EGL_BAD_ACCESS error when using MUJOCO_GL=egl rendering backend. #2874

Atlinx · 2025-09-23T23:04:07Z

Atlinx
Sep 23, 2025

Intro

Hi all, I am a student using MuJoCo to simulate robots for research in robot learning.

My setup

I'm on Ubuntu 20.04 with ROS.

Here's my MuJoCo package information:

Name: mujoco
Version: 3.2.3
Summary: MuJoCo Physics Simulator
Home-page: https://github.com/google-deepmind/mujoco
Author: 
Author-email: Google DeepMind <mujoco@deepmind.com>
License: Apache License 2.0
Location: /home/atlinx/.local/lib/python3.8/site-packages
Requires: absl-py, etils, glfw, numpy, pyopengl
Required-by: dm_control, mujoco-python-viewer

My question

I've been having issues with getting the "egl" renderer to work. Specifically, I'm getting this error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/python3.8/threading.py", line 932, in _bootstrap_inner
    self.run()
  File "/opt/ros/noetic/lib/python3/dist-packages/rospy/timer.py", line 240, in run
    self._callback(TimerEvent(last_expected, last_real, current_expected, current_real, last_duration))
  File "./scripts/mujoco_test.py", line 53, in publish_images
    side_image = side_renderer.render()
  File "/home/atlinx/.local/lib/python3.8/site-packages/mujoco/renderer.py", line 158, in render
    self._gl_context.make_current()
  File "/home/atlinx/.local/lib/python3.8/site-packages/mujoco/egl/__init__.py", line 115, in make_current
    if not EGL.eglMakeCurrent(
  File "/home/atlinx/.local/lib/python3.8/site-packages/OpenGL/error.py", line 230, in glCheckError
    raise self._errorClass(
OpenGL.raw.EGL._errors.EGLError: EGLError(
        err = EGL_BAD_ACCESS,
        baseOperation = eglMakeCurrent,
        cArguments = (
                <OpenGL._opaque.EGLDisplay_pointer object at 0x773435930840>,
                <OpenGL._opaque.EGLSurface_pointer object at 0x773435a9b7c0>,
                <OpenGL._opaque.EGLSurface_pointer object at 0x773435a9b7c0>,
                <OpenGL._opaque.EGLContext_pointer object at 0x7733b023b940>,
        ),
        result = 0
)

Minimal model and/or code that explain my question

Have a Ubuntu 20.04 computer with ROS installed and Python3 installed.

Create a mujoco_test.py script:

import os

os.environ["MUJOCO_GL"] = "egl"

import mujoco
import rospy

# Set MuJoCo's GL backend for headless rendering
print("MUJOCO ENV: ", os.environ["MUJOCO_GL"])

# A simple XML model with two cameras
xml_string = """
<mujoco>
  <worldbody>
    <light pos="0 0 1" directional="true"/>
    <camera name="front_view" pos="0 0 1.5"/>
    <camera name="side_view" pos="1.5 0 0.5" xyaxes="0 1 0 0 0 -1"/>
    <geom type="plane" size="1 1 0.1"/>
    <body pos="0 0 0.5">
      <joint type="hinge" axis="0 1 0"/>
      <geom type="capsule" size="0.05 0.3" pos="0 0 -0.3"/>
    </body>
  </worldbody>
</mujoco>
"""

# Load the MuJoCo model from the XML string
model = mujoco.MjModel.from_xml_string(xml_string)
data = mujoco.MjData(model)

# ROS publishers and bridge
front_image_pub = None
side_image_pub = None

# Renderers
front_renderer = mujoco.Renderer(model)
side_renderer = mujoco.Renderer(model)


def publish_images(event):
    """Callback function for the rospy.Timer to publish images from both cameras."""
    global front_renderer, side_renderer

    # Render and publish from the front camera
    front_cam_id = model.camera("front_view").id
    front_renderer.update_scene(data, camera=front_cam_id)
    front_image = front_renderer.render()
    rospy.loginfo("Published front camera image.")

    # Render and publish from the side camera
    side_cam_id = model.camera("side_view").id
    side_renderer.update_scene(data, camera=side_cam_id)
    side_image = side_renderer.render()
    rospy.loginfo("Published side camera image.")


def main():
    """Initializes the ROS node and runs the simulation."""
    global front_image_pub, side_image_pub
    rospy.init_node("mujoco_image_publisher", anonymous=True)

    # Start the timer to publish images every 3 seconds
    rospy.Timer(rospy.Duration(3.0), publish_images)

    rospy.loginfo("Starting MuJoCo simulation loop...")

    while not rospy.is_shutdown():
        mujoco.mj_step(model, data)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

In a new terminal, run:

roscore

In another terminal, run:

python3 mujoco_test.py

You should get the error now.

Confirmations

I searched the latest documentation thoroughly before posting.
I searched previous Issues and Discussions, I am certain this has not been raised before.

Atlinx · 2025-09-23T23:09:51Z

Atlinx
Sep 23, 2025
Author

I found the solution here: rail-berkeley/serl#56

Turns out I needed to install these apt packages:

sudo apt install libgl1-mesa-glx libgl1-mesa-dri

EDIT:

Turns out this did not work, and I'm still getting the error.

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EGL_BAD_ACCESS error when using MUJOCO_GL=egl rendering backend. #2874

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Atlinx Sep 23, 2025

Intro

My setup

My question

Minimal model and/or code that explain my question

Confirmations

Replies: 1 comment

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Atlinx Sep 23, 2025 Author

Atlinx
Sep 23, 2025

Atlinx
Sep 23, 2025
Author