Introduction
Find your way around CrocoDocs, with guides to FTC design, engineering, programming, portfolios, and your first season.
CrocoDocs is a student-written guide to design, engineering, programming, and .
Choose Engineering in the top navigation for design, , fabrication, wiring, and testing. Programming contains and Kotlin, robot control, vision, routines, and commonly used libraries.
Design covers Onshape, robot layouts, custom parts, and preparing a model for manufacturing. New teams can start with the separate Starter Guide.
Portfolio covers documenting your , showing your work for awards, and judging, with detailed studies of Inspire portfolios.
This site is an independent student project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by FIRST. Competition rules and software APIs change; use the linked official sources for current requirements.
Articles combine explanations with links to official documentation. Robot behavior depends on the SDK version, hardware, and implementation, so test examples safely on your own robot.
Season-specific information
The current season page covers BIOBUZZ (2026–27). Always check the official competition manual and team updates before relying on game rules, scoring, or robot legality.
Philosophy
CrocoDocs puts FTC explanations and examples in one reference so students can learn without piecing together forum posts, videos, and codebases. Students write and maintain the articles, checking technical details against official documentation and source code.
Maintainers
The site is currently maintained by:
- Matthew Williams (FGC Jamaica, FTC 16075)
- Amari Cross (FTC 16075)
Navigation
Choose a topic:
Design
Learn Onshape, plan a robot layout, study FTC CAD examples, and prepare parts for manufacturing.
Engineering
Design, build, and test an FTC robot. Start with a kit drivetrain or investigate mechanisms, fabrication, and reliability.
Portfolio
Plan your pages, document your work, prepare for judging, and study four Inspire portfolios.
Getting Started
New to programming robots? Learn the FTC tools, setup, and first steps in robot code.
Libraries
Compare path followers, command frameworks, and tuning tools, with version-specific examples.
Community software
Explore Blaze FTC, OpenLoop movement helpers, and Hive Vision models.
Sensors and Vision
Read encoders and IMUs, process camera images, and check AprilTag and color detections.
Control Systems
Read gamepad input, control motors, and tune feedback loops.
Autonomous
Plan routes, estimate robot position, and handle failed movements or missing detections.
Code practices
Organize hardware, name measurements, and review changes with your team.
Season Breakdown
BIOBUZZ timing, scoring, piece control, field setup, and official rules.
Season topics
Work through projectile maths, launcher calibration, and shooting while driving.