Sim Vicon Tracker v1.2.0

Full Changelog: v1.1.0...v1.2.0

Sim Vicon Tracker v1.1.0

We are excited to announce the initial release of Sim Vicon Tracker v1.1.0, a lightweight simulation tool designed to emulate a Vicon motion capture system using the VRPN protocol. This release provides a robust foundation for developers to test and develop Vicon-dependent software without the need for physical Vicon hardware, making it perfect for offline development, debugging, and deployment on various platforms, including embedded systems.

Key Features

• VRPN-Based Simulation: Emulates a Vicon tracker, broadcasting synthetic 6DOF pose data (position and quaternion) over the VRPN protocol.
• Configurable via INI: Customize tracker name, server IP, update frequency, position, and orientation (Euler angles) through a simple sim_vicon.ini file.
• Flexible Update Rate: Adjustable frequency (default 200 Hz) set via configuration, replacing the original fixed 50 Hz rate.
• Rotation Utilities: Includes a dedicated RotationUtils module for converting Euler angles to quaternions and rotation matrices, ensuring accurate orientation handling.
• Cross-Platform: Runs on any machine with VRPN support (e.g., Jetson, PC), requiring only a C++17 compiler and CMake.
• Structured Codebase: Organized into include/ and src/ directories for maintainability and extensibility.

Highlights

• Launches a Vicon server at Origins@10.0.0.200:3883 by default, fully configurable via sim_vicon.ini.
• Provides detailed console output of position, quaternion, and rotation matrix for easy debugging.
• Correctly aligns quaternion output with VRPN’s [qx, qy, qz, qw] convention for seamless integration with Vicon receivers.

Installation

• Requires: C++17, CMake ≥ 3.10, VRPN library (libvrpn-dev, libquat-dev).
• Build: mkdir build && cd build && cmake .. && make.
• Run: ./sim_vicon_tracker (ensure sim_vicon.ini is in the build directory).

Known Limitations

• Static pose data only (no dynamic motion simulation yet).
• Assumes a right-handed Z-up coordinate system; adjustments may be needed for systems with different conventions.

Next Steps

Future releases will explore dynamic pose generation, multi-tracker support, and enhanced coordinate system configurability. Feedback and contributions are welcome!

Author

Developed by Maneesha Wickramasuriya (Maneesh), Graduate Researcher at George Washington University.

Sim Vicon Tracker v1.0.0 – First Official Release

🚀 Sim Vicon Tracker v1.0.0

Sim Vicon Tracker is a virtual motion capture server that simulates a Vicon tracking system using the VRPN protocol. It allows developers to test and validate pose-based robotics or vision algorithms without requiring access to physical Vicon hardware.

This first release includes a minimal working VRPN tracker server that continuously sends simulated 6DOF pose data at 50 Hz to any compatible VRPN client.

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✨ Highlights

• ✅ Simulates 6DOF pose (position + orientation) over VRPN
• ✅ Sends custom poses from any machine, without real sensors
• ✅ Fully standalone—develop and test Vicon-based software anywhere
• ✅ Compatible with Jetson, Ubuntu, and most Linux environments
• ✅ Lightweight C++ code with CMake build system
• ✅ Freely licensed under MIT

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📦 What's Included

• sim_vicon_tracker.cpp: VRPN-based pose simulation server
• CMakeLists.txt: Build configuration
• LICENSE: MIT License
• README.md: Installation and usage instructions

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📥 Installation & Usage

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/sim_vicon_tracker.git
cd sim_vicon_tracker
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make
./sim_vicon_tracker

Your VRPN client can now connect to:

Origins@10.0.0.200:3883

Edit the send_sim_pose() function to simulate your own pose data.

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👤 Author

Developed by Maneesha Wickramasuriya (Maneesh)
📧 [maneesh@gwmail.gwu.edu](mailto:maneesh@gwmail.gwu.edu)
George Washington University