Quick Start Guide

This quick start guide is written for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. Certain commands may vary if you use ohter Linux distributions.

1. Cloning the Repository

• Clone this repository, kestr31/PX4-SITL-RUNNER to your computer.
• If you don't have git installed, please install it in advance.

cd ~/
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y git
git clone https://github.com/kestr31/PX4-SITL-Runner.git

2. PX4-Autopilot Source Clone and Build

• Move to the cloned repository.
• Then, use following command to clone and build PX4-Autopilot.
• By default, v1.14.3 of the PX4-Autopilot will be cloned.

cd ~/PX4-SITL-Runner
./scripts/run.sh px4 clone
./scripts/run.sh px4 build
./scripts/run.sh px4 stop

The PX4-Autopilot will be cloned and built on ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/PX4-Autopilot by default.

3. ROS2 Package Clone, Build and Download

3.1. ROS2 Algorithms Clone and Build

• Create the ROS2 Workspace at ROS2 container workspace.
• Then, clone ROS2 packages that have A4VAI algorithms implemented inside.

mkdir -p ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/ROS2/ros2_ws/src
git clone https://github.com/JOCIIIII/A4VAI-Algorithms-ROS2.git ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/ROS2/ros2_ws/src
git -C ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/ROS2/ros2_ws/src submodule update --init --recursive
mkdir -p ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/ROS2/ros2_ws/src/pathplanning/pathplanning/model
wget https://github.com/Brightestsama/A4VAI-PathPlanning/releases/download/sac-v2.0.0/weight.onnx \
  -O ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/ROS2/ros2_ws/src/pathplanning/pathplanning/model/weight.onnx

The ROS2 container workspace is set as ``~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/ROS2` by default.

• Then build ROS2 packages and messages as following:

cd ~/PX4-SITL-Runner
./scripts/run.sh ros2 build ros2_ws
./scripts/run.sh ros2 stop

Warning

You must not use ./scripts/run.sh ros2 build for this step. Since this break other prebuilt packages such as airsim, please retry this Quick Start Guide from the beginning.

3.2. Necessary ROS2 Package Downloads

• Download necessary ROS2 Packages to retreive/send msgs to PX4-Autopilot(uXRCE-DDS Agent) and AirSim(AirSim ROS2 Bridge).
• These are prebuilt packages. Therefore, you do not need to build it again.

wget https://github.com/kestr31/PX4-SITL-Runner/releases/download/Resources/airsim.tar.gz -O ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/ROS2/airsim.tar.gz
wget https://github.com/kestr31/PX4-SITL-Runner/releases/download/Resources/px4_ros.tar.gz -O ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/ROS2/px4_ros.tar.gz
tar -zxvf ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/ROS2/airsim.tar.gz -C ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/ROS2
tar -zxvf ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/ROS2/px4_ros.tar.gz -C ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/ROS2
git clone https://github.com/dheera/rosboard.git -b v1.3.1 ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/ROS2/rosboard

4. Placing the GazeboDrone

• Gazebo Classic - AirSim SITL simultion required a bridge to update states calculated on the Gazebo Classic.
• The bridge is provided as a prebuilt binary GazeboDrone on this repository.
• Place the binary at the Gazebo Classic container workspace. Then, make is executable.

wget https://github.com/kestr31/PX4-SITL-Runner/releases/download/Resources/GazeboDrone -O ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/Gazebo-Classic/GazeboDrone
chmod +x ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/Gazebo-Classic/GazeboDrone

5. Placing the AirSim Binary and settings.json

• Unlike Gazebo-Classic, you have to place World definition("Unreal Binary") and Simulation Definition("Settings") manually.
• Example Unreal Binaries can be found on microsoft/AirSim release v1.8.1 - Linux
• First, download an Unreal Binary required for the simulation. Then place it as binary directory at the AirSim continaer workspace.

# IN CASE OF YOUR COMPUTER NOT HAVING wget AND unzip, TRY INSTALLING IT FIRST.
sudo apt update && sudo apt install wget unzip
# DOWNLOAD AIRSIM BINARY USING WGET. YOU CAN USE ANY METHOD TO DOWNLOAD IT.
wget https://github.com/microsoft/AirSim/releases/download/v1.8.1/AirSimNH.zip -P ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/AirSim
# UNZIP AND PLACE IT AS DESIRED.
unzip ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/AirSim/AirSimNH.zip -d ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/AirSim
mv ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/AirSim/AirSimNH/LinuxNoEditor/* ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/AirSim/AirSimNH
rm -rf ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/AirSim/AirSimNH/LinuxNoEditor
mv ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/AirSim/AirSimNH ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/AirSim/binary

• Then, download and place the sample settings.json file.

wget https://github.com/kestr31/PX4-SITL-Runner/releases/download/Resources/settings.json -O ~/Documents/A4VAI-SITL/AirSim/settings.json

6. Running the Simulator

• You are ready to go. Allow container to attach to your display.
• Then, run the simulation using the script. The script will automatically download required docker images.

# YOU ONLY NEED TO RUN xhost + ONCE EVERY TIME ON YOU REBOOT YOUR COMPUTER
xhost +
cd ~/PX4-SITL-Runner
./scripts/run.sh gazebo-classic-airsim-sitl run

• You can close the simulation by following command

cd ~/PX4-SITL-Runner
./scripts/run.sh gazebo-classic-airsim-sitl stop