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INSTALL.md

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The following instructions describe how to use the installation

Prerequisites

We tested the installation with a VMware virtual machine and with Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. However, it is not necessary to use a virtual machine.

Make a directory for repositories.

mkdir -p ${HOME}/repos

Download QGroundControl Daily Build

Download the daily build for QGroundControl via the following link. Once downloaded, make the AppImage file executable by running the following lines.

cd ${HOME}/Downloads
chmod +x QGroundControl.AppImage

Install python3 and pip3

The Gazebo and ROS Noetic installation script will fail if we do not install the Python future package.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python3 python3-pip

Install ROS Noetic and Gazebo

Follow the instructions on the ROS website to install ROS Noetic and Gazebo. Here is the link.

Install Mavlink and Mavros.

The original PX4 script to install Mavlink and Mavros was written for Ubuntu 18.04. This script is an altered version that works for Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and ROS Noetic. Go to the scripts directory in this repository and run install_mav_tools.sh.

Building the PX4 repository

Let's build the PX4 repository. The following lines clone the PX4 repository and then uses the PX4 ubuntu.sh script to build the tools.

Note: When you run the ubuntu.sh script, you may receive apt-get install * errors. To avoid those errors, go to Software & Updates application and click on the Ubuntu Software tab. Finally, enable Community-maintained free and open-source software (universe).

cd ${HOME}/repos
git clone https://github.com/PX4/PX4-Autopilot.git -b v1.13.0 --recursive
cd PX4-Autopilot
bash ./Tools/setup/ubuntu.sh

Once you built the tools, you must restart your computer.

Now, run the following commands once you've logged back into your account.

cd ${HOME}/repos/PX4-Autopilot
DONT_RUN=1 make px4_sitl_default gazebo
source ~/catkin_ws/devel/setup.bash    # (optional)
source Tools/setup_gazebo.bash $(pwd) $(pwd)/build/px4_sitl_default
export ROS_PACKAGE_PATH=$ROS_PACKAGE_PATH:$(pwd)
export ROS_PACKAGE_PATH=$ROS_PACKAGE_PATH:$(pwd)/Tools/sitl_gazebo

Next, test your installation by running the following command:

roslaunch px4 mavros_posix_sitl.launch

Update Iris SDF Jinja file

Update the iris.sdf.jinja file so that it includes a downward front-facing Intel Realsense camera.

  1. Gather the realsense_gazebo_plugin and realsense2_description packages. Follow these instructions to install the packages. Note: Ensure that you convert the camera's *.xacro file (test_d435_camera.urdf.xacro) to an SDF following the instructions towards the end of the readme.

  2. Make the following changes to the new SDF:

  • Rename the SDF to d435_camera.sdf.
  • In the SDF, lower the camera's mass so that the drone is not front-heavy, which will have adverse effects during flight. Replace the line <mass>0.564</mass> with <mass>0.05</mass>.
  • In the SDF, change the camera name in the SDF file to d435_camera. That is, replace <model name='realsense2_camera'> with <model name='d435_camera'>.
  1. Update the *.jinja file to include the camera.
cd ${HOME}/repos

git clone https://github.com/troiwill/px4-mavros-gazebo-sim.git
cp px4-mavros-gazebo-sim/models/iris/iris.sdf.jinja PX4-Autopilot/Tools/sitl_gazebo/models/iris/

Next, build the Iris drone again and launch Gazebo to ensure the camera is attached to the drone. Note: If Gazebo fails to spawn the drone and camera, try restarting your computer and then run again.

# Build the updated Iris drone.
cd PX4-Autopilot
DONT_RUN=1 make px4_sitl_default gazebo

# Launch Gazebo
roslaunch px4 mavros_posix_sitl.launch

Add a ROS Environment script

For each terminal, you may need to run the commands mentioned in the subsection that describes building PX4. Therefore, we provide a simple script that will run these commands for you every time you open a new terminal.

Copy the script to your home directory and add a reference to it in your .bashrc file.

cp px4-mavros-gazebo-sim/scripts/px4_sim_ros_env.sh ${HOME}/.px4_sim_ros_env.sh
cp ${HOME}/.bashrc ${HOME}/.bashrc.orig
echo "\n\n# Setup PX4 ROS environment.\n" >> ~/.bashrc
echo ". \"${HOME}/.px4_sim_ros_env.sh\" >/dev/null" >> ~/.bashrc

Controlling the Drone with MAVROS PX4 Vehicle

Follow the installation instructions to use MAVROS PX4 vehicle to control the drone.

Note: You should checkout the experimental-avoidance branch to enable to drone to "fly over known obstacles." This feature is barebones and simply makes the drone ascend upward, move to the goal position, and then descend to the goal pose. There is no explicit obstacle avoidance feature.