Web Interface

Toolbar

• Quit: quit the simulation and return to the upper page.
• Info: open the window containing introductory information about the simulation.
• Reset: save the changes applied to the controller sources and reset the simulation.
• Step: execute one simulation step.
• Play: run the simulation in real time.
• Pause: pause the simulation.
• Console: open the console window where the simulation messages are printed.
• Help: open this help window containing the web interface documentation and the Webots reference manual.
• Fullscreen: enter full screen mode.
• Exit fullscreen: exit full screen mode.

Simulation time

The current simulation time is indicated on the first line of the simulation time element.

Additionally, for each simulation a time-out value is defined determining how long the simulation will run automatically. When the time-out period elapsed, the simulation will stop and the user has to restart it manually clicking on the Play button. The time at which the simulation will stop is indicated on the second line of the simulation time element. The next stop time is updated when clicking on the Pause or Step button.

Info window

The info window contains some introductory information about a simulation and can be displayed by clicking on the tool bar Info button. It may contains several tabs.

Console

The console window displays all the simulation information, warning and error messages. These messages could come from the simulation core or from the robot controller. In fact, it also displays all the messages printed to the standard output (stdout) and standard error stderr from the robot controller, i.e. for example using the print statement in Python. The console can be open by clicking on the tool bar Console button. Keep an eye on the console if the simulation does not work as expected!

Controller editor

This is an editor window where it is possible to modify the robot controller programs in order to possibly improve the behavior of the robot. It can be open from the robot context menu, popped up when clicking with the right mouse button on the robot in the 3D scene, and it will automatically contains all the editable source files.

In the top right corner of the editor there is a menu containing the following items:

• Save: save the modifications applied to the file in the selected tab.
• Save All: save the modifications applied to all the files open in the editor.
• Reset: reset the modifications applied to the file in the selected tab and restore the original version.
• Reset All: reset the modifications applied to all the files open in the editor and restore the original versions.

Note that the Save keyboard shortcut (Ctrl-S) only works if the focus is on the editor text area and the text input caret blinks. Otherwise, the browser page will be saved instead of the file changes.

Interaction with objects and robots

An object context menu is displayed when clicking with the right mouse button on an object or robot in the 3D scene. The objects context menu provides the following actions:

• Follow/Unfollow: make the camera follow the selected object or revert it to a static position.
• Zoom (not available yet): zoom and center the camera to the selected object.
• Delete (not available): delete the selected object from the scene.
• Properties (not available yet): show the properties of the selected object.

Additional actions are available in robots' context menu:

• Edit controller: open the robot controller program sources in the editor window.
• Robot window: open the window containing robot's devices information.
  Note that the robot window is not available for all the robots.

Interaction with the 3D scene

Objects selection

It is possible to select an object or a robot in the 3D scene by clicking on it using the left mouse button. Once selected, a white outline representing the physical shape of the object is displayed. The physical shape could differ from the graphical shape of the object, as it usually consists of simple geometries, and it is used by the physics engine to compute collisions and forces.

Navigation in 3D

Rotate viewpoint

To rotate the camera around the x and y axis, you have to set the mouse pointer in the 3D scene, press the left mouse button, and drag the mouse:

• If you clicked on an object, the rotation will be centered around the picked point on this object.
• Otherwise, the rotation will be centered around the position of the camera.

Translate viewpoint

To translate the camera in the x and y directions, you have to set the mouse pointer in the 3D scene, press the right mouse button, and drag them mouse.

The translation speed is proportional to the distance from the viewpoint to the 3D point on which you clicked. If you click on the background, the translation speed is proportional to the distance to origin of the world, e.g., (0, 0, 0).

Zoom

To zoom in or out the 3D scene, set the mouse pointer in the 3D scene and use the wheel of the mouse.

Zoom/Tilt

To zoom and tilt the camera, you have to set the mouse pointer in the 3D scene and press both left and right mouse buttons (or the middle button):

• If you drag the mouse vertically, the camera will zoom in or out.
• If you drag the mouse horizontally, the camera will rotate around its z axis (tilt movement).

The zoom speed is proportional to the distance from the viewpoint to the 3D point on which you clicked (or on which the mouse pointer was located when you used the mouse wheel) . If you click on the background (or have the mouse pointer over the background while using the mouse wheel) , the translation speed is proportional to the distance to origin of the world, e.g., (0, 0, 0).