The rgbd server reads data from a 3D sensor and publishes it in a compressed form. It provides a unified format for depthmaps combined with RGB data, which is more compact than a point cloud.

Core classes

All bold names are classes. The main interface types are shown to understand the differences between all classes.

core classes

Typical usage

For client applications, i.e., applications consuming RGBD data, it is advised to use the Client class. If possible, this will obtain its images from shared memory using the ClientSHM class, which minimizes network and CPU usage. Otherwise it relies on data received as rgbd_msgs::RGBD messages through the ClientRGBD class. Data is typically obtained as instance of the rgbd::Image class using the nextImage functions (see docstrings for more info).

The ClientROS class is present in case no data is provided in RGBD format. This is used, e.g., in the ros_to_rgbd node (see below).

The Server class does exactly the opposite from the Client class. It receives an instance of an rbgd::Image and both (re-)sends this data as an rgbd_msgs::RGBD message over a ROS topic and writes it to shared memory.

Core nodes

Shown the most important nodes and their structure

core nodes

Typical usage

This package contains a number of nodes and tools. The most important ones are:

rgbd_to_shm: contains an instance of ClientRGBD that listens to RGBD data received over a rgbd_msgs::RGBD topic and writes this to shared memory using an instance of a ServerSHM. By running this node, only one incoming connection for the rgbd messages is setup since all clients can subsequently use the shared memory. If your robot contains multiple computers, it is advised to run this node on each computer where (more than 1) Client instances are used.
ros_to_rgbd: converts 'standard' ROS messages (sensor_msgs::Image (color image and depth image) and sensor_msgs::CameraInfo) to the rgbd_msgs::RGBD format. Hereto, it uses instances of the ClientROS and the Server classes.
rgbd_to_ros: converts rgbd_msgs::RGBD messages to the 'standard' ROS format (sensor_msgs::Image (color image and depth image) and sensor_msgs::CameraInfo). Hereto, it uses an instance of the Client class as well as publishers for the RGB image, RGB camera info, depth image, depth camera info and pointcloud.

Notes

In case you are developing camera drivers, it is advised to stick to the 'standard' ROS interfaces to minimize dependencies which enhances compatibility with other ROS users. Use the ros_to_rgbd node and, if applicable, the rgbd_to_shm server to interface with your software if that's using the Client class.

Testing

For details on the test nodes and good test procedures, see test/README.md