Fixing a build issue related to GTSAM version and updating docker container to be require less custom setup

README.md

@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ We kindly ask to cite our paper if you find this library useful:
 
 # 1. Installation
 
+**If you use an Ubuntu version that is newer than 20.04, it is highly recommended that you use Docker due to avoid ROS imcompatibility issues. See `docker` directory for instructions.**
+
 ## A. Prerequisities
 
 - Install ROS by following [our reference](./docs/ros_installation.md), or the official [ROS website](https://www.ros.org/install/).
@@ -110,7 +112,7 @@ Download a [Euroc](https://projects.asl.ethz.ch/datasets/doku.php?id=kmavvisuali
 
   2. In another terminal, launch KimeraVIO ROS wrapper:
   ```bash
-  roslaunch kimera_vio_ros kimera_vio_ros_euroc.launch
+  roslaunch kimera_vio_ros kimera_vio_ros_euroc.launch online:=true
   ```
 
   3. In another terminal, launch rviz for visualization:

docker/Dockerfile

@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+FROM ros:noetic-ros-base
+
+# Some ROS dependencies require user input for keyboard version.
+# This prevents those processes from stalling the install process.
+ENV DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
+
+ARG URL=https://github.com/MIT-SPARK/Kimera-VIO-ROS.git
+ARG BRANCH=master
+ARG THREADS=4
+
+RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends apt-utils
+RUN apt-get install -y ros-noetic-image-geometry ros-noetic-pcl-ros \
+    ros-noetic-cv-bridge git cmake build-essential unzip pkg-config autoconf \
+    libboost-all-dev \
+    libjpeg-dev libpng-dev libtiff-dev \
+    # Use libvtk5-dev, libgtk2.0-dev in ubuntu 16.04 \
+    libvtk7-dev libgtk-3-dev \
+    libatlas-base-dev gfortran \
+    libparmetis-dev \
+    python3-wstool python3-catkin-tools \
+    # libtbb recommended for speed: \
+    libtbb-dev \
+    # for use with rviz
+    xvfb
+
+RUN mkdir -p /catkin_ws/src/
+RUN git clone ${URL} /catkin_ws/src/Kimera-VIO-ROS
+RUN cd /catkin_ws/src/Kimera-VIO-ROS && git checkout origin/${BRANCH}
+
+RUN cd /catkin_ws/src/ && wstool init && \
+    wstool merge Kimera-VIO-ROS/install/kimera_vio_ros_https.rosinstall && wstool update
+
+# Build catkin workspace
+RUN apt-get install -y ros-noetic-image-pipeline ros-noetic-geometry ros-noetic-rviz
+
+RUN . /opt/ros/noetic/setup.sh && cd /catkin_ws && \
+        catkin init && catkin config --cmake-args -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo && \
+        catkin build -j${THREADS}
+
+# Add to bashrc so user doesn't have to manually do this in every new ROS terminal.
+RUN echo "source /opt/ros/noetic/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc
+RUN echo "source /catkin_ws/devel/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc
+
+# Resolves an issue where Rviz seg faults on older intel processors
+RUN echo "export LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1" >> ~/.bashrc

docker/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+# Using the Kimera-VIO ROS wrapper with Docker
+
+## Building and running your container
+To build the container, in this directory, run the following:
+```
+docker build -t kimera_vio_ros:latest .
+```
+The Dockerfile also provide build arguments which allow the user to specify:
+1. URL (default: https://github.com/MIT-SPARK/Kimera-VIO-ROS.git)- The URL for the repository that you want to clone. This is useful when developing using a fork.
+2. BRANCH (default: master) - The branch on the _remote_ repository that should be checked out to. Also useful when doing development.
+3. THREADS (default: 4)- The number of threads to use when building with catkin.
+
+Example use with these flags:
+```
+docker build -t kimera_vio_ros:latest \
+    --build-arg URL=https://github.com/MIT-SPARK/Kimera-VIO-ROS.git \
+    --build-arg BRANCH=master \
+    --build-arg THREADS=8 .
+```
+
+To run the container, run the following command. This script allows X11 forwarding, which allows Rviz to be used with the container.
+```
+./docker_test.bash [optional image name; default is kimera_vio_ros]
+```
+
+## Running the EuRoC demonstration with Rviz
+For running the EuRoC demonstration with Rviz, follow the instructions [here](https://github.com/MIT-SPARK/Kimera-VIO-ROS?tab=readme-ov-file#2-usage).
+
+These instructions mention running various commands in multiple terminals. This can be done with Docker in the following ways:
+
+1. Using `docker exec` [commands](https://docs.docker.com/reference/cli/docker/container/exec/).
+2. If you are using VS Code, you can use the Dev Containers [plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode-remote.remote-containers) to connect to your container and use terminals from within VS Code.
+3. Using [tmux](https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/introduction-tmux-linux) for terminal multiplexing.
+
+## Possible errors:
+* If your trajectory tracking looks incorrect immediately on running, update the `autoInitialize` field from 0 to 1 in `/catkin_ws/src/Kimera-VIO/params/Euroc/BackendParams.yaml`.
+  * In some configurations rviz seg faults if this value is 0. The exact cause is unknown, but will be investigated and fixed if possible.
+* An X server should be installed on your local machine to allow Rviz to be used with the container.
+* Currently, the default number of jobs for building is set to 4. With a 13th Gen Intel i7-1360P Processor, this takes up to ~8GB of RAM with no other applications running. You may want to reduce the number of jobs if your machine does not have enough memory.

