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Simulation & digital-asset dossier · 05

Webots assets & PROTOs: from searchable catalogue to controlled simulation dependency

Use Webots robot, actuator, sensor, joint and appearance assets through explicit repository, release and PROTO dependency records, while separating bundled open-source material from community-hosted resources and vendor-derived geometry.

Evidence statusOpen-source simulator · catalogue combines bundled and externally hosted assets · validation remains model-specificSources checked 4 August 2026
Read the digital asset map ↓Back to simulation references ↗

Identify the exact asset first

A catalogue name cannot replace the exact format, upstream commit, generation arguments, runtime and licence.

Webots is an open-source, multi-platform robot simulator maintained by Cyberbotics. Its asset ecosystem spans robots, actuators, sensors, joints, appearances, objects and vehicles; webots.cloud can index PROTO assets hosted in public GitHub repositories, so catalogue discovery and asset provenance are distinct layers.

Digital asset map

Put formats, geometry, dynamics, scenes, loaders, versions and provenance onto one dependency map.

01

Worlds, nodes & PROTOs

Publicly available

World files compose simulation nodes; PROTO definitions package reusable robots, devices, objects and configurable interfaces.

Verify before adoption

Freeze Webots release, world file, every EXTERNPROTO URL, field value, controller and transitive dependency.

02

Robot and device catalogue

Publicly available

Searchable assets include wheeled, tracked, legged, arm, drone and vehicle models plus actuators, sensors and joints.

Verify before adoption

Record catalogue URL, hosting repository, commit, asset version, device assumptions and model-specific documentation.

03

Geometry, physics & appearance

Publicly available

Meshes, bounding objects, mass, inertia, joints, motors, sensors and PBR appearances define different simulation layers.

Verify before adoption

Separate visual and collision geometry; inspect units, bounding objects, inertials, motor limits, device rates and texture provenance.

04

Controllers & integrations

Publicly available

Controllers can be written through several language APIs, with ROS and ROS 2 integration available for selected workflows.

Verify before adoption

Pin controller runtime, API version, robot time step, external middleware, messages and real-time assumptions.

Layered licence reading

Loaders, model XML, meshes, textures, brands and generated outputs may belong to entirely different rights layers.

Asset layerKnown statusAdoption decision
Webots source repository

The primary Webots repository publishes the Apache License 2.0 for the repository work.

Preserve the licence and notices, and pin the release or commit actually used.

Externally hosted PROTOs

webots.cloud may index assets hosted in independent public GitHub repositories with their own terms.

Check the hosting repository and file-level notices; catalogue inclusion is not rights clearance.

Vendor models, textures & marks

A simulation model can incorporate vendor-derived names, shapes, textures or data beyond simulator code.

Separate technical study from redistribution, endorsement and physical reproduction claims.

This table is a source-navigation and engineering-decision aid, not legal advice. Use original licence texts and qualified advice for an actual decision.

Model & asset validation gates

From identity freeze and structural checks to behavioural calibration and experiment replay, prove what the model can support one gate at a time.

  1. 01

    Dependency and rights freeze

    Evidence to preserve

    Webots release, world, PROTO graph, repository commits, controller files, meshes, textures, checksums and licence manifest.

    Stop condition

    Stop when an external PROTO, asset source or governing licence cannot be resolved.

  2. 02

    Model structure checks

    Evidence to preserve

    Node tree, fields, coordinate systems, bounding objects, joints, motor limits, mass, inertia and device placement.

    Stop condition

    Do not rely on a visually correct model with unresolved collision, unit or device-frame errors.

  3. 03

    Runtime and controller regression

    Evidence to preserve

    Fixed timestep, controller environment, API calls, sensor rates, deterministic inputs, expected outputs and failure records.

    Stop condition

    Do not compare controllers across releases until runtime and asset differences are measured.

  4. 04

    Physical correspondence

    Evidence to preserve

    Measured dimensions, mass properties, actuator response, sensor timing, contact behaviour and task-specific error bounds.

    Stop condition

    Do not present catalogue presence or successful animation as evidence of a validated digital twin.

FUURAA analysis

A digital asset becomes valuable when a team can explain where it came from, how it changed and which behaviours have been proven.

01

Best use

Rapidly assembling diverse robots, devices and environments in a mature desktop simulation workflow with accessible controller APIs.

02

Main risk

The unified catalogue presentation can obscure whether an asset is bundled, externally hosted, version-pinned, physically calibrated or separately licensed.

03

FUURAA judgement

Treat every PROTO URL as a supply-chain dependency. Materialise it, record its rights and validate only the model properties required by the task.

Applicability boundary

Simulation assets can accelerate research, training and integration; they do not automatically become manufacturing drawings, a physical digital twin or a safety case.

Can support

  • Robot, sensor and environment asset discovery
  • Controller prototyping and education
  • Repeatable Webots scenario testing

This page cannot replace

  • Upstream engineering files and manufacturing data
  • Measured physical calibration and safety evidence
  • Per-asset licence and trademark review
Continue into the robot product development pathFrom digital model and verification to controlled prototype →