DVL RViz Plugins

A ROS 2 RViz2 plugin designed to visualize Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) data. This plugin specifically supports the marine_acoustic_msgs/msg/Dvl format, providing an intuitive way to monitor underwater vehicle velocity and beam data in a 3D environment.

Features

• Velocity Vector Visualization: Renders the vehicle's velocity relative to the seafloor or water column.
• Beam Visualization: Displays individual DVL beams (transducer directions) as lines or cones.
• Real-time Data Updates: Subscribes to marine_acoustic_msgs/msg/Dvl topics and updates the display dynamically.
• Customizable Aesthetics: Adjust colors, scale, and line thickness directly from the RViz display panel.

Prerequisites

This package requires a ROS 2 installation (Humble, Iron, or Jazzy recommended) and the marine_acoustic_msgs package.

Install dependencies (replace <ros-distro> with your version, e.g., humble)

sudo apt update  
sudo apt install ros-\<ros-distro\>-marine-acoustic-msgs

Installation

1. Clone the repository into your ROS 2 workspace:

   cd \~/ros2\_ws/src  
   git clone \[https://github.com/arihantb2/dvl\_rviz\_plugins.git\](https://github.com/arihantb2/dvl\_rviz\_plugins.git)
   

2. Install dependencies using rosdep:

   cd \~/ros2\_ws  
   rosdep install \--from-paths src \--ignore-src \-r \-y
   

3. Build the package:

   colcon build \--packages-select dvl\_rviz\_plugins
   

4. Source the workspace:

   source install/setup.bash
   

Usage

1. Launch RViz2:

   rviz2
   

2. In the Displays panel, click Add.

3. Under the By display type tab, look for dvl_rviz_plugins.

4. Select the DvlDisplay (or similar) and click OK.

5. Set the Topic to your DVL message topic (e.g., /dvl/data).

6. Ensure your Fixed Frame is set correctly (e.g., base_link or dvl_link) to see the visualization.

Message Format

The plugin subscribes to:

• Type: marine_acoustic_msgs/msg/Dvl
• Description: This message includes velocity covariance, individual beam ranges, and velocities.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you encounter bugs or have feature requests, please open an issue or submit a pull request.

1. Fork the Project
2. Create your Feature Branch (git checkout \-b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your Changes (git commit \-m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the Branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.

Author

Arihant Lunawat - GitHub Profile