Engineering CAD
Division: Division C – High School
NC Essential Standards Alignment: None
Event Rules: See the National Rules Manual
Event Score Sheet: None
National Event Page: Here
Required Materials: At least one and up to two laptops (Windows, Mac, Chromebook) with ability to access the Internet and the Onshape website. Each student that is participating MUST have an Onshape account, which must be provided to the event administrator before each invitational/regional/state event.
Description:
Teams will read a set of engineering drawings and collaborate with CAD (Computer Aided Design) parts in Onshape and then incorporate these parts with pre-provided components to create an assembly.
Event flow:
- Up to 50 minutes is permitted
- Teams will receive a set of engineering drawing describing:
- Multiple Parts to model
- A diagram of the final Assembly
- Teams will then create the parts based off the provided drawings (Division of labor is allowed)
- Assemble the created parts (additional pre-generated parts may be provided as well) into the final Assembly following the diagram
- Teams submit their final assemblies for grading
For Regional events, 3 to 6 parts will be modeled and used in the assembly.
For State and National events, 4 to 8 parts of increased difficulty will be modeled and used in the assembly.
Materials:
Teams must bring up to two laptops capable of running Onshape for the purposes of completing the event. Participants may also bring a wired or wireless mouse, a laptop charger, and writing utensils. Teams will be provided with a printed set of drawings and a starting Onshape document with an assembly that has parts needed for creating the finished assembly.
No other resource materials may be used, including past Onshape projects.
Scoring:
Highest score wins.
Event Score = Individual Part Scores (IPS) + Individual Assembly Score (IAS). The lowest modeling time will serve as the tiebreaker.
Individual Part Scores (IPS): IPS is determined by comparing the volume of the named parts specified in the engineering drawing to the volume of the shape created by the participants. IPS measures accuracy of part modeling, with special emphasis on its overall volume.
Individual Assembly Score (IAS): IAS is determined by comparing the X, Y, and Z component of the Center of Mass (CoM) of the named, provided assembly as specified in the engineering drawing to the center of Mass of the assembly provided by the participants. IAS measures accuracy of assembly and part relationships, with special emphasis on the correct placement of individual components (either parts created by the participants, or pre-provided parts).
If an assembly consists of 5 parts, the score will then be calculated by:
IPS (P1) + IPS (P2) + IPS (P3) + IPS (P4) + IPS (P5) + IAS
Common Mistakes:
Always verify measurement units prior to modeling each component. Mistaking millimeters, centimeters, or inches significantly alters total volume and drastically impacts your overall score.
Always remember to ensure your part material is configured. Failure to do so may prevent your submission from being graded.
Never overlook minor geometry. Omitted chamfers, fillets, or openings represent a notable percentage of overall volume, so avoid treating these details as purely visual elements.
Never change the tab names for the parts or the assembly. This may prevent your submission from being graded.
Never unfasten or modify the base part of the provided assembly. This may dramatically affect your score by creating a different center of mass.
Pay attention to the smallest of details. Details matter.
Recommendations:
Participants may work on the modeling concurrently with 2 laptops. Consider breaking tasks up into handling different parts before finally assembly creation.
Budget your time by Part Count. Determine which parts will be the most time consuming and plan your time. Any submission at all scores higher than a blank submission, so attempt to get every task at least partially complete.
Leverage Symmetry: Use patterns, mirrors, and duplicated geometry to reduce the amount of time spent creating features.
Event Resources:
Onshape Registration – Start here first to get your coach and student accounts setup
Onshape Link – Bookmark this for logging in each time
Engineering CAD End to End Beginners Guide – Start here for an end to end tutorial on using Onshape, Building Parts & Assemblies, and Self-scoring (2027)
Engineering CAD Students Guide (2026)
Engineering CAD Coaches Guide (2026)
Engineering CAD Event Supervisor Guide (2026)
Onshape Grading Application* – Coaches can install this app into Onshape to self-score teams’ work in the exact method they will be graded in an invitational/tournament
Practice Assemblies (National 2026)
Training Material: NASA – Engineering Drawing Basics
Training Material: Onshape Overview Page*
Training Material: Onshape Learning Center*
Training Material: Understanding CAD Drawings*
Training Material: Onshape Fundamentals Training Package*
Training Material: Onshape Assemblies Introduction*
Training Material: Onshape Assembly Configurations*
(All Items with a ‘*’ require Onshape logins to access)