Vehicle simulation

[manushashim2025]

Dear Sirs, I want to simulate my vehicle in Dune. Is there a simulation program like Gazebo, or is there something implemented and tested?

[josebraga]

There is not.
DUNE's simulation engine was developed to allow testing higher level software layers without having to go to sea.

We tweaked the numbers at the time until they were good enough for our use case, but it was meant for internal use.
What are you looking for @manushashim2025 ?

[manushashim2025]

First of all, do you understand from your words that the Dune control system is proprietary to them only? I mean, if someone has it, can they use it and build their own vehicle? Or is it open source like the Ardupilot program, for example?

[manushashim2025]

@josebraga First of all, do you understand from your words that the Dune control system is proprietary to them only? I mean, if someone has it, can they use it and build their own vehicle? Or is it open source like the Ardupilot program, for example?

[josebraga]

Hello, what I meant is that there's no GUI app to generate the vehicle model. If you have the 6DOF mathematical model available, just add a .ini config file with the values you need, give the vehicle a name, and you are good to go :)

[manushashim2025]

@josebraga Sorry to bother you, can we build the model for my vehicle in the .ini configuration files only, meaning that we will not modify or add anything in other files such as src?

[josebraga]

Yes you can, you can provide the numerical model, and assemble the "simulated" vehicle as you wish, and then just run a simulation profile pointing to the config you added.

[manushashim2025]

@josebraga Ok, thank you
Excuse me, i also have a couple of questions about getting started with the DUNE system:
1.What is the standard procedure for defining a new vehicle (either real or simulated) within the DUNE framework? How do I get the system to recognize my specific vehicle for command and control ?
2.Before deploying to actual hardware, how can I thoroughly test and verify that my control system is functioning correctly and as expected within the DUNE simulation environment ?
hash24751

[manushashim2025]

@josebraga

[prasilva98]

Hey @manushashim2025 I think I did something with DUNE and Gazebo that might interest you. I established a bridge between Gazebo (using ROS) and DUNE which allowed me to exchange messages between both of them. In theory, you could set it this up in a way that would allow you to run the simulation in Gazebo while DUNE's control framework (send goals, process and control actuators, etc).