arena-tools

A collection of tools to make working with Arena-Rosnav and Arena-Rosnav-3D easier. It currently includes:

• Scenario Editor
• Flatland Model Editor
• Map Generator (2D)

Prerequisites

• Python 3.6 or higher

Installation

Install Python packages (preferably in your virtual environment):

pip3 install pyqt5 numpy pyyaml lxml scikit-image Pillow scikit-image opencv-python matplotlib
pip install PyQt5 --upgrade

If you wish to use our 2D map to 3D Gazebo world functionality follow these 2 additional steps:

Install potrace and imagemagick to convert png/pgm images to SVG format:

sudo apt-get install potrace imagemagick

Install Blender according to documentation, making sure that it can be run from the terminal.
Note: This feature was tested with Blender v3.1

Run

To start the gui and select your task, run:

roscd arena-tools && python arena_tools.py

Map Generator

How to create a custom map blueprint like shown here:

map_generator.webm.mov

1. Map Generator is a tool to generate random ROS maps. Firstly select map generator in the arena-tools menu. Or run python MapGenerator.py

NOTE:

• Maps can be either an indoor or an outdoor type map. For indoor maps you can adjust the Corridor With and number of Iterations. For outdoor maps you can adjust the number of Obstacles and the Obstacle Extra Radius.
• Generate maps in bulk by setting Number of Maps
• Each map will be saved in its own folder. Folders will be named like "map[number]". [number] will be incremented starting from the highest number that already exists in the folder, so as not to overwrite any existing maps.

2. If you wish to create Gazebo worlds for all of the generated maps click on the 'Convert existing maps into Gazebo worlds' button, which automates the process, provided you followed the installation steps. Otherwise, you can have a look here on how to achieve this manually with the help of Blender. Below you can find a short summary

Scenario Editor

Scenario Editor is a tool to create scenarios for use in Arena-Rosnav. Run it using Python:

roscd arena-tools && python ArenaScenarioEditor.py

Example Usage

example_usage.webm.mov

General Usage

• Drag the scene or items around by pressing the LEFT mouse button
• Zoom in and out using the mouse scroll wheel
• Select multiple items by drawing a selection rectangle pressing the RIGHT mouse button
• Copy selected items by pressing CTRL+C
• Paste items by pressing CTRL+V
• Delete selected items by pressing DELETE on your keyboard

Load and Save Scenarios

Click on File->Open or File->Save. Scenarios can be saved in YAML or JSON format, just use the according file ending.

Set Scenario Map

Click on Elements->Set Map. Select a map.yaml file in the format of a typical ROS map (see map_server Docs). The map will be loaded into the scene.

Set Robot initial position and goal

Robot position and goal is always part of a scenario.

Add Pedsim Agents

add_pedsim_agent.webm.mov

• Click on Elements->Add Pedsim Agent. An agent widget will be added on the left and the default Flatland Model for Pedsim Agents will be added to the scene.
• Open the Pedsim Agent Editor by clicking on Edit or double click the model in the scene. Here you can set the Flatland Model, type and all other attributes of your agent.
• Click on 'Add Waypoints...' or select an agent and press CTRL+D to enter Waypoint Mode. Click anywhere in the scene to add a waypoint for this agent. Press ESC or click OK when finished.

Add Flatland Object (Static Obstacle)

add_flatland_object.webm.mov

rotate_obstacle.webm.mov

• Click on Elements->Add Flatland Object. A widget will be added on the left and the default Flatland Model for objects will be added to the scene.
• Choose a model YAML file by double clicking the item in the scene
• Rotate object by holding CTRL while clicking on the object (keep mouse button pressed) and dragging the mouse.

NOTE: When creating scenarios for the 2D environment arena-rosnav there are two different ways of managing obstacles. Firstly, using pedsim (standart) which can be in certain conditions unreliable, or secondly using arena. If you intend to use arena you must transform your scenarios into their specific format, using the following script, here

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Flatland Model Editor

Flatland Model Editor is a tool to create models used by Flatland. See the Flatland Documentation for a description of a model file. Run it using Python:

roscd arena-tools && python FlatlandModelEditor.py

Load and Save Models

Click on File->Open or File->Save.

Add Bodies

Click on 'Add Body'.

Flatland Body Editor

edit_flatland_body.webm.mov

Click on the 'edit'-Button of the Body you want to edit. The Flatland Body Editor will open. You can edit basic properties of the body and add polygon and circle footprints. You can drag the scene around using left mouse button and zoom in and out using scroll wheel.

Polygon Footprints:

• Click on 'Add Polygon' to add a polygon footprint. A Footprint widget will be added on the left.
• Delete polygon footprint by clicking on delete.
• Edit the layers by writing them in the layers edit box. Layer names need to be separated by commas (e.g. like this: "layer1, layer2, layer3").
• Increase or decrease the number of vertices by clicking on + or -.
• Set position of the footprint by dragging it around in the scene.
• Set position of each vertice by holding the mouse near the vertice (cursor should change) and dragging the vertice.
• Duplicate footprint by selecting it in the scene and then pressing SHIFT + D
• Save body by clicking 'Save and Close'

Circle Footprints

Not yet implemented.