Distro	Build dev	Build releases	Stable sync
ROS1 Melodic (u18.04)
ROS1 Noetic (u20.04)
ROS2 Foxy (u20.04)
ROS2 Humble (u22.04)
ROS2 Rolling (u22.04)

MultiVehicle simulator (MVSIM)

Lightweight, realistic dynamical simulator for 2D ("2.5D") vehicles and robots. It is tailored to analysis of vehicle dynamics, wheel-ground contact forces and accurate simulation of typical robot sensors (e.g. 2D and 3D lidars).

This package includes C++ libraries, standalone applications, and ROS-1 and ROS-2 nodes.

License: 3-clause BSD License Copyright (C) 2014-2022 Jose Luis Blanco jlblanco@ual.es (University of Almeria) and collaborators

Docs

• Main documentation site
• https://wiki.ros.org/mvsim

Launch demos

Standalone:

mvsim launch mvsim_tutorial/mvsim_demo_2robots.world.xml

mvsim launch mvsim_tutorial/test_mesh.world.xml

ROS1:

roslaunch mvsim mvsim_demo_depth_camera.launch

ROS2:

ros2 launch mvsim mvsim_demo_depth_camera.launch.py

Main features

• Lightweight in memory, CPU and library requirements.
• Fully configurable via .xml "world" files.
• World maps:
  • Occupancy gridmaps: input as images or MRPT binary maps (from icp-slam, rbpf-slam, etc.)
  • Elevation meshes.
• Vehicle models:
  • Differential driven (2 & 4 wheel drive).
  • Ackermann steering (kinematic & dynamic steering, different mechanical drive models).
  • Ackermann steering with mechanical differentials of full grade.
• Sensors:
  • Laser scanners: Robots see each other, their own bodies, etc.
  • RGB cameras
  • Depth cameras
• Interface to vehicles: Choose among:
  • Raw access to forces and motor torques.
  • Twist commands (using internal controllers).

Changelog for package mvsim

0.4.3 (2022-11-14)

• add names to gl objects (useful to debug)
• configurable gui open timeout
• GUI: new button Editor->Export 3Dscene file
• Add a warning if using a physics timestep is incompatible with the sensor periods
• FIX: more accurate simulation of timesteps; more mutexes
• automatic determination of timestep; FIX bug: constant offset in simul time
• fix FBO api for mrpt 2.5.6
• fix build against mrpt 2.5.6; fix infinite loop while hitting quit button
• refactor TCLAP objects to avoid global object initialization fiasco crashes
• handle old and new versions of tf_geometry_msgs
• mvsim cli new command: topic hz
• Fix ROS2 obsolete header
• fix build for u18.04
• fix for older zmq versions
• fix newest zmq deprecated warnings
• FIX: DAE file error to load on newer version of assimp
• provide cmake config types for gcc sanitizers
• fix zmq API in bionic
• avoid zmq_message_t ctor; more parallel threads for ZMQ
• make the get_pose() service to answer immediately without needing to acquire the main simulation mutex
• fix escaping
• more portable makefile comparison for libbox2d version
• d/rules: auto detection of system libbox2d version
• Contributors: Jose Luis Blanco-Claraco

0.4.2 (2022-10-19)

• Disable Python wrappers for python <3.8
• Honor DESTDIR when building and installing
• Honor cli-provided PYTHON_INSTALL_DIRECTORY via cmake flags
• Fix protobuf-generated broken Python3 imports (using protoletariat)
• Add new WorldElement type: pointcloud
• Add Python3 example for teleop twist
• Contributors: Jose Luis Blanco-Claraco

0.4.1 (2022-10-13)

