Understanding the Roblox Packages Workflow: Roblox Staff Videos

Summary

This Roblox tutorial by environment artist K Monkey dives into the package system's workflow, teaching how to create and manage packages with different asset types. It covers best practices for grouping assets before packaging, using the right-click menu for package management, and leveraging packages for team collaboration and version control. The video also explores common mistakes to avoid and the advantages of using model groups for packaging, ensuring a more efficient and flexible asset management process.

Takeaways

• 📦 The video is a tutorial on Roblox's package system, focusing on creating packages with different asset types and understanding the workflow.
• 🔄 It emphasizes the importance of using the right-click menu options for package management, including publishing and updating packages.
• 👷‍♂️ The presenter, K Monkey, explains how to group assets before packaging to maintain transformation data, which is crucial for moving and rotating objects without modifying the package.
• 📌 A warning is highlighted when packaging a folder without a model, as it lacks locational data and can lead to unintended modifications.
• 🔍 The video demonstrates the consequences of not following best practices, such as trying to move a package that was created from a simple mesh without a model group.
• 🛠️ It showcases how to use the 'undo changes to package' feature to revert unwanted modifications and maintain a clean package state.
• 🔄 The 'get latest package' option is introduced for updating placements to the most recent package version.
• 🔑 The 'package details' feature is explored, allowing users to view and manage package configurations, permissions, and version history.
• 🔍 The 'compare package version' tool is highlighted as a valuable resource for understanding changes between package versions, aiding in team collaboration and decision-making.
• 🔧 The video also covers how to manually roll back a package to a previous version as a workaround when needed, and the limitations of the current system in this regard.
• 🔗 Finally, it wraps up with an introduction to the third video in the series, which will delve into advanced package usage.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video by Curb Monkey, a principal environment artist at ROBLOX?

The video focuses on teaching the package workflow in ROBLOX, including creating packages with different asset types, using right-click menu options, and how packages can aid in team collaboration and act as version control for assets.

Why is it recommended to model group an object before converting it into a package in ROBLOX?

Model grouping an object before converting it into a package is recommended because it retains the transformative data, allowing the package to be moved or modified without incurring a modified state, which is essential for maintaining consistency across all instances of the package.

What happens if you package a mesh directly without putting it in a model group?

Packaging a mesh directly without a model group results in the package entering a modified state when you try to scale or move it, which can cause issues with maintaining consistency across all package instances.

What is the significance of using the 'auto update' feature when creating a package in ROBLOX?

The 'auto update' feature ensures that all instances of the package are automatically updated to the latest version when changes are published, eliminating the need to manually update individual placements.

Why should you avoid packaging 3D assets within a folder?

Avoiding packaging 3D assets within a folder is important because a folder does not contain locational or transformative data. This can lead to issues when trying to move the package, as it will attempt to move the mesh, causing a package modification.

What is the purpose of the 'undo changes to package' right-click menu option in ROBLOX?

The 'undo changes to package' option allows you to revert any modifications made to a package, bringing it back to its last published state, which is useful for correcting unintended changes or mistakes.

How can you manually roll back a package to a previous version in ROBLOX?

You can manually roll back a package by deleting the package link, pasting the contents of an older version into a new package, and then publishing the changes. This method allows you to override the current package with the desired older version.

What does the 'compare package version' tool in ROBLOX allow you to do?

The 'compare package version' tool allows you to view and understand the changes made between different versions of a package, helping you to identify what has been modified, added, or removed.

Why is it beneficial to use a model group as the container for everything that's going to be packaged?

Using a model group as the container for everything to be packaged provides flexibility, as it allows you to add or replace objects within the package without being stuck with the original objects. It also retains the transformative data necessary for moving the package without incurring a modified state.

How does the package system in ROBLOX help with team collaboration and asset management?

The package system facilitates team collaboration by allowing multiple team members to work with the same assets without conflicts. It also serves as a version control system, enabling teams to track changes, roll back to previous versions if needed, and ensure that all team members are working with the most up-to-date assets.

