🎮 Simulators

BenchBot supports two simulation backends to balance between performance and realism.

🆚 Comparison

Feature	Gazebo Classic (11)	O3DE (Open 3D Engine)
Realism	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Physics	ODE (Basic)	NVIDIA PhysX 5.0
Rendering	OGRE (Simple)	Atom (Raytracing)
Performance	Fast (Low CPU)	Heavy (Requires GPU)
Use Case	Quick Logic Testing	Visual Demos & Sim-to-Real

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🛠️ Setup Guide

⚡ Automated Installation

Both Gazebo and O3DE can be installed and configured directly from the BenchBot GUI. Go to Settings → Simulators and click Install/Repair to let the system handle the dependencies for you.

🦁 Gazebo Classic⚛️ O3DE (Photorealistic)

Default simulator. Best for CI/CD and rapid development.

Installation

Gazebo 11 comes pre-installed with ros-humble-desktop-full.

To verify:

gazebo --version

Running

BenchBot uses Gazebo by default (simulator: gazebo in config).

# Test a world manually
ros2 launch benchbot_simulation gazebo_world.launch.py world:=warehouse

Advanced simulator. Requires correct setup of the ROS 2 Gem.

Prerequisites

• NVIDIA GPU (RTX 2060 or higher recommended)
• Storage: ~40GB required for engine + assets

Setup Steps

1. Download O3DE: Get the Linux installer from o3de.org.
2. Install ROS 2 Gem:

   cd <O3DE_PATH>
   ./scripts/o3de.sh register --gem-path <BENCHBOT_PATH>/sim/o3de_gem
   

3. Build Project:

   <O3DE_PATH>/cmake/cmake-build-linux.sh -p <PROJECT_PATH>
   

Headless O3DE

You can run O3DE without a window using the -r Null flag in HEADLESS_CI mode, but it still requires a GPU context.

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🌍 Supported Worlds

• Warehouse Large industrial space with shelves and moving forklifts. (Best for: AMCL, Coverage)

• House Domestic environment with narrow doors and furniture. (Best for: Path Planning)

• Office Complex loops and glass walls (O3DE only). (Best for: Loop Closure, Noise robustness)