Controls

Controls Menu

Rotate Camera	Right Mouse Button
Zoom Camera	Scroll Wheel
Move Camera	[W][A][S][D]
Focus Camera	[F] (with part selected)
Focus + Zoom Camera	Double-tap [F] (with part selected)
Reset Camera	[Control]+Left Mouse Button
Duplicate Part	[Control]+[D] (with part selected)
Translate Tool	Move parts in the environment or in the robot
Rotate Tool	Rotate parts in the environment or in the robot
Change Joint	Mouseover or Select Joints using [Q] and [E] to cycle through joint types and [Delete] to clear.
Remove Parts	[Delete] (with part(s) selected)
Rotate Selection	[Alt]+Left Mouse Button (with part(s) selected)
Rotate Snap	[R] (while placing a part)
Place Duplicate	[Shift] (while placing a part)
Multiselect	[Shift] + Left Mouse Button
Select Connected	Left Mouse Button (Double Click)
Box Select	Click and drag to select multiple parts. Hold [Shift] to additively select.
Group Selected Parts	[G]
Ungroup Selected Parts	[U]
Undo	[Control] + [Z]
Redo	[Control] + [Y]
Hide UI	[`]
Enter Active Mode	[Space]
Robot Controls	Default Controls (Left Hand) [W] [A] [S] [D] [Q] [E] Default Controls (Right Hand) [I] [J] [K] [L] [U] [O] (hold [L Shift] to move motors at half speed)
Switch Transmitters	[1] [2] [3] … [8] [9] [0]

Robo Control Schemes & Re-Mapping

In RoboCo, you can choose between preset or custom controls for your robot. Using the Controls Menu, you can add, subtract or remap keys to fit your preferences.

Default Robot Control Schemes

Left Hand	[W][A][S][D][Q][E]
Right Hand	[I][J][K][L][U][O]

How to Map Robot Controls

Step	Description	Example
Step 1	Open the Controls Menu.
Step 2	Select one of the Default Control Schemes. This example uses the Default Left Hand Control Scheme.
Step 3	Click +Add new next to W
Step 4	Select a powered part from the menu
Step 5

How to Create Custom Robot Schemes

Step	Description	Example
Step 1	Open the Controls Menu.
Step 2	Click the + button at the top of the Controls Menu and select Custom Keyboard Controls
Step 3	Click the ellipses next to the Custom Keyboard Controls. Use this button to name your custom control scheme.
Step 4	Click +Add New next to the top button slot
Step 5	Select a part and the action you want that part to take
Step 6	Rename the action if needed and map it to the desired key

How to Program Your Robot Using Python

RoboCo allows for robot programming via the use of Python. If you’re interested in robot programming but don’t know much about Python, we recommend checking out CodeAcademy to learn more. We also recommend checking out our devblog “A Guide to Robot Programming” to learn more about what script editors we recommend.

Step	Description	Example
Step 1	Add the microcontroller to your robot to access the script interface
Step 2	Choose to either create a new script or load an already-created script
Step 3	Assign your parts to ports manually or use the “automatically assign” button
Step 4	Press the play button (or spacebar)
Step 5	If an error occurs, use the in-game debug console to fix your code

Controllable Robot Parts & Their Actions

Parts	Actions	Example
DC Motor	Spin Forward Spin Reverse Toggle Forward Toggle Reverse
Servo Motor	Spin Forward Spin Reverse Toggle Forward Toggle Reverse
Small Piston	Move Out Move In Toggle Out Toggle In
Small Telescoping Piston	Move Out Move In Toggle Out Toggle In
Large Piston	Move Out Move In Toggle Out Toggle In
Laser Pointer	Toogle Turn On Turn Off Hold
Powered LED	Toggle Turn On Hold Toggle
Vacuum	Toggle Turn On Toggle Off Hold
Powered Pincer	Toggle Turn On Toggle Off Hold
Powered Claw	Toggle Turn On Turn Off Hold
Light Bulb	Toggle Turn On Turn Off Hold