6 min read

Source: Roblox Creator Hub · CC BY 4.0 · View source · Code samples: MIT Imported 2026-10-03. Formatting adapted for this site.

ControllerBase

Inherits from: Instance → Object

ControllerBase is the abstract base class for the controllers that a ControllerManager uses to move its assigned character: GroundController, AirController, SwimController, and ClimbController. Each controller is parented to a ControllerManager and supplies the movement and balance behavior for one locomotion state, and the manager activates one controller at a time. This class isn't created directly; instead create one of its derived controllers. It defines the balance and movement properties shared by all of them.

Inherits from: Instance

Descendants: AirController, ClimbController, GroundController, SwimController

Memory category: Instances

Tags: NotCreatable

Properties

NameType / ReturnsDescription
ControllerBase.ActivebooleanWhether this controller is currently the active controller of its ControllerManager.
ControllerBase.BalanceRigidityEnabledbooleanWhether the controller holds its balance orientation rigidly instead of with a spring response.
ControllerBase.MoveSpeedFactorfloatThe value multiplied by the ControllerManager.BaseMoveSpeed.

Inherited from Instance

NameType / ReturnsDescription
Instance.ArchivablebooleanDetermines if an Instance and its descendants can be cloned using Instance:Clone(), and can be saved/published.
Instance.archivableboolean
Instance.CapabilitiesSecurityCapabilitiesThe set of capabilities allowed to be used for scripts inside this container.
Instance.IsInSandboxbooleanIndicates whether the instance is inside a sandboxed container.
Instance.NamestringA non-unique identifier of the Instance.
Instance.ParentInstanceDetermines the hierarchical parent of the Instance.
Instance.PredictionModePredictionModeReflects the client-side prediction mode applied to the instance under server-authoritative physics.
Instance.RobloxLockedbooleanA deprecated property that used to protect CoreGui objects.
Instance.SandboxedbooleanWhen enabled, the instance can only access abilities in its Capabilities list.
Instance.UniqueIdUniqueIdA unique identifier for the instance.

Inherited from Object

NameType / ReturnsDescription
Object.ClassNamestringA read-only string representing the class this Object belongs to.
Object.classNamestring

ControllerBase.Active

Indicates whether this controller is the one currently driving its parent ControllerManager. The manager activates the controller referenced by its ControllerManager.ActiveController property and sets that controller's Active to true; when the controller is no longer the active one, it is deactivated and Active returns to false. This property is read-only and defaults to false.

FieldValue
typeboolean
tags["ReadOnly","NotReplicated"]
security{"read":"None","write":"None"}
thread safetyReadSafe
categoryData
serialization{"can_load":false,"can_save":false}
simulationAccesstrue

ControllerBase.BalanceRigidityEnabled

Controls how the controller keeps its character oriented while active. When false (the default), the balance constraint is compliant and corrects orientation with a spring-damper response tuned by the controller's balance properties, such as its balance torque and balance speed. When true, the constraint instead holds the target orientation rigidly, and those balance-tuning properties no longer apply. Defaults to false.

FieldValue
typeboolean
security{"read":"None","write":"None"}
thread safetyReadSafe
categoryBalance
serialization{"can_load":true,"can_save":true}
simulationAccesstrue

ControllerBase.MoveSpeedFactor

The value multiplied by the ControllerManager.BaseMoveSpeed to determine the final desired linear velocity while this controller is active.

FieldValue
typefloat
security{"read":"None","write":"None"}
thread safetyReadSafe
categoryMovement
serialization{"can_load":true,"can_save":true}
simulationAccesstrue

