Quick Start - VFF-Nav

Prerequisites

Ubuntu 24.04+
ROS 2 Jazzy Jalisco
Gazebo Harmonic
PX4 Autopilot
Python 3.10
Mosquitto (MQTT broker)

System-wide Python Dependency (for ROS 2)

sudo apt install python3-paho-mqtt

ROS Transformer Dependency

sudo apt-get install ros-jazzy-tf-transformations

MAVROS Installation (with extras & messages)

sudo apt-get install -y ros-jazzy-mavros ros-jazzy-mavros-extras ros-jazzy-mavros-msgs

Install GeographicLib Datasets

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mavlink/mavros/ros2/mavros/scripts/install_geographiclib_datasets.sh
chmod +x install_geographiclib_datasets.sh
sudo ./install_geographiclib_datasets.sh

QGroundControl (GCS)

Download from:

QGroundControl Download Page

Installation

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/miguel-usp/vff-nav.git

Offboard Velocity Package (run once)

source /opt/ros/jazzy/setup.bash
cd ~/vff-nav/ros_sim
rm -rf build/ install/ log/
colcon build
source install/setup.bash

Web Controller Setup (run once)

cd ~/vff-nav/ros_sim/other_commands
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install flask flask-socketio paho-mqtt "numpy>=1.24.0" "numpy-quaternion>=2023.0.0"

Adjust World and Drone Files

Replace the content of the originals, keep the filenames:

~/PX4-Autopilot/Tools/simulation/gz/models/x500_lidar_front
~/PX4-Autopilot/Tools/simulation/gz/worlds

Use the modified drone and world from:

~/vff-nav/ros_sim/px4_changes

Running

1. Start PX4

cd PX4-Autopilot/
PX4_GZ_WORLD=walls make px4_sitl gz_x500_lidar_front

2. Start MAVROS (using QGroundControl as GCS)

ros2 launch mavros px4.launch fcu_url:=udp://:14540@localhost:14557 gcs_url:=udp://@77.22.9.4:14550

3. ROS 2 ↔ Gazebo Bridge

ros2 run ros_gz_bridge parameter_bridge \
  "/world/walls/model/x500_lidar_front_0/link/lidar_sensor_link/sensor/lidar_horizontal/scan@sensor_msgs/msg/LaserScan@gz.msgs.LaserScan" \
  "/world/walls/model/x500_lidar_front_0/link/lidar_sensor_link/sensor/lidar_downward/scan@sensor_msgs/msg/LaserScan@gz.msgs.LaserScan" \
  "/world/walls/model/x500_lidar_front_0/link/lidar_sensor_link/sensor/lidar_upward/scan@sensor_msgs/msg/LaserScan@gz.msgs.LaserScan"

4. Offboard Velocity Node

source /opt/ros/jazzy/setup.bash
cd ~/vff-nav/ros_sim
source install/setup.bash
ros2 run my_package offboard_velocity

5. Web Controller (run after offboard velocity & motors spinning)

cd ~/vff-nav/ros_sim/other_commands
source .venv/bin/activate
python3 web_controller.py

running on: http://localhost:5000/

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Ensure all terminals have ROS 2 sourced
Verify MQTT broker is running before starting controllers
Gazebo not launching: Ensure all ROS 2 environment variables are set
PX4 connection issues: Check MAVLink communication ports
Permission denied: Add your user to the dialout group: sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER

MAVROS Pluginlists

If needed, replace the pluginlists at:

/opt/ros/jazzy/share/mavros/launch/px4_pluginlists.yaml

With the version from:

~/vff-nav/ros_sim/extras

PX4 Crashes

If PX4 crashes, restart:

PX4 SITL
offboard_velocity
Web Controller

Getting Help

If you encounter issues, please:

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Create a new issue with detailed error information