onshape Learning Center. Hands-on exercises students can complete during or between team meetings.

🔗 Start Course →

💡

Tip for coaches: Encourage all students — not just engineers — to complete this unit. Drivers and strategists who understand CAD communicate better with engineers and contribute meaningfully to design decisions.

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