Outlines

00:00

📦 Package Workflow Basics

In this segment, Curb Monkey, a principal environment artist at ROBLOX, introduces the concept of packages in Roblox Studio. He explains the importance of using packages for asset management, collaboration among team members, and as a version control system. The video serves as the second part of a three-part series, with the first focusing on package introduction and basics, and the third on advanced package usage. Curb Monkey demonstrates the process of creating packages using different asset types, the right-click menu options, and the implications of packaging objects in different ways, such as model groups, individual meshes, and folders. He emphasizes the best practice of grouping objects before converting them into packages and the potential issues that can arise from not doing so.

05:03

🔄 Modifying Packages and Transformative Data

This paragraph delves into the consequences of packaging 3D assets in various ways, such as within a folder or as a standalone mesh. Curb Monkey illustrates the importance of transformative data by showing how moving a package without it results in a modified state. He advises against packaging within a folder due to the lack of locational data, which can complicate asset management. The segment also covers the use of model groups as a container for assets to be packaged, allowing for easier manipulation and updates. Curb Monkey further explains the limitations of direct mesh packaging without a model group and how it can restrict asset modification and movement.

10:06

🛠️ Package Right-Click Menu Options

Curb Monkey explores the various options available in the package right-click menu in Roblox Studio. He discusses the 'Publish Package' and 'Undo Changes to Package' features, demonstrating how to revert unwanted modifications. He also explains the importance of keeping packages in a 'clean state' to receive updates and introduces the 'Get Latest Package' option for syncing with the current version. Additionally, he touches on 'Package Details,' which provides configuration information, and the 'Compare Package Version' tool, a new feature for understanding changes between package versions. This tool is highlighted for its utility in team collaboration and managing package updates.

15:06

🔄 Advanced Package Management Techniques

In this part, Curb Monkey discusses advanced techniques for managing packages, including the 'Update All' feature for synchronizing multiple package instances and manual rollback methods. He provides a workaround for rolling back a package to a previous version by manually overriding the package contents and publishing the updated package. Curb Monkey also mentions the limitations of the current rollback process in the package details, which lacks a preview and change notes, making it a less intuitive method compared to the manual rollback he demonstrated.

20:07

🔄 Package Versioning and Rollback Overview

Curb Monkey wraps up the video by summarizing the package versioning process and providing an overview of how to rollback a package to an earlier version using the package details in the Creator Hub. He points out the challenges of this method due to the lack of detailed information and the absence of change notes, which can make the process confusing. He reiterates the preference for the manual rollback method shown earlier in the video for its clarity and control over the rollback process.

Keywords

💡Package Workflow

Package Workflow refers to the process of creating, managing, and updating packages in Roblox Studio. It is central to the video's theme as it guides viewers on how to effectively use packages to streamline their asset management. In the script, the presenter explains the steps involved in creating packages from different asset types and the importance of the right-click menu options for managing these packages.

💡Environment Artist

An Environment Artist is a professional who specializes in creating digital environments for video games. In the context of the video, 'Curb Monkey' is introduced as an Environment Artist at Roblox, indicating their expertise in designing virtual spaces and environments within the platform, which is directly related to the use of packages for asset management.

💡Asset Types

Asset Types in the video script refer to the different kinds of digital elements that can be created and used in Roblox Studio, such as 3D models, textures, and sounds. The script discusses how to create packages using different asset types, emphasizing the versatility of the packaging system in handling a wide range of assets.

💡Right-Click Menu Options

The Right-Click Menu Options are contextual menus that appear when a user right-clicks on an object in Roblox Studio. These options are crucial for managing packages, as they provide quick access to functions like publishing, updating, and undoing changes. The script explains how to use these options for efficient package management.

💡Collaboration

Collaboration in the video script pertains to the teamwork aspect of using packages in Roblox development. It highlights how packages can facilitate the sharing and synchronization of assets among team members, which is essential for large projects. The script mentions that packages can help in 'collaboration across team members' and 'place files'.

💡Version Control

Version Control is a system that tracks changes to a project's assets over time. In the context of the video, it refers to using the package system as a method to manage different versions of assets, ensuring that updates are consistent and that previous versions can be reverted to if necessary. The script discusses the importance of version control for asset management.

💡Model Group

A Model Group in Roblox Studio is a way to organize and group objects together for easier manipulation and packaging. The script emphasizes the best practice of modeling an object into a group before converting it into a package, which allows for better management of locational and transformative data.

