Description

This package contains a template ros node that transforms an incoming ROS2 pointcloud2 into a PCL pointcloud2.
PCL can then be used to process the pointcloud.
After sucessfull processing the pointcloud, it is turned into a second ROS2 pointcloud2 and is published.

Bug report

None known

Build the package

Ubuntu 20.04 and ROS2 Foxy is required for this package.

Clone this repository in your ros2 workspace (most commonly $/home/$USER/dev_ws)

Install pcl_conversions to convert from ROS2 pointcloud2 to PCL pointcloud2

sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get install ros-foxy-pcl-conversions -y

Source ROS2 in your terminal

source /opt/ros/foxy/setup.bash

Build the package with colcon.

cd /home/$USER/dev_ws && 
colcon build --packages-select pcl_example --event-handlers console_direct+ &&
cd ..

Run the node

In your ros2 sourced terminal session call:

ros2 run pcl_example pcl_example_node 

To customize parameter call the nodes with custom arguments. E.g.:

ros2 run pcl_example pcl_example_node --ros-args --remap topic_pointcloud_in:=bf_lidar/point_cloud_out --remap topic_pointcloud_in:=bf_lidar/point_cloud_pcl_example

You can also use the launch file supplied with the package to start the nodes. From your ros2 development directory call:

cd /home/$USER/dev_ws/src/pcl_example &&   
ros2 launch launch/launch.py && 
cd ../../..

Mind that folders that are called “launch” inside your main work directory leads to a KeyError when executing ros2 launch ...

Launchtests

Run all test defined in the package by following command

cd /home/$USER/dev_ws && 
colcon test --packages-select pcl_example --event-handlers console_direct+ &&
cd ..

Also you can manually launch the launchtests defined in this repository in the terminal

cd /home/$USER/dev_ws/src/pcl_example && 
launch_test test/pcl_example_launch.testing.py && 
cd ../.. /..

VS Code

If the “IDE” VS Code is used, build and test tasks can be called directly from the console
Open the package in VS Code

cd /home/$USER/dev_ws/src/pcl_example &&
code . &&
cd ../../.. 

With Shift+Control+B the package can be build.

With Shift+Control+P -> Task: Run Test Task -> test tests can be run.