2.1. Build the package

This section provides a comprehensive guide to installing, compiling, and running the OrbbecSDK_ROS2, covering all necessary steps for setup.

2.1.1. Get source code of OrbbecSDK_ROS2

Get source code from github: https://github.com/orbbec/OrbbecSDK_ROS2

mkdir -p ~/ros2_ws/src        # Create colcon workspace on your local disk
cd ~/ros2_ws/src
git clone -b v2-main https://github.com/orbbec/OrbbecSDK_ROS2.git        #Get source code

2.1.2. Install environment

Install ROS 2 environment, refer to the official documentation: ROS2 installation guide: https://docs.ros.org/en/humble/Installation/Ubuntu-Install-Debians.html

# Tips: If your ROS2 command does not auto-complete, put the following two lines into your `.bashrc` or `.zshrc`

eval "$(register-python-argcomplete3 ros2)"
eval "$(register-python-argcomplete3 colcon)"

Install deb dependencies:

# assume you have sourced ROS environment, same blow
sudo apt install libgflags-dev nlohmann-json3-dev \
ros-$ROS_DISTRO-image-transport ros-$ROS_DISTRO-image-publisher ros-$ROS_DISTRO-camera-info-manager \
ros-$ROS_DISTRO-diagnostic-updater ros-$ROS_DISTRO-diagnostic-msgs ros-$ROS_DISTRO-statistics-msgs \
ros-$ROS_DISTRO-backward-ros libdw-dev ros-$ROS_DISTRO-image-transport \
ros-$ROS_DISTRO-image-transport-plugins ros-$ROS_DISTRO-compressed-image-transport \
ros-$ROS_DISTRO-rqt-tf-tree -y

Install udev rules:

tar -zxvf OrbbecSDK_ROS2_xxx.tar.gz -C ~/ros2_ws/src
cd  ~/ros2_ws/src/OrbbecSDK_ROS2/orbbec_camera/scripts
sudo bash install_udev_rules.sh
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules && sudo udevadm trigger

2.1.3. Build project

cd ~/ros2_ws/
colcon build --event-handlers console_direct+ --cmake-args -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release

Verify the build results. start single camera

2.1.4. Performance Optimization Suggestions

2.1.4.1. Optimization of usbfs_memory Parameters in USB Camera

Increase usbfs_memory_mb Value

  • Increase the usbfs_memory_mb value to 128MB (this is a reference value and can be adjusted based on your system’s needs) by running the following command:

echo 128 | sudo tee /sys/module/usbcore/parameters/usbfs_memory_mb

  • To make this change permanent, check this link. There are two ways to persist the configuration: by modifying GRUB or by adding a systemd service.

by modifying GRUB

Open /etc/default/grub file,Find and replace

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"

with this

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash usbcore.usbfs_memory_mb=128"

Update grub

$ sudo update-grub

Reboot and check

$ cat /sys/module/usbcore/parameters/usbfs_memory_mb

by adding a systemd service

Create the /etc/systemd/system/usbfs-memory.service file

sudo vi /etc/systemd/system/usbfs-memory.service

Paste the following content into the file:

[Unit]
Description=Set USBFS memory limit
After=multi-user.target

[Service]
ExecStart=/bin/bash -c 'echo 128 | tee /sys/module/usbcore/parameters/usbfs_memory_mb'
ExecStartPost=/bin/bash -c 'echo "USBFS memory limit set to 128 MB"'

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Reload the systemd configuration to apply the new service

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable usbfs-memory.service
sudo systemctl start usbfs-memory.service

Verify the service status

sudo systemctl status usbfs-memory.service
cat /sys/module/usbcore/parameters/usbfs_memory_mb

2.1.4.2. Optimizing ROS DDS Configuration

CycloneDDS Tuning

If you use CycloneDDS, please refer to the CycloneDDS Tuning file.

The default DDS settings may not be optimal for data transmission. Different DDS settings can have varying performance. For more detailed information, please refer to the CycloneDDS official website.

FastDDS Tuning

If you use FastDDS, please refer to the FastDDS Tuning file.