💡Auto Update

Auto Update is a feature in the package system that automatically updates all instances of a package when changes are published. The script mentions turning on 'auto update' as a standard practice after creating a package, which helps in maintaining consistency across all uses of the package.

💡Modified State

A Modified State in the context of the video refers to a package that has been altered from its last published version. The script explains that being in a modified state can prevent a package from receiving updates and that it's important to revert to a 'clean state' to ensure updates are applied.

💡Compare Package Version

Compare Package Version is a tool within Roblox Studio that allows users to view and understand the differences between package versions. The script describes this tool as 'extremely helpful' for determining what changes have occurred within a package, which is vital for team collaboration and maintaining version control.

💡Roll Back

Roll Back in the script refers to the action of reverting a package to a previous version. The video explains different methods to manually roll back a package, which is useful for undoing unwanted changes or restoring an asset to an earlier state. The script provides examples of how to roll back using both the package details and a manual method.

Highlights

Introduction to the package workflow by K monkey, a principal environment artist at Roblox.

Explanation of how to create packages using different asset types.

The importance of using the right-click menu options for package management.

How packages can facilitate collaboration among team members and manage place files.

The use of packages as a version control system for assets.

Demonstration of converting different asset types into packages, including model groups and individual meshes.

The consequences of packaging without a model group and the recommendation to use one.

Discussion on the limitations of using a folder as a package container.

The benefits of using a model group for transformative data and ease of movement.

Common mistakes when packaging meshes and how to avoid them.

The flexibility of the package system for including various asset types beyond 3D objects.

Overview of the package right-click menu options in Roblox Studio.

How to use 'undo changes to package' to revert unwanted modifications.

The functionality of 'get latest package' to update to the most current version.

Details on using the 'compare package version' tool for understanding changes between versions.

The process of manually rolling back a package to a previous version.

The limitations of the current package rollback method and a proposed workaround.

Conclusion and anticipation for the third video on advanced package usage.

