RDC_Simulation/docs/installation.md

Installation Guide

System Requirements

Requirement	Minimum	Recommended
OS	Ubuntu 22.04	Ubuntu 24.04
RAM	8 GB	16 GB
Disk	10 GB	20 GB
GPU	OpenGL 3.3	NVIDIA dedicated

Ubuntu 25.x+ users: Native installation has dependency issues. Use Docker instead (recommended).

Windows users: Use WSL2 with Ubuntu 24.04 (see below) or Docker.

Installation Options

Method	Best For
Docker (Recommended)	Ubuntu 25+, consistent environments, no host modifications
Native Install	Ubuntu 22.04/24.04, full control
WSL2	Windows users

---

Quick Install (Ubuntu 22.04/24.04)

# Clone repository
git clone <repo-url> ~/RDC_Simulation
cd ~/RDC_Simulation

# Run full installer (20-30 minutes)
./setup/install_ubuntu.sh

# Activate environment
source activate.sh

This installs:

• ✅ Python 3 + virtual environment
• ✅ Gazebo Harmonic
• ✅ ArduPilot SITL
• ✅ ArduPilot Gazebo plugin
• ✅ MAVProxy

Windows (WSL2)

Step 1: Install WSL2

Open PowerShell as Administrator:

wsl --install -d Ubuntu-24.04

Restart your computer, then open "Ubuntu" from the Start menu.

Step 2: Install in WSL

# Update system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Clone and install
git clone <repo-url> ~/RDC_Simulation
cd ~/RDC_Simulation
./setup/install_ubuntu.sh

# Activate environment
source activate.sh

WSL2 Tips

• GUI: Windows 11 has WSLg built-in. Gazebo should work automatically.
• GPU: Install NVIDIA WSL driver for GPU acceleration
• Performance: Keep files in Linux filesystem (~/), not Windows (/mnt/c/)
• Memory: WSL may need more RAM. Create ~/.wslconfig in Windows:

  [wsl2]
  memory=8GB
  

Arch Linux

./setup/install_arch.sh
source activate.sh

macOS

macOS doesn't support Gazebo Harmonic. Options:

1. Docker: Run Linux in container
2. VM: Use UTM/Parallels with Ubuntu
3. Basic: PyBullet-only simulation

./setup/install_macos.sh

Verify Installation

# Check ArduPilot environment
# Activate environment & check
source activate.sh
python -c "import em; print('empy: OK')"
which sim_vehicle.py

# Check Gazebo
gz sim --version

# Check ArduPilot plugin
ls ~/ardupilot_gazebo/build/libArduPilotPlugin.so

First Run

Terminal 1 - Gazebo

cd ~/RDC_Simulation
./scripts/run_ardupilot_sim.sh runway

Wait for the drone to appear!

Terminal 2 - SITL

source activate.sh
sim_vehicle.py -v ArduCopter -f gazebo-iris --model JSON --console

Wait for "JSON received:" messages.

Terminal 3 - Controller

cd ~/RDC_Simulation
source activate.sh
python scripts/run_ardupilot.py --pattern square

Troubleshooting

"empy not found"

source activate.sh
pip install empy==3.3.4

"sim_vehicle.py not found"

source ~/.ardupilot_env
# Or add to PATH manually:
export PATH=$PATH:~/ardupilot/Tools/autotest

"No JSON sensor message"

SITL isn't receiving data from Gazebo.

• Start Gazebo FIRST
• Wait for world to fully load
• Then start SITL

Gazebo crashes or slow

# Check GPU
glxinfo | grep "OpenGL renderer"

# Force software rendering (slow but works)
export LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1

WSL: Display not working

# Check WSLg
ls /mnt/wslg

# Update WSL if missing
wsl --update

ArduPlane instead of ArduCopter

If mode list shows FBWA, FBWB (plane modes):

pkill -9 -f sim_vehicle
sim_vehicle.py -v ArduCopter -f gazebo-iris --model JSON --console --wipe-eeprom