Rosbotran with ROS2

This tutorial explain how to create a robotran project compatible with ROS 2.

NOTE:

This tutorial has not been extensively tested. Contact us for more information info@robotran.be.

• 1. Make sure that Robotran is installed
• 2. Make sure that ROS 2 is installed
• 3. Create or go to the src folder of your ROS workspace
• 4. Create a new ROS 2 project in this folder with the following command:

ros2 pkg create --build-type ament_cmake --license Apache-2.0 <project-name>

• 5. Create a new Robotran project with the same name as your ros project and save it
• 6. Move all the folders from the Robotran project inside <project-name>/src. The architecture of your project should look like this:

<project-name>     ├── CMakeLists.txt     ├── include     │   └── <project-name>     ├── package.xml     ├── README.md     └── src         ├── animationR         │   └── vrml         ├── dataR         │   └── <project-name>.mbs         ├── resultsR         ├── symbolicR         ├── userfctR         └── workR             ├── CMakeLists.txt             └── src                 └── main.c

• 7. Edit the file CMakeLists.txt and :
• 1. Add the rclcpp package with the other packages:

  find_package(rclcpp REQUIRED)
  

• 2. Copy and paste after the find_package(...) lines all the lines from the src/workR/CMakeLists.txt between the lines:

  set(CMAKE_WINDOWS_EXPORT_ALL_SYMBOLS ON)
  
  ...
  
  target_link_libraries(exe_${PROJECT_NAME} ${MBSYSC_LIBRARIES})
  

• 3. Change the paths in the file(...) to be relative from this CMakeLists.txt:
  • Change from ../ to src/
  • Change from src/ to src/workR/src/
• 4. Change the extension from file(GLOB MAIN_SRC ...) from c to cpp
• 5. Change the include_directories commands to

  include_directories(
     include
     src
     src/userfctR
     src/workR/src
  )
  

• 6. Remove the exe from the name of the executable:

  add_executable (exe_${PROJECT_NAME} ${MAIN_SRC})
  add_dependencies(exe_${PROJECT_NAME} Project_user Project_symbolic)
  target_link_libraries(exe_${PROJECT_NAME} ${MBSYSC_LIBRARIES})
  

  become

  add_executable (${PROJECT_NAME} ${MAIN_SRC})
  add_dependencies(${PROJECT_NAME} Project_user Project_symbolic)
  target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} ${MBSYSC_LIBRARIES})
  

• 7. Add below those commands:

  ament_target_dependencies(
    <project-name>
    ament_index_cpp
  )
  
  install(TARGETS Project_user DESTINATION lib/${PROJECT_NAME})
  install(TARGETS Project_symbolic DESTINATION lib/${PROJECT_NAME})
  install(TARGETS ${PROJECT_NAME} DESTINATION lib/${PROJECT_NAME})
  
  # To be able to find the non-compiled files
  install(DIRECTORY src DESTINATION share/${PROJECT_NAME})
  

• 8. Remove the file src/workR/CMakeLists.txt
• 9. Change the extension of the file src/workR/src/main.c to cpp
• 10. Update the main.cpp file of the robotran project
• 1. Add the header:

  #include <ament_index_cpp/get_package_share_directory.hpp>
  

• 2. Allow the compatibility between C and CPP of the header files with the extern "C":

  extern "C" {
    #include "mbs_data.h"
    #include "mbs_part.h"
    #include "mbs_equil.h"
    #include "mbs_modal.h"
    #include "mbs_dirdyn.h"
    #include "integrator.h"
    #include "mbs_invdyn.h"
    #include "mbs_solvekin.h"
  
    #include "mbs_message.h"
    #include "mbs_loader.h"
    #include "mbs_set.h"
  }
  

• 3. Change the loading code of the project:

  // Project name of ROS + robotran
  std::string project_name = "rosbotran";
  
  // Find package path
  std::string package_path = ament_index_cpp::get_package_share_directory(project_name);
  
  // Specify path for the libraries
  std::string project_path = package_path + "/src/dataR/" + project_name + ".mbs";
  std::string lib_path = "install/" + project_name + "/lib/" + project_name + "/";
  
  // Load the project with the libraries
  MbsData *mbs_data;
  MbsLoader * mbs_loader =    mbs_new_loader();
  
  mbs_loader->opts->symbolicLib_path = (char*) lib_path.c_str();
  mbs_loader->opts->userfctLib_path= (char*) lib_path.c_str();
  
  mbs_data = mbs_load_with_loader(project_path.c_str(),  mbs_loader);
  

• 4. Change the path of the output of robotran as they are relative to the location of the executable:

  "../../src/<project-name>/resultsR/dirdyn_q.res"
  

• 11. Generate all the files for Robotran
• 12. Build the project with command colcon build in the root directory of your ros workspace
• 13. Test your code by running your node ros2 run <project-name> <project-name>