Transcripts

in this video curb monkey a principal

environment artist at ROBLOX teaches you

about the package's workflow he'll cover

how to create packages using different

asset types the rightclick menu options

and how packages can help collaboration

across team members and place files and

act as a Version Control for your assets

feel free to use the time stamps to jump

to the topics that interest you this is

the second of three Roblox staff videos

that talk about packages the other two

videos in the series along with

additional information and resources can

be found in the description

hey Roblox Studio Builders K monkey here

again on the second video of the

three-part series of the package system

tutorial in this video we'll be going

over creating packages using different

asset types the update and rightclick

menu options collaborating across team

members and place files and common

mistakes as well as using the package

system as Source control for your

assets just as a recap the first video

went into package introduction and

basics in the third video we'll go over

Advanced package

usage so let's Dive Right In so in the

first video we talked about how and why

you should use packages and how to

create them I kind of want to dive in a

little bit on making packages out of

different asset

types first example here I have a fire

hydron and I mentioned in the first

video that you always or at least 90% of

the time you want to model group an

object before you convert it into a

package so here if I go into group as a

model this is going to be the best way

for me

to create a package out of this object

I'm just going to copy and paste the

name

here um but what happens if you don't do

that I'm going

to duplicate that

hydrant and pull it over just as an

example also going to make another copy

of this I'm going to place it in a fold

room and what I'm doing here is just

just showing you what happens if you

make packages different asset types so

we have three identical meshes but we're

going to package them up

differently this one is in a model group

this one's going to just be a mesh and

this one's going to be in a folder

now the

folder doesn't have any locational data

about it

so brings up some interesting um use

cases but most of the time again you're

going to want to

group your asset before converting to a

package so let me go down the line here

and I'll convert each one of these into

a

package so fire

hydrant we'll just put group here

here submit that

one then this one it's just going to be

a

mesh submit that

one then this one's our folder we're

going to come up here just rename this

folder hydrant as

well and conver this into a package and

you'll notice right as I try to convert

a folder into a package comes up with a

warning this object has 3D content in it

but is not a model so moving or rotating

it will count as a modified package are

you sure you want to continue I'm going

to say yes here just for this example so

these are all packages and again I'm

going to go in to my package links and

turn them all on to auto update that's

again something I do every time I create

one that way I don't have to go around

and and

update individual placements so now that

I created three packages I'm going to

make a copy of each one and just kind of

move it and show you what happens so on

this one the one that is a model group

and kind of set up uh in the best

practices

way um that one moved fine we're going

to duplicate this one that that moved

fine as well and now going to click on

the folder which is the parent um

package container for this folder

package and I'm going to duplicate and

move it and you can see as soon as I did

that because the folder itself doesn't

have any locational or transformative

data in it it's basically trying to move

the mesh so this is why you want to

avoid trying to package things in a

folder I'm going to say okay here anyway

come back to this one and hit publish to

package let's see what happens you can

see because this folder doesn't have any

transformative data in it the only way

to move that mesh was to physically move

the underlying child which incurred a

package modification and now you can see

both of my packages are in the same

spot so this is this is one guy you on

um trying to package Up 3D

assets within a folder group now there

are times that you can package things

that are in um a folder scripts for

example would be one where there isn't

actually a physical location to that

script in 3D space but models you really

shouldn't do this and you should stick

to a model if you do have things that

are you know in a folder and you want to

keep that folder structure that's

perfect perfectly fine the only thing

you need to do if you want this type of

hierarchy in your package is to go ahead

and group that folder into a model group

again this will give you the

transformative data that you need to

move the package around without

incurring a modified state so I'm going

to go ahead and package this convert to

package

click the auto update on and now if I

duplicate this and move it around you

notice that transformative data is being

saved with inside the model group and

the folder that's underlying now is is

okay so again you want to add things

into a model group before packaging um

another issue I want to bring up is with

just

packaging a mesh Straight Out of the Box

without putting it in a model group

let's say this was a rock or a bush um

and you wanted to get that variation of

size through an organic model um I'm

just using a fire hydrant here because

that's what I started with but let's try

to let's try to scale

this and you're going to see as soon as

I try to scale it's

basically putting my package into a

modified state I'm going to revert

changes here here that was a non-uniform

scale but you can also do the same thing

in a uniform scale and it's going to

it's going to pull up this modified

state I'm going to revert changes again

and just show you the difference in the

model group because the model group

contains that

transformative data and it's not

actually scaling the underlying

assets we can get away with adding all

that

variation via

size you know whether it's a small Bush

a small rock a large Bush or a large

Rock it's all the same package and the

package isn't entering into a modified

state so that affords us that variation

that we need to fill out a a world and

make it look like each Rock has its own

size or each bush has uh has its own

size the other reason to use a model

