nav_plugins

This repository contains the plugins used by nav_infrastructure.

Creating a planner plugin

The planner_server node within nav_infrastructure dynamically loads a planner plugin at runtime, making it easy to swap between different path planning algorithms. Here's how to create a path planner plugin:

• Run the creation script

  chmod u+x create_plugin.sh
  ./create_plugin planner <base_name>

  The base name should be in lower_snake_case and include only the planner name. For example, if you want to create my_test_planner, run:

  ./create_plugin planner my_test
  

• Go into <name>_planner.cpp, Using straight_line_planner.cpp or bfs_planner.cpp as reference, implement the find_path() function
• When your plugin is finished, you'll need to test it using the planner_server within the nav_infrastructure repository
  • If you haven't already cloned the nav_infrastructure repository, do so now: https://github.com/umigv/nav_infrastructure
• Open nav_infrastructure/planner_server/config/planner_server_params.yaml and enter your plugin name into the planner_plugin parameter:

  planner_plugin: "planner_plugins::<PluginName>"

• Now build both the planner_server and planner_plugins packages
• To test your plugin, run the planner_server and call the navigate_to_goal action (the nav_infrastructure repository contains instructions for this)
  • You should have some sort of unique print statement in your plugin's find_path function to verify that it runs correctly when the action is called
  • If the planner_server node starts correctly, the action succeeds, and you see your print statement, your plugin should be working correctly