ROS Interface

The ROS Interface is part of the CoppeliaSim API framework. It duplicates the C/C++ ROS API with a good fidelity. This makes it the ideal choice for very flexible communication via ROS. You can recognize ROS Interface API functions from the simROS- prefix.

ROS is a distributed pseudo operating system allowing for easy management and communication between multiple computers connected in a network. Please refer to the official ROS documentation for details about ROS.

CoppeliaSim can act as a ROS node that other nodes can communicate with via ROS services, ROS publishers and ROS subscribers.

The ROS Interface functionality in CoppeliaSim is enabled via a plugin: libsimROS.*. The plugin can easily be adapted to your own needs. The plugin is loaded with:

#python simROS = require('simROS') --lua simROS = require('simROS')

The load operation will only be successful if roscore was running at that time. Make sure to inspect CoppeliaSim's console window or terminal for details on plugin load operations.

Have a look at following simulation scenes/models for a quick start with the ROS Interface:

  • scenes/messaging/rosInterfaceTopicPublisherAndSubscriber.ttt
  • scenes/controlTypeExamples/controlledViaRos.ttt
  • models/tools/rosInterface helper tool.ttm (model allowing to operate CoppeliaSim in stepping mode, e.g. in order to manually step the simulation)

    • Also have a look at the ROS tutorial and the external controller tutorial.