group is that you can think of this

model group as the bucket of things that

will be packaged or can be packaged up

so in this example I'm just going to

come over here and I'm going to grab

this park

bench copy it and I'm going to paste it

into this model group paste into at

original location it's going to say hey

you're adding something to the package

you're entering a modified State and

again say okay I'm going to pull

this right next to this fire

hydrant I'm actually going to delete the

fire

hydrant um just to just to prove a point

here so now I have a package that's

named fire hydrant and fire hydrant is

gone but I do have a park bench in there

now I'm going to publish

this and we're going to see the the copy

of it behind is auto updated as we'd

expect and this just goes to show that

because we're using that model group as

that that bucket or container for

everything that's going to be p packaged

we aren't stuck with that fire hydrant

as being part of our package where if

you package up just a a mesh by itself

without without first putting it in a

model group you're kind of stuck with

that mesh that mesh always has to be

there because this package link is is

childood to that object um do the same

thing here where we're going to grab the

park bench

we're going to copy it and we're going

to paste it and in this case we have to

paste it with inside the mesh itself so

paste into at original location it's

going to say hey you're you're um

entering a modified State on this

package uh we're going to say

okay but in this case I can't delete

that fire hydrant even if I wanted to I

can't delete it um because it is the

parent container for the package link so

I'm kind of we're kind of stuck with

that mesh in this package now

which isn't really what I want um I'll

go ahead and publish here and you can

see the second one picked up the the

update of the bench being in here but I

don't want the fire hydrant now um so if

I actually there's no way for me to

delete this or to move the package link

under another object you can see here um

you can't reparent package

link so we've kind of got ourselves into

a corner here um and there's no way to

really change this the only way to do

this is just you know delete this

package and start with and start by

creating a brand new package that has a

model group as its parent um there are a

couple plugins that you know if you do

make this mistake and you've placed

um a ton of your packages that actually

we're we made out of a model there are

replace plugins that you can use to

quickly fix this issue um so here I'm

going

to select the fire hydrant and there's a

replace

objects plugin that's really useful use

it all the time and this will replace

selected objects with the last

selected um object or asset so I've

selected this this package and I've

selected the the one I want to replace

it with and I've replaced it and it the

uh pivot Points were in different spots

so um it did move but I I could have

done all three of these or all two of

these replacing with the actual one I

want to

use and this is just a quick way of

replacing even if you've even if you've

placed a bunch of non-packaged

um assets down and you're like oh I

forgot to package everything up this is

a really easy way of um creating a

package and just replacing all your

placements with your your new

package and the package system isn't

just meant for meshes and 3D objects you

can package up basically any asset

within Roblox Studio from scripts to UI

surface UI

goys um

also effects and sound effects so

basically anything that you want to

share across Place files or across

placements within your place file you

can package that object up for

reusability so don't think that it's

just the 3D meshes or um artwork it's

it's anything with inside of

studio um so once you kind of get that

in your head you can really start to use

the full power of the packages

system so now let's go through some of

the package rightclick menu options

within the

Explorer so here you'll see we have a a

bunch of options in the package section

here we have publish package which we've

already seen we have undo changes to

package um let me demonstrate that one

I'm going to go ahead and add a part to

this fire hydrant

and just going to place

it just right in inside

here and let's say I didn't want to do

this modification uh I I'm kind of in

a spot where I did something to it or um

that I didn't want to or I I

accidentally did something to it and I

wasn't even aware that I did it um so in

this state um if I've done something and

I don't want to publish it um even if I

deleted this cube out of here this part

out of here it would still be in a

modified State because I've I've kind of

opened it up for editing and if I wanted

to revert that that's all you have to do

is go into the right click menu and do

undo changes to package and that will

bring you back uh into its its current

version um having something in a

modified state will also keep that

object or that placement from receiving

any changes so um just to demonstrate

that I'm going to add another part to

this one over

here I'm going to change it to a sphere

or a ball make it little easier to work

with

um let's say I wanted this sphere to be

on the top of all of my hydrants so I'm

going to I'm going to publish

that publish the package you'll see all

of the packages have updated but this

one that was left in a modified State

won't get that modification because it

is modified any package that uh you want

to have receive updates needs to be in

what I like to call a clean state so one

thing you can do here is undo package or

undo changes to package and that will

automatically tell it to get the latest

version um and now you can see it's back

in a clean State the other item on the

list is get latest package so this is if

somehow if you've

reverted

your package version down to something

other than the current you can see now I

have that recirculation saying that it's

not at the current state and you can

right click on an object and say get

latest package and that will

also uh automatically fetch the latest

version you can see how it went I forced

it to two and it came back up to three I

don't believe let me see I think if you

have

a

modification on object you can't get

latest um because you're in a modified

state so what you'd have to do first is

undo the changes and then get

latest next on the list is package

details and this is this is interesting

uh it pulls up uh the

configuration file

[Music]