• Add more documentation, demo files, and screenshots
• Support animations from keyframe list for blocks and vehicles
• Refactor common xml params in Simulable interface
• Support PARENT_NAME usage in sensor definition files; add \"<publish>\" tags to tutorial sensors
• 2D lidar sensor: new XML parameter maxRange
• change threshold to decimate sensors preview subwindows
• BUGFIX: Uninitialized quaternion in rviz marker (Closes #14)
• Allow expressions in include tags
• Expose more lidar params in its XML
• Contributors: Jose Luis Blanco-Claraco

0.4.0 (2022-09-27)

• Major new release with tons of new features.
• New sensors: RGB, depth, RGB+D cameras
• Support for ROS1 and ROS2.
• Sensors now can have 3D models.
• New GUI controls to customize visualization.
• New 3 and 4 wheels differential kinematic models.
• Allow \"include\"s in XML files.
• Add 3D Jackal robot model.
• ROS nodes: publishers in parallel thread
• mvsim-cli new flag to enable full profiling
• Use new nanogui feature to limit GUI refresh rate
• Fix running faster than real-time
• More consistent timestamping of simulated sensors
• mvsim now shows program version info
• get_pose() service now also gets twist
• Fix elevation maps
• pybind11 per-version directory
• Remove trailing \'/\' in tf frame names for consistency with modern conventions.
• Rename COPYING -> LICENSE
• Contributors: Jose Luis Blanco-Claraco

0.3.2 (2022-06-21)

• Install models/ subdirectory too
• Changes towards building for both ros1 & ros2
• Copyright date bump
• Fix build and dependencies for ROS1.
• Fix build w/o python
• Fix consistent include path for installed targets
• BUGFIX: Fix random SIGSEGV due to unsafe shared global object for random number generation
• Fix no installation of mvsim_msgs python module
• Fix demo robot starts out of the map
• Contributors: Jose Luis Blanco-Claraco

0.3.1 (2022-04-25)

• update 2 robots demo
• Add pybind11 as build dep
• fix ros node compilation
• fix build w/o ros
• Fix compilation of the ROS1 node against the latest mvsim libraries
• Fix cmake policy error in pybind11
• Add missing ros deps
• Add missing build dep box2d-dev
• Update README.md
• Contributors: Jose Luis Blanco Claraco, Jose Luis Blanco-Claraco

0.3.0 (2022-03-04)

