If you've spent any time looking at modern UI designs, you've probably realized this roblox studio plugin roundify tutorial is exactly what you need to stop making your menus look like they were built in 2012. Let's be real: those sharp, 90-degree corners on default Roblox frames just don't cut it anymore. Whether you're building a simulator, a high-end FPS, or just a simple hangout game, rounded corners make everything feel more polished and "premium."
Before we dive into the technical bits, it's worth mentioning why we're even talking about a plugin when Roblox has built-in features for this. Yes, UICorner exists now, but many veteran developers still swear by Roundify for specific reasons, especially when it comes to borders and specialized image slicing. It gives you a certain level of control that can be a bit finicky to achieve with the native tools. Plus, it's just a classic part of any developer's toolkit.
Getting Started with Roundify
First things first, you need the plugin. If you don't have it yet, head over to the Roblox Creator Store and search for "Roundify." It's made by Stellathecat and it's been a staple in the community for years. Once you've installed it, you'll find it sitting in your "Plugins" tab at the top of Roblox Studio. It's a simple, unassuming icon, but it does a lot of heavy lifting.
The core concept of Roundify is pretty straightforward: it takes a standard, blocky GUI object (like a Frame or a TextButton) and generates an ImageLabel or ImageButton that uses a specialized "9-slice" technique to create rounded corners. This is important to understand because Roundify doesn't actually "bend" your frame; it creates a new visual layer that mimics a rounded shape.
Your First Rounding Adventure
Alright, let's get into the actual steps. I'm going to walk you through a basic frame setup because that's where most people start.
- Create a Frame: Inside your
StarterGui, add aScreenGui, and then drop aFrameinside that. By default, it's going to be a white square. Boring, right? - Size it up: Scale it to whatever size you want your menu to be.
- Open the Plugin: With the Frame selected in the Explorer window, click on the Roundify plugin icon in your top bar.
- The Magic Button: A small window will pop up. For a basic round, you honestly just have to click the big "Roundify" button.
Immediately, you'll notice something changed. Your frame now has rounded edges. But if you look closely at your Explorer, you'll see that the plugin has inserted an ImageLabel inside your Frame (or replaced the background, depending on your settings). This new object is what's actually providing the rounded look.
Tweaking the Properties
This is where people often get a little stuck. Since Roundify uses an image-based approach, you can't just change the BackgroundColor3 of your original frame and expect the rounded part to change color. You have to talk to the ImageLabel.
Find the new object created by the plugin (it's usually named "Roundify" or something similar). To change the color, you'll want to look for the ImageColor3 property. Change that to a nice blue or a sleek dark gray, and you'll see the rounded corners follow suit.
One thing I see beginners do all the time is leave the original Frame's background visible. If you see a weird white "ghost" square behind your nice rounded corners, go back to your original Frame and set its BackgroundTransparency to 1. This hides the blocky parent and lets the rounded child object shine.
Understanding the 9-Slice Slicing
If you've ever tried to scale a rounded image and noticed the corners looking all stretched and pixelated, you've encountered the dreaded "bad slice." Roundify handles this for you automatically, but it's good to know what's happening under the hood.
The plugin uses a property called SliceCenter. This tells Roblox which parts of the image are the "corners" (which shouldn't stretch) and which part is the "middle" (which can stretch infinitely). If you ever find your UI looks warped, check the ScaleType of the ImageLabel. It should be set to Slice. If it's set to Stretch, your corners will look like oval-shaped disasters.
Adding Borders with Roundify
One of the coolest things about this plugin—and why many still prefer this roblox studio plugin roundify tutorial over using UICorner—is the border functionality. Adding a border to a rounded object in Roblox can be a headache, but Roundify makes it a bit more manageable.
In the Roundify plugin window, you'll see options for "Border." If you toggle this, the plugin can generate a second image object that sits slightly "behind" or "around" your main rounded frame, acting as an outline.
To make this look good: * Set the border color to something that contrasts with your main GUI. * Adjust the thickness by slightly changing the size of the border object. * Make sure your ZIndex settings are correct so the border doesn't overlap your text or buttons.
Buttons and Interactivity
Using Roundify for buttons is almost exactly the same as using it for frames, but with one extra step: you want it to feel "clickable."
If you roundify a TextButton, the plugin will create an ImageButton instead of an ImageLabel. This is great because it preserves the button's functionality. However, you'll want to make sure you move your text settings over or ensure the text is layered on top correctly.
Pro Tip: If you want that "hover" effect where the button changes color when the mouse moves over it, you'll need to script the ImageColor3 of the rounded object, not the background color of the button itself. A simple MouseEnter and MouseLeave event in a LocalScript can make your rounded buttons feel incredibly responsive.
Roundify vs. UICorner: Which Should You Use?
I'd be doing you a disservice if I didn't mention the "new kid on the block," UICorner. A few years ago, Roblox added UICorner as a built-in constraint. You just drop it into a frame, set the pixel radius, and boom—rounded corners.
So, why are you reading a roblox studio plugin roundify tutorial?
Well, UICorner is fantastic for simple rounding, but it has limitations. For instance, it's much harder to do complex gradients or specific types of borders with UICorner. Roundify uses images, which means you can technically swap out the "rounded" image for something with a texture, a glow, or a specific bevel that a simple engine-calculated corner just can't replicate.
Also, Roundify is great for "baking" your UI. Some developers prefer having the ImageLabels ready to go so they know exactly how they will render on all devices, without worrying about how the engine calculates the corner radius on a tiny phone versus a giant 4K monitor.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Even with a great tool, things can go sideways. Here are a few things to check if your UI looks "off":
- Pixelation: If the corners look blurry, check your
SliceCentersettings. Sometimes, if the original frame is too small when you click "Roundify," the generated image is tiny. Try making your frame larger before hitting the button. - The "Invisible" UI: If you click the button and nothing happens, make sure you actually have a GUI object selected. The plugin needs a target!
- Overlapping: If you have multiple rounded elements, pay close attention to ZIndex. Because Roundify creates new objects, they might accidentally end up behind your background if you aren't careful.
Final Thoughts on UI Aesthetics
At the end of the day, UI design in Roblox is all about the "feel." You want your players to feel like they are playing a high-quality game, and nothing says "amateur" faster than default, square, grey boxes.
Using this roblox studio plugin roundify tutorial as a starting point, you can start layering your UI. Try putting a rounded frame inside another rounded frame with a slightly different shade to create a "tab" effect. Add some UIPadding to keep your text from hitting those new rounded edges.
The more you experiment with the plugin, the more you'll realize it's less about the "rounding" and more about the freedom that 9-slice imaging gives you. Don't be afraid to break things! Change the colors, mess with the transparency, and try to replicate the UI of your favorite mobile apps. You'll be surprised at how professional your Roblox project starts to look with just a few clicks of a plugin.
Happy building, and may your corners always be perfectly smooth!