for this

package and there's a bunch of um

information in here the title you can

change the the

name or the title of the package you

can't

change um the Creator if it's created

under your account or a group account

there's no way to switch those um

there's some permissions you can see who

has permissions to this object um and

within a group you can see

the the roles and what permissions each

role has and you you can also see the

version number and I'll get into this a

little bit more later in this video so

there is some information in in this um

but not a ton and we'll um get into some

more deeper dives into the

information here with the compare

package version and this is a new tool

which is uh extremely helpful for

understanding what changed within a

version of a package um

we could do a video just on this

window but here we can see we have two

view planes um and we're comparing

version three with our local copy and

our local copy is at version three so

just to show this off let's go down and

look at version one you can see now

version one does not have the sphere on

top where our local copy

or version three does

have the sphere on top and you can

see

um see the changes that happened uh

within this package we deleted a

folder that had a copy of the mesh in it

and we've also added a part which is our

our sphere here we can also go to

properties and we can click on each

object and if there was anything that

changed um you'll see that highlighted

here you can see on the version one this

the part was not a member of the package

so it's not showing any data but over on

the right hand side in version 3 view

you can see all the properties for

that sphere so this is really handy and

trying to figure out what changed um

between packages

and this kind of gets into team

collaboration right you can see what has

changed if you're using a package from

someone that um maybe you grabbed a

package off the market place and it

changed for some reason you can come in

here and kind of investigate what

changes happened and maybe decide which

version you want to use depending on

what changes have been made to that

package but that's a brief overview

of the rightclick menu and the package

version tool

that's built in

there one other rightclick menu option

that I want to go over is the update all

so if you have a bunch of packages that

for whatever reason you decided not to

have the auto update feature

on um this is a way that you can update

all of your placements of that package

without having that feature turned on so

I'm going to go in and delete the sphere

sphere that we had put on top of that

hydrant I'm also going to change its

color just just to show this off a

little bit more clearly so I'm going to

publish the package and you'll notice

all the other placements of this package

are still at version two or three let's

see which one says that this is at four

so all of these are at version three

um and if I wanted

to update all of those I could either go

through and select them if they're in

you know all throughout my hierarchy and

in different folders uh the other way to

do that is to update all and this will

basically pull

up the and show you the entire uh Place

file that's going to be updated if you

hit update here it'll run through and it

shows you its update progress and when

you close and come back you notice all

of those have now been forced into the

fourth revision also wanted to touch on

um how you can manually roll

back a

package so here I'm going to make

another copy of this move it out five

studs and in this package here I'm going

to delete or not delete the package link

but in this package here I'm going to

roll back to version three

so now I have my sphere back in here and

I have the yellow color I'm actually

going to

break the link here so at version three

and I can't

publish the changes because there's a

newer version and it won't let me

override that version so we're going to

kind of do a little work around here and

we're going to delete the package link

we're going to grab these two parts and

we're going to cut them and

grab a

package that's at version 4 I'm going to

paste into at original location it's

going to tell me that I'm in a modified

state I'm going to

delete the contents of that version 4

package now I have the contents from

version 3 in the version 4 package

that's in a modified state I'm going to

snap this back to the

original position and then I'm going to

publish and what this is going to do is

basically

override

um the meshes and parts I had in that

package and now you'll notice that I'm

at version five so version five is

basically a roll back of version three I

can come in again and do update

all and you can see all of

those fire hydrants are now have the

little sphere top and they're back to

yellow and if we look at their package

links they're also at version five so we

currently don't have a way to roll back

um and publish and this is kind of a

little work around to um achieve

that there is one more way to roll back

a a package to a previous version um and

if go into

the um package details you can see

version here

um this is one way to do it but it's uh

it's a little bit difficult to know what

you're actually rolling back to the

there's no way to see a preview of this

um but you can click the version and it

will roll that back um it's a a little

bit of a blind process this and we're

hoping to get this

functionality into the compare package

versions

tool as you can see uh I have a time and

date stamp here for this I'm going to go

ahead and pick version one and then

submit and it it basically uploaded that

and here it gives you a link to the

actual package on the Creator hub

bring this over

here um here you can't really see much

information you can't see the version

number on here but now we're rolled back

to version

one as you can see all of these are at

an old version so I'm going to update

all once

again close and you can see that now I'm

at version

six so version six is basically a copy

of version one it's a little bit um

confusing and hard to understand um

what's what here but if you go back into

your package

details you can see now I have a version

six you can pull up um in Creator Hub um

you can get to

your package and its version history by

typing in the package number here and

this one at least shows that here's the

current published version which is

version one but it's also the version

for version six so this one gives you a

little bit more detail but again you

can't um you can't see any details as

you can in the uh package versioning

tool um you can also restore here as

well but again it's um kind of Flying

Blind cuz you you can't really inspect

that package and there's there's no

change notes in this to help you in that

process so I always like doing the the

manual roll back method that I showed

previously but this is another way that

you can achieve that same

goal and that's going to about wrap it

up for the second video of the series

package workflows stay tuned for the

third video Advanced package usage

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