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default 6c72bbf24c Ardupilot Update

2026-01-02 21:45:16 +00:00

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Installation Guide

Setup instructions for all supported platforms.

Quick Install

Platform	Command
Ubuntu/Debian	`./setup/install_ubuntu.sh`
Ubuntu + ArduPilot	`./setup/install_ubuntu.sh --with-ardupilot`
Arch Linux	`./setup/install_arch.sh`
macOS	`./setup/install_macos.sh`
Windows	`.\setup\install_windows.ps1`

After installation:

source activate.sh          # Linux/macOS
. .\activate.ps1             # Windows PowerShell

python standalone_simulation.py

Platform Compatibility

Feature	Ubuntu	Arch	macOS	Windows	WSL2
Standalone Simulation	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
ROS 2	✅	⚠️ AUR	❌	❌	✅
Gazebo	✅	⚠️ AUR	❌	❌	✅
ArduPilot SITL	✅	⚠️ Manual	❌	❌	✅
Full Mode	✅	⚠️	❌	❌	✅
GUI Support	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅ WSLg

Legend:

✅ Fully supported
⚠️ Available but requires extra setup
❌ Not supported

Recommendation for Windows users: Use WSL2 for the full experience (ROS 2 + Gazebo).

Ubuntu / Debian

Tested on: Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy), Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble)

# Run installer
./setup/install_ubuntu.sh

# Activate environment
source activate.sh

# Run simulation
python standalone_simulation.py

Installs:

ROS 2 (Humble or Jazzy based on Ubuntu version)
Gazebo (ros-gz)
Python packages: pybullet, numpy, pillow, pyinstaller, pymavlink

With ArduPilot SITL (full flight controller):

# Run installer with ArduPilot
./setup/install_ubuntu.sh --with-ardupilot

# This will also install:
# - ArduPilot SITL (~15-20 min build)
# - ArduPilot Gazebo plugin
# - MAVProxy

Arch Linux

Tested on: Arch Linux (rolling release)

# Run installer
./setup/install_arch.sh

# Activate environment
source activate.sh

# Run simulation
python standalone_simulation.py

Installs:

Python packages: pybullet, numpy, pillow, pyinstaller
yay (AUR helper)

Optional ROS 2 (from AUR):

yay -S ros-humble-desktop
yay -S ros-humble-ros-gz

macOS

Tested on: macOS 12+ (Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma)

# Run installer
./setup/install_macos.sh

# Activate environment
source activate.sh

# Run simulation
python standalone_simulation.py

Installs:

Homebrew (if not present)
Python 3.11
Python packages: pybullet, numpy, pillow, pyinstaller

Note: ROS 2 and Gazebo are not supported on macOS. Use standalone mode.

Windows

Tested on: Windows 10, Windows 11

# Open PowerShell as Administrator
Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

# Run installer
.\setup\install_windows.ps1

# Activate environment
. .\activate.ps1

# Run simulation
python standalone_simulation.py

Installs:

Chocolatey (package manager)
Python 3.11
Python packages: pybullet, numpy, pillow, pyinstaller

Note: ROS 2 and Gazebo are not supported natively on Windows. Use standalone mode or WSL2 (below).

Windows with WSL2 (Full Linux Experience)

WSL2 lets you run full Linux on Windows with GUI support. This enables ROS 2 and Gazebo!

Requirements: Windows 10 (build 19041+) or Windows 11

Step 1: Install WSL2

Open PowerShell as Administrator:

# Install WSL2 with Ubuntu
wsl --install -d Ubuntu-22.04

# set the user name and password
# Then update the system
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

# Restart computer if prompted

Step 2: Enable GUI Support (WSLg)

Windows 11 and recent Windows 10 updates include WSLg (GUI support) automatically.

Verify by opening Ubuntu and running:

# Test GUI (should open a window)
sudo apt update
sudo apt install x11-apps -y
xclock

If xclock appears, GUI is working!

Step 3: Install Simulation in WSL

Open Ubuntu from Start menu:

# Clone or copy your project
cd ~
git clone <your-repo-url> simulation
# OR copy from Windows:
# cp -r /mnt/c/Users/YourName/simulation ~/simulation

cd simulation

# Run Ubuntu installer
./setup/install_ubuntu.sh

# Activate
source activate.sh

# Run with GUI
python standalone_simulation.py

WSL2 Tips

Access Windows files:

# Windows C: drive is at /mnt/c/
cd /mnt/c/Users/YourName/Documents

Run from Windows Terminal:

wsl -d Ubuntu-22.04 -e bash -c "cd ~/simulation && source activate.sh && python standalone_simulation.py"

GPU Acceleration (NVIDIA):

If you have an NVIDIA GPU:

# Check if GPU is available
nvidia-smi

# PyBullet will use hardware rendering automatically

Install Gazebo (optional):

If you want to use Gazebo simulation:

# Install ros-gz bridge
sudo apt install ros-humble-ros-gz

# Install Gazebo Fortress (provides 'ign' command)
sudo apt install gz-fortress

# Verify - one of these should work:
gz sim --version      # Newer Gazebo
ign gazebo --version  # Fortress (ROS 2 Humble)

Note: ROS 2 Humble uses Gazebo Fortress, which uses ign gazebo command instead of gz sim. The launch file auto-detects which command is available.

