URDF Plugin

Overview

The URDF plugin (URDFPlugin) is a plugin that makes it possible to load model files in URDF (Unified Robot Description Format), the robot model description format commonly used in ROS, into Choreonoid. The loading itself is implemented in a library called URDFBodyLoader, and this plugin makes it possible to load URDF files as body items on the GUI.

The supported file extensions are .urdf and .xacro. For xacro files, the expansion process is performed internally using the Python xacro module at load time.

How to Build

The URDF support corresponds to the CMake option ENABLE_URDF, which is ON by default, so it becomes available with the normal build procedure.

How to Use

URDF files can be loaded from the main menu with “File” - “Load” - “Body” in the same way as model files in the Body format. Loaded models are handled as normal body items and can be displayed, edited, and simulated. For handling models, see Basics of Robot/Environment Models.

Note

To load a model whose xacro files read parameters from external YAML files with xacro.load_yaml, PyYAML must be installed in the Python environment.