Team Blast: Update about the season’s SDK and helpful tips for 3D printing

Hi ,

SDK Update
Tech Tip of the Week
Inspire the Future
Updating Team Rosters
Team Webinars

SDK Update

As reported in issue 724 on the SDK GitHub Repository, SDK 9.0 will incorrectly begin warning that the software is obsolete beginning on October 1, 2023.

This warning is a false positive - plans are in motion to release SDK 9.0.1 that fixes this issue and will include a few additional minor updates. This new release is expected to be globally available by September 29, 2023. Teams will not be required to update to SDK 9.0.1, version 9.0 will still remain the minimum required version for use in the 2023-2024 event season.

Tech Tip of the Week

Do you wish you knew more about 3D printers, filament, and choosing and maintaining a 3D printer? This week’s Tech Tip of the Week highlights ftc-docs community contributions from FIRST^® Tech Challenge teams 16461 and 1002 introducing 3D printing in FIRST Tech Challenge.

Once you’ve got a 3D printer, be sure to check out Computer Aided Design (CAD) also on ftc-docs to find a CAD package and start designing and printing parts for your robots!

FIRST^® Inspire the Future Recognition Program

At FIRST^®, recognition is not only part of our name, it is core to our ethos. In this spirit, we are proud to launch our third year of the Inspire the Future: FIRST Educators Recognition Program. NEW this year, you may nominate outstanding schools as part of the first annual Inspire the Future: FIRST School Recognition Program. Help us celebrate the FIRST educators and schools who inspire their learning communities and advance the mission of FIRST by submitting a nomination.

Updating Team Rosters

As you're preparing for your events, don’t forget to update your team contacts screen on your dashboard with the number of youth participants on your team (input the number of youth and click 'Update').

This information helps FIRST better understand our community and take action to expand opportunities for more youth to be successful in our programs. Thank you for helping us learn more about our community.

Team Webinars

FIRST Tech Challenge has choreographed an exciting lineup of webinars specifically designed to help coaches and teams in this year's riveting theater of competition, CENTERSTAGE^SM presented by RTX. FIRST Tech Challenge will begin hosting team webinars starting on October 11, 2023. Read more about the timing and topics on our blog.