FW: FTC Team E-mail Blast 1/22/09

**To FTC Teams**

Greetings to all of our amazing teams!  We have had the opportunity to speak to a number of you this week and we continue to be amazed at the creativity and teamwork demonstrated by all of you.  You are the heart and soul of this program and you continue to astound us as each event takes place.  This week’s information is somewhat repetitive but it is still VERY IMPORTANT that you read and understand it because we can guarantee your experience at events depends on it.  You will not win a place at our FTC World Championship without this information.  DO WE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION NOW?

1.       Mandatory Templates

2.       Release of Field Management System

3.       PTC Software Update – FTC KOP READY!!!

4.       Face Off! Game Elements Update

 

1.       MANDATORY TEMPLATES

 
Have you been to the www.ftctraining.com website lately? If not, you have missed the new templates that have been released. These templates are mandatory for events. Without these templates, it is very unlikely that teams will pass software inspection. These are dual mode templates and have been provided for each software. You need to download these ASAP!

 

2.       RELEASE OF FIELD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

 
FTC released the Field Management System (FMS) in order to allow teams to test their code in the same environment that you’ll be using at the events. The FMS, training tutorial, and documentation are available at www.ftctraining.com.

 

3.       PTC SOFTWARE UPDATE – FTC KOP READY!!!

 
FIRST is pleased to announce that PTC, The Product Development Company, has modeled the 2008 FTC Kit of Parts in Pro/ENGINEER and have made it easily accessible through Catalog Data Solutions' CAD library.  Thank you to Catalog Data Solutions for donating the storage of these models to the 2008 FTC!

 
Click here to access the CAD library

 
As the Official CAD and Collaboration sponsor to the FTC program, PTC is offering the following software tools to all teams:

 
·        Windchill for team collaboration (hosted by PTC)

·        Pro/ENGINEER for creating CAD models of your robot

·        Mathcad for documenting your engineering calculations

·        ProductView for visualizing your robot design

 
In order to access any of these tools, you or the lead contact for your team will need to register for a team Windchill project.

Click here: www.ptc.com/go/frcregistration.  From the project, you can download Pro/ENGINEER, Mathcad and ProductView.

 
For more information on how to get started, visit our Getting Started Information Site  or contact firstsupport@ptc.com.

 
Thank you,

 
firstsupport@ptc.com

 

4.       FACE OFF! GAME ELEMENTS UPDATE

 
FTC is now sold out for game kits and field perimeters.  We still have hockey pucks available, 72 (36 red, 36 blue) pucks for $115.00 through Logo Loc.