AutoDRIVE RoboRacer Setup Guide

Complete setup guide for the AutoDRIVE RoboRacer simulation environment. F1Tenth sim racing

Overview

The AutoDRIVE ecosystem consists of two main components:

• Simulator: Unity-based racing simulator
• Devkit: ROS 2 API for autonomous driving algorithm development

Prerequisites

• Supported Python Versions: 3.8, 3.9, 3.10
• ROS 2 workspace setup
• Ubuntu/Linux environment recommended

Installation

Step 1: Download Components

Visit the ROBORACER ICRA 2025 webpage and download:

1. AutoDRIVE Simulator
2. AutoDRIVE Devkit

Note: Local installation recommended if Docker setup encounters issues

Step 2: Setup Simulator

1. Extract and prepare simulator files:

   # Navigate to simulator directory
   cd ~/Programming/autodrive_ws/sim_autodrive
    
   # Make executable
   sudo chmod +x AutoDRIVE\ Simulator.x86_64

2. Expected directory structure:

   sim_autodrive/
   ├── AutoDRIVE Simulator.x86_64
   ├── Data/
   ├── GameAssembly.so
   ├── UnityPlayer.so
   └── nohup.out
   

Step 3: Setup Devkit

1. Place devkit in ROS 2 workspace:

   # Copy autodrive_devkit to your ROS 2 source directory
   cp -r autodrive_devkit ~/ros2_ws/src/
   cd ~/ros2_ws/src/autodrive_devkit
    
   # Make Python scripts executable
   sudo chmod +x *.py

2. Install dependencies:

   # Check your Python version
   python3 --version
    
   # Install appropriate requirements
   pip3 install -r requirements_python_3.8.txt   # For Python 3.8
   pip3 install -r requirements_python_3.9.txt   # For Python 3.9
   pip3 install -r requirements_python_3.10.txt  # For Python 3.10
    
   # Additional requirements
    
   # Fix setuptools compatibility 
   pip3 install 'setuptools<66.0.0' 
    
   # Install Python dependencies 
   pip3 install transforms3d attrdict 
    
   # Install ROS2 dependencies
   sudo apt update
    
   sudo apt install ros-humble-cv-bridge
   sudo apt install ros-humble-tf-transformations
   sudo apt install ros-humble-rviz-imu-plugin

3. Build ROS 2 workspace:

   cd ~/ros2_ws
   colcon build
   source install/setup.bash

Usage

1. Launch Simulator

# Navigate to simulator directory
cd ~/Programming/autodrive_ws/sim_autodrive
 
# Run simulator
./AutoDRIVE\ Simulator.x86_64

2. Launch Devkit

# Source ROS 2 workspace
source ~/ros2_ws/install/setup.bash
 
# Launch with graphics (recommended for visualization)
ros2 launch autodrive_roboracer bringup_graphics.launch.py
 
# Alternative: Launch headless mode
ros2 launch autodrive_roboracer bringup_headless.launch.py

3. Connect Components

1. Start the simulator (Step 1)
2. Launch devkit (Step 2)
3. Click “Connect” button in the simulator interface
4. RViz visualization should appear showing the racing environment

4. Vehicle Control

# Manual keyboard control
ros2 run autodrive_roboracer teleop_keyboard

Architecture

┌─────────────────┐    WebSocket     ┌─────────────────┐
│   AutoDRIVE     │◄────────────────►│   AutoDRIVE     │
│   Simulator     │    Bridge        │   Devkit        │
│   (Unity)       │                  │   (ROS 2)       │
└─────────────────┘                  └─────────────────┘
                                             │
                                             ▼
                                     ┌─────────────────┐
                                     │   Algorithm     │
                                     │  Development    │
                                     │ (Python/C++)    │
                                     └─────────────────┘

Troubleshooting

• Docker issues: Use local installation as described above
• Connection problems: Ensure both simulator and devkit are running before connecting
• Python version conflicts: Use virtual environments and match exact dependency versions
• Permission errors: Ensure executable permissions are set correctly

Competition Resources

• Official webpage: ROBORACER ICRA 2025
• Documentation: Check README files in downloaded packages
• Support: Refer to official AutoDRIVE ecosystem documentation

Next Steps

1. Verify setup by launching both components and establishing connection
2. Test teleoperation to ensure vehicle control works
3. Explore RViz visualization for sensor data and environment mapping
4. Begin algorithm development using the ROS 2 API

Simulator looks like

rviz diplay after connected

---

Reference

ROBORACER ICRA 2025 webpage

check IP Address hostname -I

Clone repository (if needed):

git clone https://github.com/AutoDRIVE-Ecosystem/AutoDRIVE-RoboRacer-Sim-Racing.git

Key Dependencies

WebSocket Communication (Version Critical)

Package	Version
eventlet	0.33.3
Flask	1.1.1
Flask-SocketIO	4.1.0
python-socketio	4.2.0
python-engineio	3.13.0

Data Processing Libraries

Package	Minimum Version
numpy	1.13.3
opencv-contrib-python	4.5.1.48
pillow	5.1.0