Simulate Jackal and Velodyne in Gazebo

Dependency

sudo apt-get install ros-kinetic-jackal-*
sudo apt-get install ros-kinetic-velodyne-*

Compile

You can use the following commands to download and compile the package.

cd ~/catkin_ws/src
git clone https://github.com/TixiaoShan/jackal_velodyne.git
cd ..
catkin_make

Run

roslaunch jackal_velodyne run.launch

Sensor Configuration

Change sensor settings at the bottom of jackal_velodyne.urdf.xacro

parent="base_link"
name="velodyne"
topic="/velodyne_points"
hz="10"
samples="1800"
gpu="false"

New Worlds

1. Put new world file to worlds folder
2. Change run.launch file to use the new world

Upgrade Gazebo

It's recommended that upgrade your Gazebo to the latest version, which has great performance improvements.

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://packages.osrfoundation.org/gazebo/ubuntu-stable `lsb_release -cs` main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/gazebo-stable.list'
wget http://packages.osrfoundation.org/gazebo.key -O - | sudo apt-key add -
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Teleop Jackal

1. Install teleop package: sudo apt-get install ros-kinetic-teleop-twist-keyboard
2. Run: rosrun teleop_twist_keyboard teleop_twist_keyboard.py

Gmapping

1. Install: sudo apt-get install ros-kinetic-slam-gmapping
2. Run: roslaunch jackal_velodyne gmapping_demo.launch
3. Set the 2D Nav Goal in Rviz