Gazebo GPU Issues in WSL2:

If Gazebo crashes with GPU/OpenGL errors, try:

# Option 1: Run in server mode (no GUI)
ign gazebo -s gazebo/worlds/drone_landing.sdf

# Option 2: Fix permissions and restart WSL
sudo usermod -aG render $USER
chmod 700 /run/user/1000
# Then in PowerShell: wsl --shutdown

# Option 3: Force software rendering
export LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1
ign gazebo gazebo/worlds/drone_landing.sdf

# Option 4: Just use PyBullet (more reliable on WSL2)
python standalone_simulation.py

Troubleshooting WSL GUI:

If GUI doesn't work:

# Update WSL
wsl --update

# Set WSL2 as default
wsl --set-default-version 2

# Reinstall Ubuntu
wsl --unregister Ubuntu-22.04
wsl --install -d Ubuntu-22.04

Using VcXsrv (older Windows 10):

If WSLg isn't available:

# Install VcXsrv
choco install vcxsrv -y

Then in WSL:

# Add to ~/.bashrc
export DISPLAY=$(grep -m 1 nameserver /etc/resolv.conf | awk '{print $2}'):0
export LIBGL_ALWAYS_INDIRECT=1

# Start VcXsrv with "Disable access control" checked
# Then run simulation
python standalone_simulation.py

Manual Installation

If the install scripts don't work, install manually:

1. Python 3.10+

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install python3 python3-pip python3-venv

# Arch
sudo pacman -S python python-pip python-virtualenv

# macOS
brew install python@3.11

# Windows
# Download from https://python.org

2. Create Virtual Environment

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # Linux/macOS
# OR
.\venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1  # Windows

3. Install Python Packages

pip install -r requirements.txt

Or manually:

pip install pybullet numpy pillow pyinstaller

4. Run Simulation

python standalone_simulation.py

Troubleshooting

PyBullet fails to install

Install build tools:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install build-essential

# Arch
sudo pacman -S base-devel

# macOS
xcode-select --install

# Windows
# Install Visual Studio Build Tools

"Cannot connect to X server"

PyBullet GUI requires a display:

# Use virtual display
sudo apt install xvfb
xvfb-run python standalone_simulation.py

# OR use X11 forwarding
ssh -X user@host

Pillow fails to install

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install libjpeg-dev zlib1g-dev

# Arch
sudo pacman -S libjpeg-turbo zlib

# macOS
brew install libjpeg zlib

Permission denied on Windows

Run PowerShell as Administrator:

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Verification

After installation, verify packages:

python -c "import pybullet; print('PyBullet OK')"
python -c "import numpy; print('NumPy OK')"
python -c "from PIL import Image; print('Pillow OK')"
python -c "from pymavlink import mavutil; print('pymavlink OK')"

All should print "OK".

ArduPilot SITL Manual Setup

If you want to install ArduPilot SITL manually (without the install script):

1. Install ArduPilot

# Clone ArduPilot
git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/ArduPilot/ardupilot.git ~/ardupilot
cd ~/ardupilot

# Install prerequisites (Ubuntu)
Tools/environment_install/install-prereqs-ubuntu.sh -y

# Reload profile
. ~/.profile

# Build ArduCopter SITL
./waf configure --board sitl
./waf copter

2. Install ArduPilot Gazebo Plugin

# Clone plugin
git clone https://github.com/ArduPilot/ardupilot_gazebo.git ~/ardupilot_gazebo
cd ~/ardupilot_gazebo

# Build
mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
make -j$(nproc)

3. Set Environment Variables

Add to ~/.bashrc:

# ArduPilot
export ARDUPILOT_HOME=$HOME/ardupilot
export PATH=$PATH:$ARDUPILOT_HOME/Tools/autotest

# ArduPilot Gazebo Plugin
export GZ_SIM_SYSTEM_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/ardupilot_gazebo/build:$GZ_SIM_SYSTEM_PLUGIN_PATH
export GZ_SIM_RESOURCE_PATH=$HOME/ardupilot_gazebo/models:$HOME/ardupilot_gazebo/worlds:$GZ_SIM_RESOURCE_PATH

4. Test SITL

# Test ArduCopter SITL
cd ~/ardupilot
sim_vehicle.py -v ArduCopter --console --map

5. Run with Gazebo

# Terminal 1: Launch Gazebo
ros2 launch gazebo/launch/ardupilot_drone.launch.py

# Terminal 2: Start SITL
cd ~/ardupilot
sim_vehicle.py -v ArduCopter -f gazebo-iris --model JSON --console

# Terminal 3: Run controllers
cd ~/simulation
source activate.sh
python run_ardupilot.py --no-sitl --pattern circular

For more details, see ArduPilot Guide.

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Installation Guide

Quick Install

Platform Compatibility

Ubuntu / Debian

Arch Linux

macOS

Windows

Windows with WSL2 (Full Linux Experience)

Step 1: Install WSL2

Step 2: Enable GUI Support (WSLg)

Step 3: Install Simulation in WSL

WSL2 Tips

Manual Installation

1. Python 3.10+

2. Create Virtual Environment

3. Install Python Packages

4. Run Simulation

Troubleshooting

PyBullet fails to install

"Cannot connect to X server"

Pillow fails to install

Permission denied on Windows

Verification

ArduPilot SITL Manual Setup

1. Install ArduPilot

2. Install ArduPilot Gazebo Plugin

3. Set Environment Variables

4. Test SITL

5. Run with Gazebo

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