README.md

fields-ignition

random crop field generator for Ignition Gazebo

🚧 work in progress

• What's this?
• Notes
• Run in a catkin workspace
• Run with Docker

What's this?

I was wondering how complicated would it be to generate random test environments for agricultural robots. Turned out with great tools like the Blender python API, and Ignition Gazebo it can be a fun and straightforward process 🎉

This repo contains:

• Blender script that generates individual tomato crops
• Jupyter notebook for building the SDF models and the world description
• ROS node that visualizes the ground truth data in RViz
• Dockerfile for running the simulations
• Example worlds generated with this tool

Notes

• The generated results are reproducible by specifying the seed value
• Each model has a markers.json listing the position of the fruits relative to the crop
• Also, the world folder has a markers.json listing all the plant and fruit positions relative to the world origin

Run in a Catkin workspace

requires ROS Noetic and Ignition Dome

Install

• git clone https://github.com/azazdeaz/fields-ignition.git in the src folder
• rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -r -y in the workspace folder
• and build with catkin_make

Run the simulation

• run an example world: roslaunch fields_ignition field.launch world_dir:=$(rospack find fields_ignition)/generated_examples/tomato_field
• visualize the ground truth data with rviz: roslaunch fields_ignition ground_truth.launch world_dir:=$(rospack find fields_ignition)/generated_examples/tomato_field

Generate a new tomato field

• start the notebook rosrun fields_ignition tomato_gen_notebook
• modify the parameters in the second cell and run the notebook

Run with Docker

# build the container
docker build -t ros-tomatoes .

# run the simulator with Docker:
xhost +

docker run -it \
     -e WORLD_DIR=/catkin_ws/src/fields_ignition/generated_examples/tomato_field \
     -e DISPLAY \
     -e QT_X11_NO_MITSHM=1 \
     -e XAUTHORITY=$XAUTH \
     -v "$XAUTH:$XAUTH" \
     -v "/tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix" \
     -v "/etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro" \
     -v "/dev/input:/dev/input" \
     --network host \
     --rm \
     --privileged \
     --runtime=nvidia \
     --security-opt seccomp=unconfined \
     --name tomato_field \
     ros-tomatoes

Note: to start a less resource heavy simulation change the WORLD_DIR env to /catkin_ws/src/fields_ignition/generated_examples/tomato_field_mini