• RGBD camera simulation
• MRPT 2.x is now required to build mvsim.
• Update build dep to mrpt2
• License changed to 3-clause BSD.
• Merge pull request #11 from SRai22/patch-1 Update install.rst: needs libprotobuf-dev and libpython3-dev for building from source
• New checkboxes to see sensor poses and FOVs
• Lidar: ignore parent body option
• Lidar: realistic 3D raytrace mode
• enable textures in planes
• add support for ground and ceiling planes
• clean elevation mesh code
• save_to_rawlog option
• register callbacks instead of virtual functions
• New command \"topic echo NAME\"
• Add support for intangible blocks; publish relative poses
• Add support and example for standalone sensors
• allow changing the server IP or address
• add optional profiler to Client
• Protect main socket with mutex
• fix walls rendering; add new walls demo xml
• allow custom user 3D objects
• timelog format fix
• show class name in timelogger
• World: expose GUI object
• GUI and minor tweaks
• much faster models loading
• fix wrong collision resetting
• safer report collisions
• Fix usage of the update_fps parameter
• Fix build against mrpt 2.1.8
• force build against python3
• more standard python3 deb pkg generation
• solved python pkg problem in bionic
• fix python in bionic
• debian: fix python3 install dir
• add missing python3 dep
• fix deb python packaging
• remove useless cmake include
• first fully-working set_pose from python
• Progress with python wrappers
• Enhance python wrapper
• Document a minimum size limitation in box2d.
• small preliminary test for camera sensor
• Use newer mrpt-gui window manager
• Fix wallHeight wall parameter correct usage
• editor: basic rotate and move objects
• refactor gui code into smaller methods
• fix rendering of non-custom objects
• functional replace by coordinates
• Progress with replace GUI
• progress with bbox rendering
• progress with mouse move UI
• refactor: unify all simulable objects in one list
• update asserts to latest mrpt2 names
• Better service response
• safer multithread gui
• avoid possible exception in serialization
• Return collision state
• Detect and report collisions
• add setStatic method
• progress debugging ramps
• Add incremental set_pose srv
• add get_pose() service
• Import walls working
• walls progress
• progress loading wall models
• Start doxygen integration in docs
• fix not seeing the robot owns body
• subscription works; example updated
• Feature: XML variables parsing
• update pybind11
• done topic subscriptions; fix proper thread joinable checks.
• basic subscription works
• progress subscribe topics
• fix crash upon exit due to unjoined threads
• use -dbg postfix for debug libraries
• implemented command topic list
• docs on world xml parameters
• fix visualization of sensors in custom viz models
• add missing file
• Add ZMQ monitor to connections
• fix install include dir
• fix copy pb hdr files
• clear leftover traces
• auto bbox from visuals
• More modular debian packaging
• services and set_pose() is working
• progress implementing services
• Blocks and vehicles publishes their pose
• Large code refactor:
  • Use mrpt::math types for twist and points
  • Use smart pointers
  • Remove duplicated code via new methods in base class Simulable
• done with publishTopic()
• advertise topics
• done list nodes command
• implement query node list
• refactor Client without parallel thread
• refactor mvsim-cli sources
• progress server
• fix cmake exported targets
• fix install
• unregister nodes
• basic python bindings
• refactor into modules
• progress with server parsing messages
• verbosity levels in client
• ignore files
• refactor into one main cli tool: mvsim
• zmq forwards header
• add thread names
• fix build against zmq<4.4
• First zmq message interchanges
• basic server thread infraestructure
• progress defining client/server protocol
• Add alternative 3D visualization to blocks and vehicles
• start refactor for visual objects
• fix -Werror error in u18.04
• Add zmq and protobuf
• prefer std::move
• Enforce override keyword
• use system logger instead of cout
• avoid raw pointer for box2d instance
• refactor param structures
• fix opengl memory leak
• Port to nanogui
• done port to mrpt2
• prefer nullptr
• narrower mrpt dependencies
• port docs to sphinx
• add circle-ci
• reorganize badges
• fix main doc file
• fix debian installed files path
• use system libbox2d
• add debian packaging files
• modernize: cmake exported targets
• show box2d system library version
• cmake commands to lower case
• Contributors: Jose Luis Blanco-Claraco, Shravan S Rai

0.2.1 (2019-04-12)

• Fix build against latest mrpt-master & 1.5.x versions.
• add ROS build farm badges
• Contributors: Jose Luis Blanco Claraco, Jose Luis Blanco-Claraco, Julian Lopez Velasquez

0.2.0 (2018-06-28)

• fix build against mrpt1
• update to package XML format 2
• fix build in mrpt 2.0
• use docker in travis
• Allow mvsim to be built w/o ROS again
• Merge pull request #10 from spsancti/master GSoC contribution to mvsim See discussion thread: https://github.com/MRPT/GSoC2017-discussions/issues/2
• Added description of world files
• Added description of loggers and Ward-Iagnemma friction model
• Added refernce to Torsen-defferntial
• Added desctiption of Ackermann-drivetrain dynamics
• Added Doxyfile
• Added user manual with basic friction model described
• Added text logger for CSV format
• Add mvsim slam demo.
• fix catkin deps: it now requires mrpt_bridge
• LaserScanner: new option to make all fixtures invisible
• Contributors: Borys Tymchenko, Jose Luis Blanco Claraco, Logrus

0.1.2 (2015-05-24)

• Cleaner build against mrpt 1.3.0
• Fix build against mrpt 1.3.0
• Contributors: Jose Luis Blanco

0.1.1 (2014-12-28)

• First public release.
• Contributors: Jose Luis Blanco