Running the simulation

ros2 launch blueboat_gazebo sim.launch.xml

Launches the vehicle in its default configuration: every artifact of the full simulation is generated at start (URDF, composed model, bridge config, into a directory under $ROS_HOME), the model is spawned as blueboat into the water world and the ROS bridge comes up with it. A [kdl_parser] root link ... inertia warning from robot_state_publisher is expected and harmless.

To run a custom vehicle instead, pass its config with config_file:=; the configuration page lists the slots and Change the fitted parts walks through writing one.

Launch arguments

Argument	Default	Meaning
`config_file`	the shipped config	Vehicle config, expanded at launch.
`name`	`blueboat`	Instance name: the Gazebo model name and the topic namespace (`/<name>/...`); letters, digits and underscores. The worlds here float only the default name; see Several vehicles.
`x`, `y`, `z`	`0`, `0`, the water default	Spawn position (m); the default sits at the waterline.
`roll`, `pitch`, `yaw`	`0`	Spawn orientation (rad).
`world`	the water world	Vehicle free world SDF to spawn into.
`gui`	`true`	Launch the Gazebo GUI.
`use_composition`	`true`	Run the server, the bridge and `robot_state_publisher` in one process.

Choosing the world

By default the boat is spawned into the open water world (blueboat_water.sdf: graded buoyancy, a seabed at 3 m and a visual surface). The world:= argument swaps the environment without changing anything else about the simulation: pass any vehicle free world SDF (Run in your own world):

ros2 launch blueboat_gazebo sim.launch.xml world:=/path/my_world.sdf

In RViz

To see the model in RViz:

ros2 launch blueboat_description display.launch.xml

Starts robot_state_publisher, joint_state_publisher_gui (sliders to spin the propellers) and RViz with the packaged config, showing the model and its frames (parts, slots, the Ping beam). It takes the same config_file:= argument, and the xacro is expanded at launch time, so a custom config needs no rebuild. In a simulation the frames carry the instance name (blueboat/base_link) and joint states arrive as /blueboat/joint_states, so RViz next to sim.launch.xml needs its fixed frame, its RobotModel TF prefix and its joint states pointed at the instance.