Onshape’s Pivotal Role in Rocket Design at the Spaceport America Cup

We provide student design teams with a free subscription to the Onshape Education Enterprise plan. This plan is not just a CAD tool; it’s a comprehensive suite that includes advanced features crucial for competitive design teams, such as simulation, release management, task management, and analytics. 

These tools are designed to streamline the design process, enhance collaboration, and accelerate innovation, allowing student teams to focus on what they do best: designing, building, and testing their engineering projects with professional-grade resources at their fingertips. 

Onshape: Fueling Collaboration and Design

At this year’s competition, we spoke to a number of teams that took advantage of our sponsorship program and used Onshape in their design process. Onshape’s cloud-native CAD system with built-in PDM is packed with unique features that make it particularly useful for rocketry design and engineering. 

Here are some of the standout features that the teams found invaluable:

1. Real-Time Collaboration

Onshape allows multiple users to work on the same design simultaneously from anywhere in the world. This is especially beneficial for rocketry teams that are often spread out across campus.

2. Built-In Version Control

Every change made in Onshape is automatically tracked and saved. This allows teams to experiment with different design iterations without the fear of losing previous work, which is crucial when working on complex systems like rockets.

3. Parametric Modeling

Onshape supports parametric modeling, which is essential for designing parts that must meet specific criteria or dimensions. Teams can define relationships between different features of their rocket, ensuring that changes are consistent and automatically updated throughout the model.

4. Branching and Merging

This feature allows teams to create branches of their main design, work on multiple design ideas in parallel, and then merge the successful elements back into the main project. It’s like having multiple test flights in a virtual environment, enabling teams to explore various design paths efficiently.

5. Cloud-Native Simulations

In addition to built-in FEA, Onshape integrates with various simulation tools that can run complex analyses on parts and assemblies. Teams can simulate aerodynamic properties and structural integrity under different conditions directly within the platform, speeding up the design validation process.

6. Custom Features

Users can create custom features by using FeatureScript in Onshape to automate repetitive tasks or create complex geometries that would be time-consuming to model manually. This can be particularly useful for creating the specialized components of a rocket. 

7. Mobile Accessibility

Onshape’s full functionality is available on mobile devices, allowing team members to access and modify designs on the go. This can be incredibly useful while in the shop or during field tests when quick modifications might be identified.

8. Comprehensive Data Management

Onshape provides robust data management capabilities, including controlled access permissions and release management workflows. This ensures that sensitive design data is secure and that only authorized team members can make changes to critical parts of the rocket design. Teams can also set up approval flows where leadership needs to approve components. 

These features, among others, make Onshape a powerful tool in the arsenal of any rocketry team, providing them with the flexibility, control, and precision needed to design, test, and launch their rockets successfully. 

Sign Up for Onshape

Are you ready to propel your collegiate design team to new heights? Sign up for an Onshape Sponsorship today and unlock the full potential of cloud-native CAD technology! With Onshape’s Education Enterprise plan, you’ll gain access to a suite of advanced tools designed to streamline your design process, foster seamless collaboration, and drive innovation.