About

This repository contains a Gazebo and Isaac Sim simulation for a differential drive robot, equipped with an IMU, a depth camera, stereo camera and a 2D LiDAR. ROS2 versions also include Nav2 and SLAM Tool Box support. Currently, the project supports the following combinations -

1. ROS Noetic + Gazebo Classic 11 (branch ros1)
2. ROS2 Humble + Gazebo Classic 11 (branch ros2)
3. ROS2 Humble + Gazebo Fortress (branch ros2)
4. ROS2 Humble + Gazebo Harmonic (branch ros2)
5. ROS2 Humble + Isaac Sim (branch ros2)
6. ROS2 Jazzy + Gazebo Harmonic (branch ros2-jazzy)
7. ROS2 Jazzy + Isaac Sim (branch ros2-jazzy)

Each of the following sections describes depedencies, build and run instructions for the combinations supported by the ros2-jazzy branch.

Jazzy + Harmonic (Ubuntu 24.04)

Dependencies

Install Gazebo harmonic using ROS2 binaries:

sudo apt install ros-jazzy-ros-gz-sim ros-jazzy-ros-gz-bridge ros-jazzy-ros-gz-interfaces

Install other dependencies with rosdep.

# From the root directory of the workspace. This will install everything mentioned in package.xml
rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -r -y

Build

colcon build --packages-select bcr_bot

Run

To launch the robot in Gazebo,

ros2 launch bcr_bot gz.launch.py

To view in rviz,

ros2 launch bcr_bot rviz.launch.py

Configuration

The launch file accepts multiple launch arguments,

ros2 launch bcr_bot gz.launch.py \
	camera_enabled:=True \
	stereo_camera_enabled:=False \
	two_d_lidar_enabled:=True \
	position_x:=0.0 \
	position_y:=0.0  \
	orientation_yaw:=0.0 \
	odometry_source:=world \
	world_file:=small_warehouse.sdf

Jazzy + Isaac Sim (Ubuntu 24.04)

Dependencies

In addition to ROS2 Humble Isaac Sim installation with ROS2 extension is required. Remainder of bcr_bot specific dependencies can be installed with rosdep

# From the root directory of the workspace. This will install everything mentioned in package.xml
rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -r -y

Build

colcon build --packages-select bcr_bot

Run

To launch the robot in Isaac Sim:

• Open Isaac Sim and load the warehouse_scene.usd or scene.usd from here.
• Add in extra viewports for different camera views.
• Start the Simulation: Run the simulation directly within Isaac Sim.
• The following USDs are included in the package:
  • warehouse_scene.usd - Warehouse scene with a robot.
  • scene.usd - Scene with a robot in a empty world.
  • bcr_bot.usd - Robot model that can be imported into any scene.
  • ActionGraphFull.usd - Action graph for the robot to publish all the required topics.

To view in rviz:

ros2 launch bcr_bot rviz.launch.py

NOTE: The command to run mapping and navigation is common between all versions of gazebo and Isaac sim see here.

Mapping with SLAM Toolbox

SLAM Toolbox is an open-source package designed to map the environment using laser scans and odometry, generating a map for autonomous navigation.

NOTE: The command to run mapping is common between all versions of gazebo.

To start mapping:

ros2 launch bcr_bot mapping.launch.py

Use the teleop twist keyboard to control the robot and map the area:

ros2 run teleop_twist_keyboard teleop_twist_keyboard cmd_vel:=/bcr_bot/cmd_vel

To save the map:

cd src/bcr_bot/config
ros2 run nav2_map_server map_saver_cli -f bcr_map

Using Nav2 with bcr_bot

Nav2 is an open-source navigation package that enables a robot to navigate through an environment easily. It takes laser scan and odometry data, along with the map of the environment, as inputs.

NOTE: The command to run navigation is common between all versions of gazebo and Isaac sim.

