- BlueSim and Gazebo (+SITL) are both open source simulation setups that are intended for that purpose
- The main caveat is that they were released a while ago and the installation instructions haven’t been frequently updated, so getting them running on current operating systems can take some work
- Providing some decent “simulations” documentation is on my TODO list, but the list is unfortunately rather long…
- To explain the components:
- SITL simulates the autopilot, and some very basic physics
- Gazebo and BlueSim are more advanced physics and operations simulators and provide a first-person interface/video feed, but don’t simulate the autopilot
- Control station software like QGroundControl allows user input to the running simulation (e.g. from a joystick), and provides a map/missions interface
- MAVLink inputs can alternatively be from a custom program (e.g. if you want to test a high level control algorithm)
- The main caveat is that they were released a while ago and the installation instructions haven’t been frequently updated, so getting them running on current operating systems can take some work
- Ender Ocean is a game / real life ocean cleanup project that branched off from BlueSim
- Teleportal allows keyboard control of a BlueROV2 exploring the Australian Great Barrier Reef, and includes a simulation environment for training before doing the real thing
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