---
title: "Get started"
url: /docs/en-us/tutorials/curriculums/animator/get-started
last_updated: 2026-07-10T16:32:01Z
description: "Explains how to get started with opening a project."
---

# Get started

Welcome to your first beginner animation lesson in Studio! To get started, let's walk through how to open the sample template, customize Studio's layout for your tasks, and playtest the core gameplay of the game where players move around a track to earn stars.

## Open template

Templates are pre-made 3D worlds that you can use as the base for your own games. To introduce you to animation in Studio, Roblox has created the **Island of Move** template with everything necessary for the game to work properly, such as the code to run the gameplay and an environment that you can customize at a later time.

> **Info:** For a full list of Roblox-provided templates, see [Templates](/docs/en-us/resources/templates.md).

Click the following button to open the **Island of Move** template:

## Customize workspace

Roblox Studio launches with extra windows open that you don't need for this lesson. You can close these extra windows to create more space for what you're currently working on.

To customize the workspace for your animating task:

1. Close any open window on the **left side** of Studio by clicking the **×** in the window's upper-right corner. If you don't see anything to close, go to the next step.
2. Leave the **Explorer** and **Properties** window open on the right side of Studio. If you have done each step correctly, Studio looks like the following image.
  > **Warning:** If you don't see the **Explorer** and **Properties** windows, open them from Studio's **Window** menu.

## Playtest the game

Before you start animating, it's important to take a moment to playtest the template so you can see how the gameplay works. When players join the game, they make progress around the track by clicking the move button, or using a mobile device and moving around in real-life.

To playtest the game's gameplay:

1. In the top-left corner of Studio, keep the default **Test** playtest option, then click the **Play** button. Studio enters playtest mode.
  > **Info:** There are a variety of additional playtest options that you will explore in a later chapter of the tutorial.
2. In the game, use the following player controls to walk up to the golem character on the stage, then press `E` to open up a menu. From that menu, click **Play Game**. | **Action** | **Control** |
| --- | --- | | **Move** | `W` `A` `S` `D` or arrow keys | | **Rotate** | Hold the right mouse button and look around. | | **Pan** | Hold the middle mouse button to drag your camera around. |
3. When the game starts, go forward by repeatedly clicking the **Move** button. Your character automatically follows the track as you click.
4. When you're done, return to the top-left corner of Studio, then click the **Stop** button. Studio exits playtest mode.

Now that you are familiar with the gameplay, it's time to start animating!