webots

Webots is an open‑source, multi‑platform desktop application for robot simulation. It is maintained by Cyberbotics Ltd. And has been in continuous development since 1998. The tool is aimed at professionals, educators, and researchers who need a single environment to model, program, and evaluate robots.

The core of Webots combines a Qt‑based graphical interface, an ODE‑derived physics engine, and the Wren OpenGL 3.3 renderer. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and can export a simulation as a video file, an interactive HTML scene, or a WebGL stream that can be viewed in any browser via WebSockets. Typical inputs are robot description files (URDF or Blender models), sensor and actuator definitions from the built‑in asset library, and environment maps imported from OpenStreetMap. Outputs include the visualized world, logged sensor data, and optional movie or HTML exports that can be shared with collaborators.

Webots supports programming robots in C, C++, Python, Java, MATLAB, or ROS through a simple API that exposes basic robotics functions such as motor control, sensor reading, and supervisor commands. You write controller code, attach it to a robot node, and run the simulation to observe the robot's behavior in real time. The asset library contains pre‑built robots, sensors, actuators, objects, and materials, allowing you to assemble a scene quickly. If you already have CAD models, you can import them directly from Blender or URDF files, and you can add outdoor terrain by loading OpenStreetMap data. The modern GUI lets you place objects, edit properties, and adjust physics parameters without writing code, which is useful for users who prefer a visual workflow.

Webots is used to create simulations for many robot categories: two‑wheeled platforms, industrial arms, legged machines, modular robots, automobiles, drones, underwater vehicles, tracked robots, and aerospace vehicles. Indoor labs, factory floors, and outdoor streets can all be built within the same environment. The documentation includes step‑by‑step tutorials, example worlds that run out of the box, a user guide, and a reference manual covering nodes and APIs. Community support is active on Discord, GitHub, and StackOverflow, while official technical support is provided through a ticket system with a 24‑hour response window. Cyberbotics also offers paid Premier support and custom development services, but the base simulator remains free to download.

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