Autoware Point Types

Overview

This package provides a variety of structures to represent different types of point cloud data, mainly used for point cloud processing and analysis.

Design

Point cloud data type definition

autoware_point_types defines multiple structures (such as PointXYZI, PointXYZIRC, PointXYZIRADRT, PointXYZIRCAEDT), each structure contains different attributes to adapt to different application scenarios.

• autoware::point_types::PointXYZI: Point type with intensity information.
• autoware::point_types::PointXYZIRC: Extended PointXYZI, adds return_type and channel information.
• autoware::point_types::PointXYZIRADRT: Extended PointXYZI, adds ring, azimuth, distance, return_type and time_stamp information.
• autoware::point_types::PointXYZIRCAEDT: Similar to PointXYZIRADRT, but adds elevation information and uses std::uint32_t as the data type for time_stamp.

Operator overload

Each structure overloads the == operator, allowing users to easily compare whether two points are equal, which is very useful for deduplication and matching of point cloud data.

Field generators

The field generator is implemented using macro definitions and std::tuple, which simplifies the serialization and deserialization process of point cloud messages and improves the reusability and readability of the code.

Registration mechanism

Register custom point cloud structures into the PCL library through the macro POINT_CLOUD_REGISTER_POINT_STRUCT, so that these structures can be directly integrated with other functions of the PCL library.

Usage

• Create a point cloud object of PointXYZIRC type

#include "autoware/point_types/types.hpp"

int main(){
    pcl::PointCloud<autoware::point_types::PointXYZIRC>::Ptr cloud(new pcl::PointCloud<autoware::point_types::PointXYZIRC>());

    for (int i = 0; i < 5; ++i) {
        autoware::point_types::PointXYZIRC point;
        point.x = static_cast<float>(i * 0.1);
        point.y = static_cast<float>(i * 0.2);
        point.z = static_cast<float>(i * 0.3);
        point.intensity = static_cast<std::uint8_t>(i * 10);
        point.return_type = autoware::point_types::ReturnType::SINGLE_STRONGEST;
        point.channel = static_cast<std::uint16_t>(i);

        cloud->points.push_back(point);
    }
    cloud->width = cloud->points.size();
    cloud->height = 1;

    return 0;
}

• Convert ROS message to point cloud of PointXYZIRC type

ExampleNode::points_callback(const PointCloud2::ConstSharedPtr & points_msg_ptr)
{
    pcl::PointCloud<autoware::point_types::PointXYZIRC>::Ptr points_ptr(
    new pcl::PointCloud<autoware::point_types::PointXYZIRC>);

    pcl::fromROSMsg(*points_msg_ptr, *points_ptr);
}

Changelog for package autoware_point_types

1.0.0 (2025-03-31)

0.3.0 (2025-03-21)

• chore: rename from [autoware.core]{.title-ref} to [autoware_core]{.title-ref} (#290)
• test(autoware_point_types): add tests for missed lines (#260)
• feat(point_types): reimplemented the pointcloud preprocesor's memory layout checks (#197) feat: reimplemented the pointcloud preprocesor's memory layout checks in the point types package to avoid depending on the pointcloud preprocessor
• Contributors: Kenzo Lobos Tsunekawa, NorahXiong, Yutaka Kondo

0.2.0 (2025-02-07)

• unify version to 0.1.0
• update changelog
• feat: port autoware_point_types from autoware_universe (#151)
  • feat: port autoware_point_types from universe
  • chore: remove change log and reset version to 0.0.0
  • add myself as maintainer
  • docs: finish README.md
  • style(pre-commit): autofix

  * fix: fix pre-commit.ci error ---------Co-authored-by: pre-commit-ci[bot] <66853113+pre-commit-ci[bot]\@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: Yutaka Kondo <<yutaka.kondo@youtalk.jp>>

• Contributors: Yutaka Kondo, cyn-liu
• feat: port autoware_point_types from autoware_universe (#151)
  • feat: port autoware_point_types from universe
  • chore: remove change log and reset version to 0.0.0
  • add myself as maintainer
  • docs: finish README.md
  • style(pre-commit): autofix

  * fix: fix pre-commit.ci error ---------Co-authored-by: pre-commit-ci[bot] <66853113+pre-commit-ci[bot]\@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: Yutaka Kondo <<yutaka.kondo@youtalk.jp>>

• Contributors: cyn-liu

0.0.0 (2024-12-02)