docker/docker_test.bash

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Base script taken from https://github.com/MIT-SPARK/Kimera-VIO/blob/master/scripts/docker/kimera_vio_docker.bash
+DOCKER_CONTAINER="kimera_vio_ros"
+
+if [ "$#" -eq 1 ]; then
+    DOCKER_CONTAINER=$1
+    echo "container name: $DOCKER_CONTAINER"
+fi
+
+# Allow X server connection
+xhost +local:root
+docker run -it --rm \
+    --env="DISPLAY" \
+    --env="QT_X11_NO_MITSHM=1" \
+    --volume="/tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix:rw" \
+    $DOCKER_CONTAINER
+# Disallow X server connection
+xhost -local:root

install/kimera_vio_ros_https.rosinstall

@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 - git:
     local-name: gtsam
     uri: https://github.com/borglab/gtsam.git
-    version: develop
+    version: 4.2
 - git:
     local-name: opengv_catkin
     uri: https://github.com/MIT-SPARK/opengv_catkin.git
@@ -38,10 +38,6 @@
     local-name: Kimera-VIO
     uri: https://github.com/MIT-SPARK/Kimera-VIO.git
     version: master
-- git:
-    local-name: Kimera-VIO-ROS
-    uri: https://github.com/MIT-SPARK/Kimera-VIO-ROS.git
-    version: master
 - git:
     local-name: glog_catkin
     uri: https://github.com/ethz-asl/glog_catkin.git

install/kimera_vio_ros_ssh.rosinstall

@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 - git:
     local-name: gtsam
     uri: git@github.com:borglab/gtsam.git
-    version: develop
+    version: 4.2
 - git:
     local-name: opengv_catkin
     uri: git@github.com:MIT-SPARK/opengv_catkin.git
@@ -38,10 +38,6 @@
     local-name: Kimera-VIO
     uri: git@github.com:MIT-SPARK/Kimera-VIO.git
     version: master
-- git:
-    local-name: Kimera-VIO-ROS
-    uri: git@github.com:MIT-SPARK/Kimera-VIO-ROS.git
-    version: master
 - git:
     local-name: glog_catkin
     uri: git@github.com:ethz-asl/glog_catkin.git

rviz/kimera_vio_euroc.rviz

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ Panels:
       Expanded:
         - /Global Options1
       Splitter Ratio: 0.5
-    Tree Height: 493
+    Tree Height: 293
   - Class: rviz/Selection
     Name: Selection
   - Class: rviz/Tool Properties
@@ -22,17 +22,20 @@ Panels:
     Name: Views
     Splitter Ratio: 0.75836432
   - Class: rviz/Time
-    Experimental: false
     Name: Time
     SyncMode: 0
     SyncSource: PointCloud Time Horizon
+Preferences:
+  PromptSaveOnExit: true
 Toolbars:
   toolButtonStyle: 2
 Visualization Manager:
   Class: ""
   Displays:
     - Class: rviz/TF
       Enabled: true
+      Filter (blacklist): ""
+      Filter (whitelist): ""
       Frame Timeout: 15
       Frames:
         All Enabled: false
@@ -42,7 +45,7 @@ Visualization Manager:
           Value: true
         cam1:
           Value: true
-        world:
+        odom:
           Value: true
       Marker Alpha: 1
       Marker Scale: 1
@@ -51,7 +54,7 @@ Visualization Manager:
       Show Axes: true
       Show Names: true
       Tree:
-        world:
+        odom:
           base_link:
             cam0:
               {}
@@ -74,9 +77,7 @@ Visualization Manager:
       Enabled: true
       Invert Rainbow: false
       Max Color: 255; 255; 255
-      Max Intensity: 4096
       Min Color: 0; 0; 0
-      Min Intensity: 0
       Name: PointCloud Time Horizon
       Position Transformer: XYZ
       Queue Size: 10
@@ -149,6 +150,7 @@ Visualization Manager:
       Keep: 1
       Name: Odometry
       Position Tolerance: 0.100000001
+      Queue Size: 10
       Shape:
         Alpha: 1
         Axes Length: 0.300000012
@@ -213,6 +215,7 @@ Visualization Manager:
             Z: 0
           Pose Color: 255; 85; 255
           Pose Style: None
+          Queue Size: 10
           Radius: 0.0299999993
           Shaft Diameter: 0.100000001
           Shaft Length: 0.100000001
@@ -223,9 +226,9 @@ Visualization Manager:
       Name: PoseGraph
   Enabled: true
   Global Options:
-    Background Color: 255; 255; 255
+    Background Color: 0; 0; 0
     Default Light: true
-    Fixed Frame: world
+    Fixed Frame: odom
     Frame Rate: 30
   Name: root
   Tools:
@@ -236,7 +239,10 @@ Visualization Manager:
     - Class: rviz/FocusCamera
     - Class: rviz/Measure
     - Class: rviz/SetInitialPose
+      Theta std deviation: 0.2617993950843811
       Topic: /initialpose
+      X std deviation: 0.5
+      Y std deviation: 0.5
     - Class: rviz/SetGoal
       Topic: /move_base_simple/goal
     - Class: rviz/PublishPoint
@@ -264,8 +270,7 @@ Visualization Manager:
       Near Clip Distance: 0.00999999978
       Pitch: 0.52479744
       Target Frame: base_link
-      Value: ThirdPersonFollower (rviz)
-      Yaw: 2.69867611
+      Yaw: 2.698676109313965
     Saved:
       - Class: rviz/ThirdPersonFollower
         Distance: 6.81472015
@@ -286,8 +291,7 @@ Visualization Manager:
         Near Clip Distance: 0.00999999978
         Pitch: 0.495398402
         Target Frame: base_link
-        Value: ThirdPersonFollower (rviz)
-        Yaw: 3.04540014
+        Yaw: 3.0454001426696777
 Window Geometry:
   Debug Img:
     collapsed: false