diff --git a/fancy_gym/utils/make_env_helpers.py b/fancy_gym/utils/make_env_helpers.py
index 4dc1f6b..ec4a0c1 100644
--- a/fancy_gym/utils/make_env_helpers.py
+++ b/fancy_gym/utils/make_env_helpers.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ from gymnasium import make
 import numpy as np
 from gymnasium.envs.registration import register, registry
 from gymnasium.wrappers import TimeLimit
+from gymnasium import make as gym_make
 
 from fancy_gym.utils.env_compatibility import EnvCompatibility
 from fancy_gym.utils.wrappers import FlattenObservation
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ except Exception:
     pass
 
 
-def _make_wrapped_env(env: gym.Env, wrappers: Iterable[Type[gym.Wrapper]], seed=1, fallback_max_steps=None, **kwargs):
+def _make_wrapped_env(env: gym.Env, wrappers: Iterable[Type[gym.Wrapper]], seed=1, fallback_max_steps=None):
     """
     Helper function for creating a wrapped gym environment using MPs.
     It adds all provided wrappers to the specified environment and verifies at least one RawInterfaceWrapper is
@@ -62,7 +63,7 @@ def _make_wrapped_env(env: gym.Env, wrappers: Iterable[Type[gym.Wrapper]], seed=
 def make_bb(
         env: Union[gym.Env, str], wrappers: Iterable, black_box_kwargs: MutableMapping, traj_gen_kwargs: MutableMapping,
         controller_kwargs: MutableMapping, phase_kwargs: MutableMapping, basis_kwargs: MutableMapping,
-        fallback_max_steps: int = None, **kwargs):
+        time_limit: int, fallback_max_steps: int = None):
     """
     This can also be used standalone for manually building a custom DMP environment.
     Args:
@@ -78,7 +79,7 @@ def make_bb(
     Returns: DMP wrapped gym env
 
     """
-    _verify_time_limit(traj_gen_kwargs.get("duration"), kwargs.get("time_limit"))
+    _verify_time_limit(traj_gen_kwargs.get("duration"), time_limit)
 
     learn_sub_trajs = black_box_kwargs.get('learn_sub_trajectories')
     do_replanning = black_box_kwargs.get('replanning_schedule')
@@ -93,7 +94,7 @@ def make_bb(
     if isinstance(env, str):
         env = make(env)
 
-    env = _make_wrapped_env(env=env, wrappers=wrappers, fallback_max_steps=fallback_max_steps, **kwargs)
+    env = _make_wrapped_env(env=env, wrappers=wrappers, fallback_max_steps=fallback_max_steps)
 
     # BB expects a spaces.Box to be exposed, need to convert for dict-observations
     if type(env.observation_space) == gym.spaces.dict.Dict:
@@ -153,6 +154,34 @@ def get_env_duration(env: gym.Env):
     return duration
 
 
+def make(env_id: str, **kwargs):
+    """
+    Converts an env_id to an environment with the gym API.
+    This also works for DeepMind Control Suite environments that are wrapped using the DMCWrapper, they can be
+    specified with "dmc/domain_name-task_name"
+    Analogously, metaworld tasks can be created as "metaworld/env_id-v2".
+    Args:
+        env_id: spec or env_id for gym tasks, external environments require a domain specification
+        **kwargs: Additional kwargs for the constructor such as pixel observations, etc.
+    Returns: Gym environment
+    """
+
+    if env_id.startswith('metaworld'):
+        env = make_metaworld(env_id.replace('metaworld', '')[1:], **kwargs)
+
+    env = gym_make(env_id, **kwargs)
+
+    if not env.spec.max_episode_steps == None:
+        # Hack: Some envs violate the gym spec in that they don't correctly expose the maximum episode steps
+        # Gymnasium disallows accessing private attributes, so we have to get creative to read the internal values
+        # TODO: Remove this, when all supported envs correctly implement this themselves
+        unwrapped = env.unwrapped if hasattr(env, 'unwrapped') else env
+        if hasattr(unwrapped, '_max_episode_steps'):
+            env.spec.max_episode_steps = unwrapped.__getattribute__('_max_episode_steps')
+
+    return env
+
+
 def make_metaworld(env_id: str, seed: int, render_mode: Optional[str] = None, **kwargs):
     if env_id not in metaworld.ML1.ENV_NAMES:
         raise ValueError(f'Specified environment "{env_id}" not present in metaworld ML1.')