Install VM

Demo

You can see some of the bots driving in this and this YouTube video.

Requires:

• Vagrant
• Virtual Box
• VirtualBox Extension Pack

Info:

The directory contains a Vagrantfile which is the build script, and a package.box which is the virtual machine image. Vagrant combines these to create and launch an up-to-date virtual machine and launches it in Virtual Box.

Installation:

• Make sure you install the required software above
• Clone the repo: git clone https://github.com/UWEcoCAR/UW-Infotainment.git
• Download the package.box (large file) here. Save it in this repo.
• You may also want the torcs source code here
• cd to this repo
• Install the box: vagrant box add simulator package.box
• Run vagrant up (this will install the latest packages for the dev environment). Vagrant will now start Virtual Box, SSH in and automatically install packages. Hopefully everything updates installs correctly.
• The package.box file can now be deleted
• The VM is permanently in the Virtual Box's default directory

Usage:

• Run vagrant up in the repo directory to open the vm
• vagrant reloadcan reload a running vm
• the --provision argument will rerun the install scripts in the above commands
• To stop the vm run vagrant halt
• to ssh into vm from your os type vagrant ssh

Update:

• Update Vm: git pull this repo for the latest Vagrantfile
• Run vagrant up --provision in the Vagrantfile directory

Uninstall:

• Uninstall Vm: vagrant destroy in the VM/ directory. You will loose you virtual machine, but can reinstall fresh.

Torcs

Links

• TORCS
• Server

Requirements

• Torcs torcs-1.3.6 source code
• Hardware accelerated OpenGL (usually provided by your Linux distribution)
• GLUT 3.7 or FreeGlut (better than GLUT for full screen support)
• PLIB 1.8.5 version
• OpenAL
• libpng and zlib (usually provided by your Linux distribution)
• FreeALUT

Build

• cd into the torcs-1.3.6
• Configure with by running ./configure
• make with sudo make
• install with sudo make install
• add extras with sudo make datainstall

Run

• Simply type torcs in a command window
• Note, there are command line options to set default settings
• Note that due to my print tweak explained below, in game info is printed to the console

Tweak

In torcs-1.3.6/src you can tweak the game. Below is a list of files that may be of interest

• In /drivers you can edit the different bots. The human driver is useful for changing behavior when a human is playing (using arrow keys)

  • I have added a printf line in human.cpp so that parameters such as speed, rpm, gear and fuel are printed

  • this is the print statement I added :

    printf("Speed : %0.2f \tYaw : %0.2f\tRPM : %0.2f\tGear : %d\tFuel : %0.2f\n", 3.6*car->_speed_x,yaw_rel, car->_enginerpm, car->_gear, car->_fuel);

• In /interfaces/car.h you can see what a car class is made up of. It has things such as car->_enginerpm which will tell you the RPM of the of the car.

Torcs SCR Server

The server allows you to make custom bots to autonomously drive a level. We have a python wrapper for this server that defines simple driver and car control classes to tweak the bots

Install

The server is already included in torcs in this repo, but it can be installed or uninstalled with the patch in the torcs-1.3.6/scr-patch directory.

Python server

• source code is in /python_svr
• Run the server by typing python pyclient.py in the /python_svr directory
• The server will wait for a race to start
• the race must have scr_server_1 as a player for the default pyclient to work
• Once the race starts, the scr_server_1 should drive on its own

Notes:

• Essentially the driver.py will steer to stay in the middle of the road, and increase speed until the max_speed limit is reached. Once it is reached, the bot will oscillate around this speed.
• The steering algorithm is steer = (angle - dist)/self.steer_lock where angle is the cars angle, dist is distance from ideal path and steer_lock is a constant to prevent over steering.
• The gear shift algorithm is also in the driver.py

Usage

• Start the python server client by typing python pyclient.py in the /python_svr directory
• Start the game with torcs
• In torcs, start a race and make sure scr_server_1 is a player
• The python server should connect and in game information should be printed to console