mola_input_ouster

Provides a MOLA RawDataSourceBase module for Ouster LiDAR sensors using the native Ouster C++ SDK, without requiring any ROS middleware.

This module can operate in three modes:

• Live sensor: Connects to an Ouster sensor on the network.
• PCAP replay: Replays a recorded .pcap capture file.
• OSF replay: Replays an Ouster .osf recording (sensor metadata is embedded in the file — no separate JSON required).

It produces mrpt::obs::CObservationPointCloud and mrpt::obs::CObservationIMU observations for downstream consumption by mola::LidarOdometry, state estimators, or any other mola::RawDataConsumer.

Usage: OSF replay (just view, no SLAM)

OUSTER_OSF=/path/to/recording.osf \
mola-cli  $(mola-dir mola_input_ouster)/mola-cli-launchs/osf_ouster_just_view.yaml

Build dependencies

• mola_kernel
• mola_yaml
• mrpt (mrpt-obs, mrpt-maps)
• Ouster SDK (ouster_client, ouster_pcap, ouster_osf) — bundled as a git submodule (see below)

Ouster SDK: bundled submodule vs. system installation

The Ouster SDK is included as a git submodule under ouster-sdk/, so the package is self-contained and requires no separate SDK installation.

Clone with submodules:

git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/MOLAorg/mola_input_ouster.git

Or, if you already cloned without --recurse-submodules:

git submodule update --init --recursive

If a system-wide (or user-installed) Ouster SDK is already present on your machine, CMake will prefer it automatically. To force the bundled copy regardless, pass -DUSE_BUNDLED_OUSTER_SDK=ON to CMake.

Usage: Sensor check (just view, no SLAM)

Quickly verify connectivity and inspect the raw point clouds without running any odometry:

OUSTER_HOSTNAME=os-122xxxxxxxxx.local \
mola-cli  $(mola-dir mola_input_ouster)/mola-cli-launchs/live_ouster_just_view.yaml

Same for a recorded PCAP file:

OUSTER_PCAP=/path/to/capture.pcap \
OUSTER_META=/path/to/metadata.json \
mola-cli  $(mola-dir mola_input_ouster)/mola-cli-launchs/pcap_ouster_just_view.yaml

Usage: Live LiDAR odometry

OUSTER_HOSTNAME=os-122xxxxxxxxx.local \
mola-cli  $(mola-dir mola_input_ouster)/mola-cli-launchs/lidar_odometry_ouster_live.yaml

Or using the convenience script:

mola-lo-gui-ouster-live os-122xxxxxxxxx.local

For LiDAR-Inertial Odometry (LIO) with IMU deskewing:

MOLA_DESKEW_METHOD=MotionCompensationMethod::IMU \
mola-lo-gui-ouster-live os-122xxxxxxxxx.local

Changing the lidar mode (resolution / spin rate)

The OUSTER_LIDAR_MODE environment variable sets the scan resolution and rotation frequency. The format is <columns>x<Hz>:

File truncated at 100 lines see the full file

Changelog for package mola_input_ouster

0.1.0 (2026-XX-XX)

• Initial release: live Ouster sensor and PCAP replay support.