Building automations

---
title: Building automations
description: Create automation projects, use components, and create the activities and variables that are required to design automations in RPA Desktop Design Studio.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/integrate-applications/rpa-studio-build.html
release: australia
topic_type: concept
last_updated: "2026-09-10"
reading_time_minutes: 2
breadcrumb: [RPA Desktop Design Studio, Robotic Process Automation \(RPA\) Hub, Workflow Data Fabric]
---

# Building automations

Create automation projects, use components, and create the activities and variables that are required to design automations in RPA Desktop Design Studio.

-   **[Create an automation with AI](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/integrate-applications/create-automation-now-assist.md)**  
Create an automation from text instructions and preview options by using the ServiceNow Otto for RPA Hub application.
-   **[Create an automation project manually](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/integrate-applications/create-automation-project.md)**  
Create an attended or unattended automation project manually in RPA Desktop Design Studio that enables you to automate tasks. You can create an automation project that is based on a prebuilt template and targeted at a use case, or you can create an automation project without using a template.
-   **[Create an automation project from a template](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/integrate-applications/create-automation-with-template.md)**  
Create an automation project from the default automation templates that RPA Desktop Design Studio provides or the templates that you have designed on the RPA Desktop Design Studio and published to the RPA Hub. An automation template caters to a use case and provides a framework of automation.
-   **[Build an automation with AI](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/integrate-applications/build-automation-now-assist.md)**  
Enhance the automation logic with AI text instructions, either in an empty activity or by selecting a component in an existing one by using the ServiceNow Otto for RPA Hub application.
-   **[Open a local automation project in RPA Desktop Design Studio](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/integrate-applications/open-project-rpa-studio.md)**  
Open an automation project from the local file system in RPA Desktop Design Studio, so that you can debug, build, or modify the automation.
-   **[Open a cloud automation project in RPA Desktop Design Studio](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/integrate-applications/open-project-remote-rpa-studio.md)**  
Open an automation project remotely from RPA Hub in RPA Desktop Design Studio, so that you can debug, build, or modify the automation.
-   **[Create a skill project in RPA Desktop Design Studio](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/integrate-applications/create-skill-project.md)**  
Create a skill automation project in RPA Desktop Design Studio that can be reused in other automations.
-   **[Manage plugins in RPA Desktop Design Studio](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/integrate-applications/install-plugins-rpa-studio.md)**  
Install, update, or remove plugins to design automations while you're creating unattended and attended automation projects in RPA Desktop Design Studio.
-   **[Create user plugins for RPA Desktop Design Studio](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/integrate-applications/install-user-plugins-rpa-studio.md)**  
Create user plugins by using Microsoft Visual Studio to enable RPA developers to use complex .NET components or libraries in RPA Desktop Design Studio in a seamless way.
-   **[RPA Desktop Design Studio ports](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/integrate-applications/overview-ports-rpa-studio.md)**  
Components in the RPA Desktop Design Studio have ports that are used while creating an automation workflow.
-   **[Create an activity with AI](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/integrate-applications/create-activity-now-assist.md)**  
Create activities from text instructions and preview options by using AI. Activities provide modularity to an automation project in RPA Desktop Design Studio.
-   **[Create an activity manually in RPA Desktop Design Studio](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/integrate-applications/configure-activity-rpa-studio.md)**  
Create and use an activity to provide modularity to an automation project in RPA Desktop Design Studio.
-   **[Create and use a variable in RPA Desktop Design Studio](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/integrate-applications/configure-variables-rpa-studio.md)**  
Create a variable in RPA Desktop Design Studio.
-   **[Create an attended automation form in RPA Desktop Design Studio](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/integrate-applications/create-rda-form.md)**  
Design attended automations by creating an attended user interface \(UI\) form in RPA Desktop Design Studio.
-   **[Open Service and Runtime logs](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/integrate-applications/open-logs-rpa-studio.md)**  
Logs record events that occur during the execution of an automation process. These logs are crucial for debugging and monitoring the performance of the robots.
-   **[Post requisites after installing a hot fix](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/integrate-applications/post-req-hot-fix-rpa.md)**  
Perform these tasks after installing a hot fix for either Universal App Connector \(UAC\) or Chromium connector on your instance to verify the hot fix is accurately downloaded.

**Parent Topic:**[Robotic Process Automation \(RPA\) Hub](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/integrate-applications/rpa-main-landing-page.md)