To run Nav2 on bcr_bot:

ros2 launch bcr_bot nav2.launch.py

Launch Sequence

push from inside bcr_bot folder and push to a new branch (git checkout -b amr-simulation-bcr)

for users to setup, following bcr installation instruction is necessary

BCR BOT - SLAM MAPPING FULL LAUNCH SEQUENCE

---

ONE TIME SETUP - Add ROS sourcing to .bashrc

nano ~/.bashrc

Add these two lines at the bottom of the file: source /opt/ros/jazzy/setup.bash source ~/ros2_ws/install/setup.bash

Save: Ctrl+O → Enter → Ctrl+X

Apply immediately: source ~/.bashrc

Verify (open new terminal and run): echo $ROS_DISTRO Expected output: jazzy

---

PRE-FLIGHT - Run once before every mapping session // Prolly Wont Be necessary

rm -f ~/.ros/*.posegraph ~/.ros/*.data
mkdir -p ~/maps

---

TERMINAL 1 - Gazebo

ros2 launch bcr_bot gz.launch.py \
  two_d_lidar_enabled:=true \
  world_file:=/home/dilshad/ros2_ws/install/bcr_bot/share/bcr_bot/worlds/small_warehouse.sdf

WAIT until Gazebo window fully opens and robot is visible.

---

TERMINAL 2 - SLAM Toolbox

ros2 launch slam_toolbox online_async_launch.py \
  use_sim_time:=true \
  slam_params_file:=$HOME/my_slam_toolbox_params.yaml

WAIT until no errors appear in terminal.

Verify SLAM is receiving laser (new terminal):
    ros2 topic info /scan
    Subscription count should be: 1

---

TERMINAL 3 - RViz (just running rviz2 also works but then u have to manually add the TF, RobotModel,LaserScan,Map,Odometry etc..

rviz2 -d ~/bcr_bot_slam.rviz /

Confirm before driving:
    - Fixed Frame = map 
    - Map starts GREY (not fully drawn)
    - LaserScan dots visible around robot
    - Robot model visible

WARNING: If map appears fully drawn instantly,
a pose graph was reloaded. Stop and run:
    rm -f ~/.ros/*.posegraph ~/.ros/*.data
Then restart SLAM and RViz.

---

TERMINAL 4 - Teleop

ros2 run teleop_twist_keyboard teleop_twist_keyboard \
  --ros-args --remap cmd_vel:=/bcr_bot/cmd_vel

Running NAV 2_____

ros2 launch bcr_bot nav2.launch.py use_sim_time:=true

Edit NAV2 Parameters

nano ~/ros2_ws/src/bcr_bot/config/nav2_params.yaml

---

TERMINAL 5 - Save Map (Before closing anything)

Save for Nav2:
    ros2 run nav2_map_server map_saver_cli \
      -f ~/maps/warehouse_map \
      --ros-args -p use_sim_time:=true

Save SLAM pose graph:
    ros2 service call /slam_toolbox/save_map slam_toolbox/srv/SaveMap \
      "name: {data: '/home/dilshad/maps/warehouse_map'}"

View map in WSL:
    eog ~/maps/warehouse_map.pgm

Verify files saved:
    ls -lh ~/maps/

Expected files:
    warehouse_map.pgm
    warehouse_map.yaml
    warehouse_map.posegraph
    warehouse_map.data

Export to Windows Desktop (optional):
    cp ~/maps/warehouse_map.pgm /mnt/c/Users/Dilshad/Desktop/
    cp ~/maps/warehouse_map.yaml /mnt/c/Users/Dilshad/Desktop/

________After Making changes build the project cd ~/ros2_ws colcon build --packages-select bcr_bot --symlink-install source install/setup.bash

---

THINGS TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT

6. If Gazebo window does not open, check:
       echo $DISPLAY
       echo $WAYLAND_DISPLAY

================================================================ QUICK REFERENCE CHEAT SHEET

Gazebo:
    ros2 launch bcr_bot gz.launch.py two_d_lidar_enabled:=true world_file:=/home/dilshad/ros2_ws/install/bcr_bot/share/bcr_bot/worlds/small_warehouse.sdf

SLAM:
    ros2 launch slam_toolbox online_async_launch.py use_sim_time:=true slam_params_file:=$HOME/my_slam_toolbox_params.yaml

RViz:
    rviz2 -d ~/bcr_bot_slam.rviz

Teleop:
    ros2 run teleop_twist_keyboard teleop_twist_keyboard --ros-args --remap cmd_vel:=/bcr_bot/cmd_vel

Save Map:
    ros2 run nav2_map_server map_saver_cli -f ~/maps/warehouse_map --ros-args -p use_sim_time:=true

================================================================