px4-gz-docker

Docker files needed to build images for px4_sitl simulation in ROS2 and Gazebo (by default the AbuDhabi Model will be loaded)

The ./work directory setup

run ./get_src.sh to clone each repo,

work/
┣ px4/
┣ ros2_ws/
┃ ┗ src/
┃   ┣ px4_msgs/
┃   ┗ ros_gz/
┃   ┗ px4_offboard/
┗ .gitignore

Please build ros_gz from source. see ros-gz

Build and run

To build the image

docker compose build

To run multiple drones

./run_dev.sh

To access the shell of each service, in two different terminals run

Terminal 1: docker exec -u user -it px4_gz-px4_gz_docker-1 terminator

To start px4_sitl and ros2 offboard control, split each terminator into 3 panels and run

1. cd px4 && make px4_sitl to build px4_sitl first. (This only need to be built once in one of the container shells)
   PX4_SYS_AUTOSTART=4001 PX4_GZ_MODEL_POSE="0,0" PX4_GZ_MODEL=x500 ./build/px4_sitl_default/bin/px4 -i 1 to start px4_sitl instance with x500 in gz-garden.
   For launching multiple drones, the same command as above can be used. The instance id should be different for each instance, for example, for launching a second drone, the instance 2 can be instantiated by adding -i 2 at the end.
   PX4_SYS_AUTOSTART=4001 PX4_GZ_MODEL_POSE="10,0" PX4_GZ_MODEL=x500 ./build/px4_sitl_default/bin/px4 -i 2

2. MicroXRCEAgent udp4 -p 8888 to start DDS agent for communication with ROS2. This creates a bridge between PX4's internal network and the ROS2 network.\

3. In the third terminal, start at /work directory. Then cd ros2_ws/. Build the workspace (if required) using colcon build. Source the terminal using . install/setup.bash After this offboard script can be launched (Check for "Ready for launch!! message in the first terminal where the autopilot is launch to confirm that the drones are ready"). cd src/px4-offboard/px4_offboard, followed by python3 offboard_smooth.py

Environment Variables

• PX4_GZ_MODEL Name of the px4 vehicle model to spawn in gz
• PX4_GZ_MODEL_POSE Spawn pose of the vehicle model, must used with PX4_GZ_MODEL
• PX4_MICRODDS_NS Namespace assigned to the sitl vehicle, normally associated with px4 instances, but can be set mannually
• ROS_DOMAIN_ID Separate each container into its own domain (Is it still necessary since each SITL instance has a unique namespace?)