Hey. So this year our team is going to start to CAD our bot before building it. I have downloaded fusion 360 with the vex parts, but don’t really like it because it does not snap the pieces on a grid, so it is really hard to easily build anything. I am wondering if I am doing something wrong, or if there is an easier software to get started on.
I have been using Autodesk inventor for the past 4 years (for robotics) and love it. It is really easy and you can find lots of tutorials.
The attached document has helpful information about using CAD software for VEX Robotics. For any higher-end CAD package, there will be some learning required to make assemblies: CAD software uses various mates to assemble parts, rather then snapping pieces to a grid, so you’ll need to learn how the mates work.
CAD for VEX Robotics.pdf (191 KB)
Inventor is what I have been using this season, only started learning it a few weeks ago, it’s really easy to get the basics and there are so many tutorials.
My team uses Solid Works and it has worked fine for us. There are a few on the team that have used Autodesk from time to time through.
Edit: Our team is also sponsored by Solid Works
After using Solidworks, Fusion, and Inventor, I have to say that for assemblies, Solidworks wins hands down. However, if you don’t have access to Solidworks, use Inventor, which is the next best thing. Fusion is a good software program, but it just isn’t very intuitive or easy to assemble parts compared to the other two.