Course introduction and lesson task
In this lesson, you will create a complete house with a floor, walls, a roof, windows, and a doorway.
You will cut out the windows and door using the Negate and Union tools. This method lets you create complex shapes without assembling them from many small details. Learning Union now will make it easier to work on more complex levels later.
Keep Roblox Studio open as you read and repeat each action in the Viewport. Hands-on practice is the fastest way to learn the interface.
Complete these items by the end of the lesson:
- A grouped model named
House_01. - At least 2 window openings created with Union.
- A doorway, or a third window.
- A saved level named
Lesson 1.1 - House_01.
Roblox Studio basics
Roblox Studio is a game development environment for Roblox. You can use it to create game objects (Parts), build landscapes (Terrain), write scripts (Luau), and configure the user interface (UI).
Go to create.roblox.com and sign in to your account. Launch Studio, select New, and choose the Baseplate template.
Baseplate is an empty level with a flat floor and sky. Unlike templates such as City or Obby, it has no extra objects or scripts to get in the way.
Do this now: create a level from the Baseplate template. On the View tab, enable the Explorer and Properties panels. Select the floor. The Baseplate object should be highlighted in Explorer.
Interface and workspace
The Studio workspace consists of several main panels.
| Panel | Location | Purpose |
|---|
| Viewport | Center | The 3D world where you build the level and control the camera. |
| Home | Top | Main tools (Part, Move, Scale, Rotate, Play, Snap). |
| Model | Top | Model tools (Group, Union, Negate, Separate). |
| Explorer | Right | The hierarchy and tree of every object in the game. |
| Properties | Below Explorer | Properties of the selected object (Name, Size, Anchored, Material). |
| Output | Bottom | Messages and system errors. |
Explorer shows the level structure. Properties lets you edit the selected object's settings. Always select an object before changing its values.
Do this now:
- Select Baseplate and review its Name, Anchored, Size, and Material properties in Properties.
- Open Output from the View tab.
- Review the tools on the Home and Model tabs.
Camera controls
Accurate camera control is essential for placing objects precisely in 3D space.
Viewport navigation:
| Action | Control |
|---|
| Forward / backward | W / S |
| Left / right | A / D |
| Up / down | E / Q |
| Rotate the camera | Right mouse button + move the mouse |
| Zoom in and out | Mouse wheel |
| Focus on an object | Select the object in Explorer and press F |
Use several viewing angles as you work. Inspect the structure from above, from the side, and from the player's perspective. Before applying Union, always inspect the wall from several sides.
Do this now: move the camera above Baseplate. Select Baseplate and press F to focus on it.
Basic building tools
The main object manipulation tools are:
| Key | Tool | Action |
|---|
| 1 | Select | Select an object. |
| 2 | Move | Move an object along the axes. |
| 3 | Scale | Resize an object. |
| 4 | Rotate | Rotate an object around its axis. |
Always enable Snap to Grid on the Home tab. This helps objects align precisely without gaps.
Use Ctrl+D (Duplicate) to copy objects quickly.
Important: all static objects, including walls, floors, and roofs, must have Anchored = true. This fixes them in place so gravity does not make them fall during the game.
Do this now:
- Create a block (Home → Part → Block).
- Rename it
TestBlock. - Use Scale to change its shape, then use Move and Snap to place it on the floor.
- Confirm that Anchored = true, then run Play (F5) to verify that it stays in place.
Geometric shape types (Parts)
Studio provides several basic shapes for modeling:
| Type | Use |
|---|
| Block | Walls, floors, roofs, and basic structures. |
| Sphere | Decorative elements. |
| Wedge | Roof slopes and ramps. |
| Cylinder | Columns, pipes, and chimneys. |
| CornerWedge | Corners for complex slopes. |
You will build the house frame entirely from Blocks because they provide a reliable shape for learning Union.
Do this now: add one Sphere, one Wedge, and one Cylinder to the scene. Resize and rotate them, then delete them to clear the space for the house.
Object properties (Properties)
These are the main properties you will use:
| Property | Meaning | Example |
|---|
| Name | The object's name in the hierarchy | Wall_Front. |
| Size | Dimensions along X, Y, and Z in studs | 20, 1, 16. |
| Position | The object's coordinates | Changed with the Move tool. |
| Orientation | Rotation angle in degrees | 0, 90, 0. |
| BrickColor / Color | The object's color | Any standard color. |
| Material | The material texture | Plastic, Wood, Brick. |
| Anchored | Fixes the object in 3D space | true (required for walls). |
| CanCollide | Enables physical collision | true. |
Give objects clear names as soon as you create them. This makes it much easier to find specific parts later.
Do this now: change the Material and BrickColor properties of any test block, then delete it.
Creating openings with Negate and Union
Constructive solid geometry (CSG) tools let you cut sections out of objects.
Creating a window
- Select a wall, such as
Wall_Left. - Create a new block and name it
WindowCut_01. - Set the cutout size. It must be thicker than the wall.
- Place the cutout block inside the wall where the window will be. Check its position from several angles.
- Select
WindowCut_01 and choose Negate on the Model tab. The block will become translucent. - Select the wall and cutout block together by holding Ctrl, then choose Union.
- Rename the resulting object and enable Anchored = true.
Doorway
Repeat the same process for Wall_Front, but position the cutout block so that it touches the floor. The opening must be tall enough for the character to pass through, at least 5 studs.
If Union produces the wrong result, select the object and choose Separate to split it apart and correct the problem.
Do this now
Create at least two windows and one doorway. Check the results in Play mode.
Project completion requirements
Review your work before completing the lesson.
- Object names: Every part in Explorer should have a meaningful name (
Floor, Wall_Front, Roof). - Anchoring: Confirm that every part has Anchored = true.
- Play test: Run the level and try to walk through the doorway.
- Saving: Confirm that the project is saved to Roblox with the correct name.
Later lessons cover facade decoration, lighting, and scripts. For now, focus on accurate geometry and a clean frame.
Do this now: complete the checks above.
Common mistakes
The walls fall or collapse after starting PlayAnchored is disabled. Union can reset this property automatically.
Correct: Select every part of the house and set Anchored = true. Always check this after using Union.
Explorer or Properties is missingThe panels were closed accidentally.
Correct: Open the View tab and enable Explorer and Properties.
Union does not cut all the way through the wallThe cutout block was not converted with Negate, or it is thinner than the wall.
Correct: Apply Negate to the cutout block. Before using Union, make sure it extends through both sides of the wall.
Union combined extra partsMore than two objects were selected.
Correct: Undo the action (Ctrl+Z) or use Separate. Select only the required wall and cutout block, then repeat the operation.
The character cannot pass through the doorThe doorway is too small or does not reach the floor.
Correct: Check the opening height in Play mode. Increase the cutout block dimensions and repeat Union.
The project was not savedThe project was saved only locally or was not saved at all.
Correct: Use File → Save to Roblox and give the level a clear name.
Gaps appear between the wallsThe objects were moved without Snap to Grid enabled.
Correct: Enable Snap to Grid to align the blocks precisely.
Summary
In this lesson, you reviewed the Studio interface, basic modeling tools, object types, and the use of CSG (Negate + Union) to create openings. You created and saved the course's first structural project, a house model.