Before opening CAD, write down the rulebook version and the event. A copied diagram from a previous season can put a team on the wrong path. Start from the organizer’s current documents and keep a link beside your notes.

Translate the constraints

Make a worksheet for the dimensions, permitted components, and inspection requirements that affect your concept. Copy the rule identifier beside each entry. Use your own sketch to show how the limit applies to the robot, then ask a teammate to check your interpretation against the source.

Distinguish an explicit limit from a design choice. If you leave clearance beneath a maximum dimension, record that margin as your decision. Future revisions should not mistake your chosen margin for a requirement from the organizer.

Isometric competition robot on a field
VnV working drawing. Original schematic illustration, not an experimental result.

Review changes together

During the season, compare official updates with your worksheet. Assign a person to check each affected part and record the date. If a rule remains ambiguous, use the organizer’s designated clarification process before committing to an expensive part.

FIRST’s competition pages are one entry point to its season resources. Other events have their own documents and procedures. This sample does not quote a current dimensional limit or replace the applicable rulebook.

FIRST Robotics Competition resources ↗
Written by VnV Demo Desk.

Have a correction or a different result? Write to the editor.