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Setup

Course progressStage 0 of 10
~15 min

A one-time setup for the whole course.

You will open a blank place, delete the floor, lay down a Start Platform, and find the three Studio panels you will use in every stage: Explorer, Script editor, and Output.

The big idea​

Roblox Studio is a 3D editor and a code editor in one app.

In the first obby course, you mostly used the 3D editor. In this course, you will also use the Script editor to type Lua and the Output window to read what Lua tells you back.

If those two panels feel familiar by Stage 2, the rest of the course gets easier.

New words
Explorer
the panel listing everything in your game — parts, scripts, services
Properties
the panel showing the selected part's size, color, anchored state, and so on
Script editor
where you type Lua code; opens when you double-click a Script in Explorer
Output
the panel that shows messages from `print()` and red error messages when your code breaks
Workspace
the folder in Explorer that holds every 3D part the player can see and touch

Build it​

Step 1 — Open the Baseplate template​

Open Roblox Studio and sign in if it asks.

On the New tab, pick Baseplate. It gives you a flat floor, a sky, and one SpawnLocation.

Step 2 — Delete the Baseplate​

Our obby will float in the sky. If we leave the green floor, every block we add later will sit on it and we will have to move them.

  • In the Explorer panel (top right), expand Workspace.
  • Find Baseplate.
  • Right-click it → Delete.

The floor is gone. You should see just the SpawnLocation against the sky.

Step 3 — Build the Start Platform​

The SpawnLocation can't float in nothing. Every Roblox course in this series builds the same small Start Platform under it — the safe spot where the obby begins.

  • In Workspace, click + → Part.
  • Open the Properties panel for the new part and set:
    • Size → [30, 1, 30]
    • BrickColor → something calm (light grey, sand, or white)
    • Material → Concrete or Smooth Plastic
    • Anchored → checked
  • Rename the part Lobby. That shared part name keeps later course instructions compatible, even though we will talk about it as the Start Platform.
  • Drag the SpawnLocation so it sits centered on top of the Start Platform.

You'll build a Start Platform like this in every Roblox course you take. Same size, same safe-start role, same Lobby part name in Explorer — it's the shape that makes every obby feel familiar.

Step 4 — UI Scavenger Hunt​

Before we start scripting, let's get to know the Studio panels you'll use every stage. The faster you find them, the faster each stage feels. See if you can find each of these:

  • The Toolbox — pre-made parts (we won't use it much; you'll build things yourself).
  • The Properties panel — where you change a part's Size, Color, Material, Anchored state.
  • The Explorer panel — the list of everything in your game.
  • The Output window — where Roblox prints messages and red errors.
  • The big green ▶ Play button — to test your game.
  • The Workspace folder in Explorer — the main place all your game's parts live.
  • The Teams folder in Explorer — you'll use this in Stage 1.
  • The Script editor — where you'll type Lua. Open one with the round trip below.

Try the Script editor round trip​

The Script editor is where every stage from Stage 2 on lives. Let's prove it works.

  • In Explorer, right-click Workspace → Insert Object → Script.
  • Double-click the new Script to open the editor.
  • The editor shows one line: print("Hello world!").
  • Press the green ▶ Play button.

Look at the Output window. If you can't see it, open View → Output. You should see Hello world!. That's the round trip: type code, run it, read Output. By Stage 5, checking Output should be your first move when something breaks.

Stop the game (the red square button), then delete the Script you just created. We were only using it for the tour.

Step 5 — Save the project​

In Studio's top menu: File → Save As. Name the file something like My Maker Obby — First Last. You'll come back to this file every stage.

Understand it​

We deleted the Baseplate because the obby will float in the sky.

If a floor stayed below, falling would not matter. Removing it makes a fall send the player back to the last checkpoint.

We opened a Script and read Output because every script in this course uses that same loop.

When code breaks, Output usually tells you why. By Stage 5, checking Output should be your first move.

Test your setup​

  • Studio is open with a Baseplate project.
  • The Baseplate (green floor) is deleted.
  • A Start Platform part named Lobby (30×1×30, anchored) is in Workspace with the SpawnLocation centered on top of it.
  • You opened a Script, pressed Play, and saw Hello world! in the Output window.
  • You deleted the test Script (you don't want it in your real obby).
  • You saved the file with a name you'll recognize tomorrow.

If it breaks​

  • I can't find the Script editor. Make sure the Script is inside Workspace. Then double-click the Script icon in Explorer.
  • The Output window is missing. Top menu: View → Output. The panel will dock at the bottom of Studio.
  • Hello world! didn't print. Check three things: press ▶ Play, keep the Script inside Workspace, and make sure Disabled = false.
  • Studio looks different. Roblox changes Studio often. Use the View menu to reopen missing panels.
Coach notes

For camp, the biggest setup failure is students losing the Output window. Check every laptop after the Script editor round trip in Step 4.

The second common failure is students retyping print("Hello world!"). They do not need to. The placeholder already exists.

For home learners, a parent can help by checking View. Explorer, Properties, Output, and Script editor should all be visible.