DIA Workspace Setup Guide

This guide helps you set up the DIA workspace on a new computer.

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu 22.04 (or compatible)
• ROS 2 Humble (or your ROS 2 distribution)
• Git

Quick Setup

1. Clone the Repository

git clone --recursive https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/DIA.git
cd DIA

The --recursive flag will automatically clone all submodules including:

• PX4-Autopilot (branch: dia)
• px4_msgs
• ego-planner-swarm (branch: ros2_version)
• lio_pipeline/Point-LIO (LIO implementation for localization)

2. Install Dependencies

Run the dependency installation script:

chmod +x setup_dependencies.sh
./setup_dependencies.sh

This script will install:

• Micro XRCE-DDS Agent: PX4 communication bridge
• nvblox: NVIDIA's ESDF mapping library (requires manual installation)

3. Build the Workspace

cd ros2_ws
source /opt/ros/$ROS_DISTRO/setup.bash
colcon build
source install/setup.bash

4. Launch the System

ros2 launch super_launch system.launch.py

Manual Submodule Update

If you already cloned the repository without --recursive:

cd DIA
git submodule update --init --recursive

To update submodules to the latest commits:

git submodule update --remote

Package Structure

• sensor_interface: LiDAR + IMU data provider
• lio_pipeline/: LIO implementations directory
  • Point-LIO: HKU-MARS Point-LIO for localization
  • (Future: FAST-LIO, etc.)
• esdf_mapping: NVBlox ESDF mapping
• ego_planning: EGO-Swarm planner (single UAV)
• trajectory_control: B-spline → PX4 TrajectorySetpoint
• px4_interface: Micro XRCE-DDS Agent launcher
• super_launch: System-wide launch file

Troubleshooting

Build Errors

If you encounter build errors, try building packages in order:

colcon build --packages-select px4_msgs
colcon build --packages-select traj_utils
colcon build

MicroXRCEAgent Not Found

Ensure the agent is installed:

which MicroXRCEAgent

If not found, run the setup script again or install manually.

nvblox Not Found

Install nvblox following the official guide: https://nvidia-isaac.github.io/nvblox/

Or use apt (requires CUDA):

sudo apt-get install ros-$ROS_DISTRO-nvblox-ros