gazebo_visual_united

system requirements

1. Ubuntu 20
2. python3 installed

installation

1. clone the project into ~/projects directory

2. gazebo installation

   1. after installation run source /usr/share/gazebo-11/setup.py

   sudo apt-get update 
   sudo apt-get install -y build-essential
   

   3. run the following lines (to add mendatory lines to ~/.bashrc):

      echo 'source /usr/share/gazebo-11/setup.sh' >> ~/.bashrc
      echo 'export GAZEBO_MODEL_PATH=~/projects/gazebo_visual_united/models:${GAZEBO_MODEL_PATH}' >> ~/.bashrc
      echo 'export GAZEBO_RESOURCE_PATH=~/projects/gazebo_visual_united/worlds:${GAZEBO_RESOURCE_PATH}' >> ~/.bashrc
      echo 'export GAZEBO_PLUGIN_PATH=~/apm/gazebo_visual_united/build:${GAZEBO_PLUGIN_PATH}' >> ~/.bashrc
      source ~/.bashrc
      

   4. compile the plugins:

      cd build
      cmake ..
      make
      sudo make install
      

   5. test gazebo with the world - gazebo /home/user/projects/gazebo_visual_united/worlds/iris_arducopter_runway.world --verbose

3. sitl installation

   1. follow the installation process and clone the ardupilot project to ~/apm directory (or update all paths accordingly)

   2. test sitl sim_vehicle.py -v ArduCopter --map

   3. the first run should build a lot of packages so this might take a while

   4. sitl-gazebo test in terminal 1 - gazebo /home/user/projects/gazebo_visual_united/worlds/iris_arducopter_runway.world --verbose in terminal 2 - sim_vehicle.py -v ArduCopter -f gazebo-iris --map

   5. controlling the vehicle should work and be seen in the gazebo. in terminal 2 -

   param set DISARM_DELAY 0
   arm throttle 
   mode GUIDED 
   takeoff 50
   

4. Optional - installing dronekit for basic mission script:

   1. pip install dronekit dronekit-sitl
   2. clone http://github.com/dronekit/dronekit-python.git (in ~/projects directory)
   3. cd ~/projects/dronekit-python/examples/vehicle_state/
   4. instead of step 5 last section. running python mission_basic.py --connect 127.0.0.1:14550 needs to do a mission in and be seen in the gazebo and sitl map.

5. install the project

   1. sudo apt install python3-venv
   2. python3 -m venv venv
   3. in the venv -
      1. python3 -m pip --upgrade pip setuptools wheel
      2. pip install -r requirements

      3. cd ~/git; git clone https://github.com/robobe/pygazebo
         cd pygazebo; pip install build; python -m build
         pip install ~/git/pygazebo/dist/pygazebo-4.0.0-2019.07.tar.gz
         

   4. generating the messages -
      1. in the gazebo_unity_messages dir - protoc -I=proto --python_out=py_msgs proto/*
   5. setup -
      1. in the project root dir - python setup.py develop
   6. test everything - run usage

usage

1. run gazebo - gazebo --world /home/user/projects/gazebo_visual_united/worlds/iris_arducopter_runway.world --verbose
2. run sitl - sim_vehicle.py -v ArduCopter -f gazebo-iris --map
3. start gazebo_visual_united - python entry_point.py
4. [Optional] run a mission - python mission_basic.py --connect 127.0.0.1:14550