Methods

Inherited from Instance

NameType / ReturnsDescription
Instance:AddTag()Applies a tag to the instance.
Instance:childrenInstancesReturns an array of the object's children.
Instance:ClearAllChildren()This method destroys all of an instance's children.
Instance:CloneInstanceCreate a copy of an instance and all its descendants, ignoring instances that are not Archivable.
Instance:cloneInstance
Instance:Destroy()Sets the Instance.Parent property to nil, locks the Instance.Parent property, disconnects all connections, and calls Destroy() on all children.
Instance:destroy()
Instance:FindFirstAncestorInstance?Returns the first ancestor of the Instance whose Instance.Name is equal to the given name.
Instance:FindFirstAncestorOfClassInstance?Returns the first ancestor of the Instance whose Object.ClassName is equal to the given className.
Instance:FindFirstAncestorWhichIsAInstance?Returns the first ancestor of the Instance for whom Object:IsA() returns true for the given className.
Instance:FindFirstChildInstance?Returns the first child of the Instance found with the given name.
Instance:findFirstChildInstance
Instance:FindFirstChildOfClassInstance?Returns the first child of the Instance whose ClassName is equal to the given class name.
Instance:FindFirstChildWhichIsAInstance?Returns the first child of the Instance for whom Object:IsA() returns true for the given className.
Instance:FindFirstDescendantInstance?Returns the first descendant found with the given Instance.Name.
Instance:GetActorActor?Returns the Actor associated with the Instance, if any.
Instance:GetAttributeVariantReturns the value which has been assigned to the given attribute name.
Instance:GetAttributeChangedSignalRBXScriptSignalReturns an event that fires when the given attribute changes.
Instance:GetAttributesDictionaryReturns a dictionary of the instance's attributes.
Instance:GetChildrenInstancesReturns an array containing all of the instance's children.
Instance:getChildrenInstances
Instance:GetDebugIdstringReturns a coded string of the debug ID used internally by Roblox.
Instance:GetDescendantsInstancesReturns an array containing all of the descendants of the instance.
Instance:GetFullNamestringReturns a string describing the instance's ancestry.
Instance:GetStyledVariantReturns the styled or explicitly modified value of the specified property, or else the default property value if it hasn't been styled/modified.
Instance:GetStyledPropertyChangedSignalRBXScriptSignalReturns an event that fires when the given style property changes on the instance.
Instance:GetTagsArrayGets an array of all tags applied to the instance.
Instance:HasTagbooleanCheck whether the instance has a given tag.
Instance:IsAncestorOfbooleanReturns true if an Instance is an ancestor of the given descendant.
Instance:IsDescendantOfbooleanReturns true if an Instance is a descendant of the given ancestor.
Instance:isDescendantOfboolean
Instance:IsPropertyModifiedbooleanReturns true if the value stored in the specified property is not equal to the code-instantiated default.
Instance:QueryDescendantsInstancesReturns an array containing all descendants of the instance that match the selector string.
Instance:Remove()Sets the object's Parent to nil, and does the same for all its descendants.
Instance:remove()
Instance:RemoveTag()Removes a tag from the instance.
Instance:ResetPropertyToDefault()Resets a property to its default value.
Instance:SetAttribute()Sets the attribute with the given name to the given value.
Instance:WaitForChildInstanceReturns the child of the Instance with the given name. If the child does not exist, it will yield the current thread until it does.

Inherited from Object

NameType / ReturnsDescription
Object:GetPropertyChangedSignalRBXScriptSignalGet an event that fires when a given property of the object changes.
Object:IsAbooleanReturns true if an object's class matches or inherits from a given class.
Object:isAboolean

Events

Inherited from Instance

NameType / ReturnsDescription
Instance.AncestryChangedFires when the Instance.Parent property of this object or one of its ancestors is changed.
Instance.AttributeChangedFires whenever an attribute is changed on the Instance.
Instance.ChildAddedFires after an object is parented to this Instance.
Instance.childAdded
Instance.ChildRemovedFires after a child is removed from this Instance.
Instance.DescendantAddedFires after a descendant is added to the Instance.
Instance.DescendantRemovingFires immediately before a descendant of the Instance is removed.
Instance.DestroyingFires immediately before (or is deferred until after) the instance is destroyed via Instance:Destroy().
Instance.StyledPropertiesChangedFires whenever any style property is changed on the instance, including when a property is set to nil.

Inherited from Object

NameType / ReturnsDescription
Object.ChangedFires immediately after a property of the object changes, with some limitations.