#Quickstart — VS Code extension

The extension wires URDF Studio into VS Code as a custom editor and a set of language services. It works on any folder you have open in the editor; no extra setup is needed once installed.

#1. Install

From the VS Code Marketplace or by running ext install deyuf.urdf-studio from the command palette.

#2. Open a robot

Any of the following opens the preview:

• Right-click a .urdf, .urdf.xacro, or .xacro file in the explorer → Open With → URDF Studio Preview.
• Open the file in the regular text editor and run URDF Studio: Open Preview from the command palette (⌘⇧P / Ctrl+Shift+P).
• Use the inline editor-title action that appears for URDF/xacro files.

#3. Resolve package://

By default the extension scans every folder in your VS Code workspace for package.xml. Packages found this way are available to every preview.

Add extra roots via settings if your packages live outside the workspace:

// settings.json
{
  "urdfStudio.packageRoots": [
    "~/ros2_ws/src",
    "/opt/ros/humble/share"
  ]
}

Paths can be absolute or relative to the first workspace folder.

#4. Drive and inspect

Same panel layout as the web build — Joints, Inspector, Checks, Links, Tools. The only difference is the host integration:

• Save Pose persists to the workspace state (per-document).
• Bookmarks also persist per-workspace.
• Export Pose opens a new JSON document next to the URDF.
• Capture Screenshot writes a PNG into urdf-studio-screenshots/.
• Disable Collisions writes directly into your SRDF file.

#5. Language services

Beyond the preview, the extension provides editor features on URDF and xacro source:

• Diagnostics — every error/warning surfaced inside the preview also shows up in the Problems panel, with line numbers.
• Hover — joint/link details and resolved mesh paths inline.
• Go to Definition / Find References — jump between joint parent/child references and their link declarations.
• Document Symbols — links and joints appear in the outline and breadcrumb.

#Commands

#Settings