getting_started.md

Getting Started

Depedencies and Compilation

We describe two installation procedures:

• Legacy install: the original install procedure which requires and old 16.04 Ubuntu (Not Recommended)
• Docker-based install: relies of docker to create a container with all the dependecies (Highly Recommended)

First tests

The rest of the documentation assumes you are using docker-based install. Let us also assume this basic scenario is launched from a docker terminal:

roslaunch usv_sim airboat_scenario1.launch parse:=true
roslaunch usv_sim airboat_scenario1.launch parse:=false

The first command, with parse:=true argument, needs to be run only once per scenario. This command will generate another launch file which is used in the second command. The UWSIM window shows a scenario like this one, with the boat static. Next, let's investigate the boat's topics and learn how to interact and send commands to it.

Interacting with the simulation

Assuming the previous docker image and the simulation scenario are still opened, open a second docker terminal attached to the same image, name usv_sim_test. This terminal will be used to launch RViz to send simulation commands:

export DISPLAY=:0.0
xhost +local:docker
docker exec -it usv_sim_test bash

Within the docker terminal, run:

source ~/catkin_ws/install_isolated/setup.bash
roslaunch usv_sim_rviz navigation_rviz.launch

❗ TBD: How to send the boat to a goal ?

You can also inspect all boat topics to interact with it

root@ale:~/catkin_ws# rostopic list 
/airboat/Surface/fwd
/airboat/controllers/fwd_joint/position/parameter_descriptions
/airboat/controllers/fwd_joint/position/parameter_updates
/airboat/controllers/fwd_joint/velocity/parameter_descriptions
/airboat/controllers/fwd_joint/velocity/parameter_updates
/airboat/joint_command
/airboat/joint_setpoint
/airboat/joint_states
/airboat/move_usv/goal
/airboat/move_usv/result
/airboat/state
/airboat/thruster_command
/airboat/thruster_use
/clock
/gazebo/current
/gazebo/link_states
/gazebo/model_states
/gazebo/parameter_descriptions
/gazebo/parameter_updates
/gazebo/set_link_state
/gazebo/set_model_state
/gazebo_gui/parameter_descriptions
/gazebo_gui/parameter_updates
/model/state
/rosout
/rosout_agg
/scan
/tf
/tf_static
/uwsim_marker/update
/uwsim_marker/update_full

What's Next ?!?!

Fell free to explore the additional scenarios.