2.2 Starting Webots

The first you start Webots it will open the "Welcome to Webots !" menu with list of possible starting points.

2.2.1 Linux

Open a terminal and type webots to launch Webots.

2.2.2 Mac OS X

Open the directory in which you installed the Webots package and double-click on the Webots icon.

2.2.3 Windows

From Windows Start menu, go to the Program Files | Cyberbotics menu and click on the Webots 6.2.1 menu item.

2.2.4 Command Line Arguments

Following command line options are available when starting Webots from a Terminal (Linux/Mac) or a Command Prompt (Windows):

SYNOPSIS: webots [options] [worldfile] OPTIONS:   --minimize     minimize Webots window on startup   --mode=<mode>  choose startup mode (overrides application preferences)                  argument <mode> must be one of: stop, run or fast   --help         display this help message and exit   --version      display version information and exit

The optional worldfile argument specifies the name of a .wbt file to open. If it is not specified, Webots attempts to open the most recently opened file.

The --minimize option is used to minimize Webots window on startup. It also skips the splash screen and the eventual Welcome Dialog. This option is used avoid cluttering the screen with windows when automatically launching Webots from scripts. Usually the --minimize mode is used together with the --mode=fast option in order to enable the fast simulation speed, e.g. webots --minimize --mode=fast filename.wbt

The --mode=<mode> option can be used to start Webots in the specified execution mode. The three possible execution modes are: stop, run and fast; they correspond to the simulation control buttons of Webots' graphical user interface. This option overides, but does not modify, the startup mode saved in Webots' preferences. For example, type webots --mode=stop filename.wbt to start Webots in stop mode.

2.2.5 Environment Variables used by Webots

Following environment variables are available to control Webots output:

Defining the WEBOTS_STDOUT and WEBOTS_STDERR variables, has the effect of redirecting Webots console output to the calling terminal or process. For example, this can be used to redirect the controllers output to a file or to pipe it to a shell command. WEBOTS_STDOUT redirects the stdout stream of the controllers, while WEBOTS_STDERR redirects the stderr stream. Note that the stderr stream may also contain Webots error or warning messages. You can enable the redirection like this (Mac/Linux):

$ export WEBOTS_STDOUT=1 $ export WEBOTS_STDERR=1 $ webots

$ export WEBOTS_STDOUT= $ export WEBOTS_STDERR= $ webots

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