Betaflight SITL Timing with Gazebo Integration

[marc-vZ]

Hey everyone!

I'm working with Betaflight SITL connected to a Gazebo simulation. I need to understand how SITL's timing works when integrated with a scaled-time Gazebo simulation. Specifically:

Does the SITL run at real-world time or does it respect Gazebo's simulation time?
If I slow down Gazebo (e.g., using -z 500 to run at half speed), will SITL's PID loops and processing remain in sync?

I'm working on latency testing and need to ensure that when I scale Gazebo's simulation time, all components (including SITL) maintain proper temporal relationships. The timing of PID loops and motor commands is crucial for accurate simulation.

My current understanding is that:

Gazebo can run at different speeds using the -z parameter
This affects sensor update rates and physics
Unsure if SITL respects this timing or runs independently - does it have an internal "step" that represents some time every time it gets an update from Gazebo, or does it look at system clock for timings?

Has anyone tested SITL behavior with different Gazebo simulation speeds? Any insights on how to properly synchronize these components? Also, the SITL was a pain to get working. I might submit an overhaul to the documentation when I'm not so pressed for time.

Edit: -z not -u

[J3ykob]

Yeah, I'm also interested in that one

[AaliyaJakir]

Did you ever figure this out?

[marc-vZ]

Sorry for the late reply, forgot I made this - but yes, did a ton of digging and betaflight does work in lockstep with gazebo.