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17 changes: 17 additions & 0 deletions jetty/ros2_integration.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -227,3 +227,20 @@ And verify the vehicle matching its trajectory in Gazebo and RViz.
![gz_rviz](tutorials/ros2_integration/gz_rviz.gif)

For more details on implementation of this demo see [ROS 2 Interoperability](ros2_interop).

## Using ROS 2 Simulation Interfaces

The [ROS 2 Simulation Interfaces](https://github.com/ros-simulation/simulation_interfaces)
are a set of standard ROS 2 service, message and action
definitions for controlling and interacting with simulation environments. They are
simulator agnostic, which means the same interfacs can be implemented in different
simulators while keeping the API consistent.

Gazebo implements these interfaces, enabling you to,
- Spawn and delete entities
- Control simulation state and time stepping
- Query entity and world state
- Retrieve simulator information

For a full tutorial, including usage examples for each interface see
[Use ROS 2 Simulation Interfaces with Gazebo](ros2_sim_interfaces).
172 changes: 172 additions & 0 deletions jetty/ros2_sim_interfaces.md
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# Use ROS 2 Simulation Interfaces to Interact with Gazebo

The [ROS 2 Simulation Interfaces](https://github.com/ros-simulation/simulation_interfaces)
define a standard set of ROS 2 service, message and action definitions for controlling and
interacting with simulation environments. These interfaces are simulator-agnostic and aim to
provide a unified way to control and observe simulation using ROS 2.

Gazebo has implemented these interfaces, enabling tasks like spawning entities, stepping
simulation, querying world state, etc. through standard ROS 2 calls. In this tutorial we
will learn how to interact with a running Gazebo simulation for the following tasks,
- [Simulation Control](#simulation-control)
- [Entity Management](#entity-management)
- [State Query](#state-query)
- [Simulator Information](#simulator-information)

## Simulation Control

The following services and actions are available to control the flow of simulation time.

| Interface Name | Topic Name | Type | Description |
|----------------|------------|------|-------------|
| `ResetSimulation` | `/reset_simulaiton` | Service | Reset the simulation to its initial state |
| `StepSimulation` | `/step_simulation` | Service | Step the simulation forward by a specified number of steps |
| `GetSimulationState` | `/get_simulation_state` | Service | Get the current simulation state (playing/paused/stopped) |
| `SetSimulationState` | `/set_simulation_state` | Service | Set the simulation state (play/pause/stop) |
| `SimulateSteps` | `/simulate_steps` | Action | Step the simulation forward by a specified number of steps with feedback and cancellation support |

**ResetSimulation Service**

Reset the simulation to its initial state.

```bash
ros2 service call /reset_simulation simulation_interfaces/srv/ResetSimulation "{}"
```

**StepSimulation Service**

Step the simulation forward by a specified number of steps.

```bash
ros2 service call /step_simulation simulation_interfaces/srv/StepSimulation "{steps: 10}"
```

**GetSimulationState Service**

Get the current simulation state (playing/paused/stopped).

```bash
ros2 service call /get_simulation_state simulation_interfaces/srv/GetSimulationState "{}"
```

**SetSimulationState Service**

Set the simulation state (play/pause/stop).

- Set simulation state to stop.

```bash
ros2 service call /set_simulation_state simulation_interfaces/srv/SetSimulationState "{state: {state: 0}}"
```

- Set simulation state to playing.

```bash
ros2 service call /set_simulation_state simulation_interfaces/srv/SetSimulationState "{state: {state: 1}}"
```

- Set simulation state to paused.

```bash
ros2 service call /set_simulation_state simulation_interfaces/srv/SetSimulationState "{state: {state: 2}}"
```

- Set simulation state to quitting.

```bash
ros2 service call /set_simulation_state simulation_interfaces/srv/SetSimulationState "{state: {state: 3}}"
```

**SimulateSteps Action**

Step the simulation forward by a specified number of steps with feedback and cancellation support.

```bash
ros2 action send_goal /simulate_steps simulation_interfaces/action/SimulateSteps "{steps: 10}" --feedback
```

## Entity Management

The following interfaces are used to create or remove entities in the simulation at runtime.

| Interface Name | Topic Name | Type | Description |
|----------------|------------|------|-------------|
| `SpawnEntity` | `/spawn_entity` | Service | Spawn a new entity in the simulation at a specific location |
| `DeleteEntity` | `/delete_entity` | Service | Delete an existing entity by name |

**SpawnEntity Service**

Spawn a new entity in the simulation at a specific location.

```bash
ros2 service call /spawn_entity simulation_interfaces/srv/SpawnEntity "{
name: 'my_model',
uri: '/path/to/model.sdf',
allow_renaming: false,
initial_pose: {
pose: {
position: {x: 0.0, y: 0.0, z: 0.0},
orientation: {w: 1.0, x: 0.0, y: 0.0, z: 0.0}
}
}
}"
```

**DeleteEntity Service**

Delete an existing entity by name.

```bash
ros2 service call /delete_entity simulation_interfaces/srv/DeleteEntity "{entity: 'my_model'}"
```

## State Query

The following interfaces are used to introspect simulation world and entity state.

| Interface Name | Topic Name | Type | Description |
|----------------|------------|------|-------------|
| `GetEntityState` | `/get_entity_state` | Service | Get the pose and twist of a specific entity |
| `GetEntitiesStates` | `/get_entities_states` | Service | Get the state for multiple entities (optionally filtered) |
| `GetEntities` | `/get_entities` | Service | Get a list of entities (optionally filtered) |

**GetEntityState Service**

Get the pose and twist of a specific entity.

```bash
ros2 service call /get_entity_state simulation_interfaces/srv/GetEntityState "{entity: 'my_model'}"
```

**GetEntitiesStates Service**

Get the state of multiple entities (optionally filtered).

```bash
ros2 service call /get_entities_states simulation_interfaces/srv/GetEntitiesStates "{filters: {filter: ''}}"
```

**GetEntites Service**

Get the list of entities (optionally filtered).

```bash
ros2 service call /get_entities simulation_interfaces/src/GetEntities "{filters: {filter: ''}}"
```

## Simulator Information

Some simulators may only support a subset of interfaces. The following services can be used to inspect
supported features.

| Interface Name | Topic Name | Type | Description |
|----------------|------------|------|-------------|
| `GetSimulatorFeatures` | `/get_simulator_features` | Service | Query which interface features are supported |

**GetSimulatorFeatures Service**

Query which interface features are supported.

```bash
ros2 service call /get_simulator_features simulation_interfaces/srv/GetSimulationFeatures "{}"
```