Bristol FSAI Simulator 2 (Docker)

Bristol FSAI workspace built on top of eufs_sim2 (EUFS's new ROS 2 Humble simulator that replaces the Gazebo-based eufs_sim).

This repo bundles every package needed to build and run the simulator, so a teammate on Windows / macOS / Linux only needs Docker Desktop + VSCode + the Dev Containers extension — no Ubuntu, no ROS install on the host.

Versions

• OS in container: Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy)
• ROS: ROS 2 Humble
• Visualisation: Foxglove Studio via foxglove_bridge on port 8765

Contents

Package	Source	Purpose
eufs_sim2	gitlab.com/eufs/public/eufs_sim2	Simulator core
eufs_msgs	gitlab.com/eufs/eufs_msgs	Message / service / action types
eufs_logger	gitlab.com/eufs/public/eufs-logger	Logging library
eufs_gmock_matchers	gitlab.com/eufs/public/eufs-gmock-matchers	Test matchers
state_lib	gitlab.com/eufs/public/state_lib	Vehicle state library
map_lib	gitlab.com/eufs/public/map_lib	Cone map / track library
vehicle_models	gitlab.com/eufs/public/vehicle_models	Vehicle dynamics models
ros_can	Bristol FSAI	FS-AI-API bridge for the real car
eufs_sim_foxglove_plugins	gitlab.com/eufs/public/eufs-sim-foxglove-plugins (patched)	Foxglove Studio extension — renders ConeWithColorProbabilityArray (eufs_sim2 cone format), ConeArrayWithCovariance, and CarForces; plus Joystick / Mission State / Set Map panels
bri_cli/	Bristol FSAI	Convenience CLI — bri build / bri sim run / bri clean. See bri_cli/README.md

Setup

1. Install Docker Desktop and VSCode with the Dev Containers extension.

2. Clone this repo:

   git clone https://github.com/Formula-Student-AI/bristol_fsai_sim2-docker.git
   cd bristol_fsai_sim2-docker

3. Open in VSCode and run "Dev Containers: Reopen in Container" (Ctrl/Cmd-Shift-P → type "reopen").

   First build takes ~5–10 min while the image installs ROS Humble + system deps. Subsequent opens are instant.

4. Inside the container, build and run via the bundled bri CLI (see bri_cli/README.md):

   bri build       # colcon build --symlink-install
   bri sim run     # ros2 launch eufs_sim2 eufs_sim2.launch.py

   bri sim run also (re)starts foxglove_bridge on port 8765 automatically. Raw colcon / ros2 commands still work if you prefer them.

5. From your host, open Foxglove Studio and connect to ws://localhost:8765. Topics like /odom, /cones, /imu/data, /cmd should appear.

   VSCode PORTS tab: if ws://localhost:8765 doesn't connect, check that port 8765 appears in the PORTS panel (bottom bar) with a green dot. VSCode Dev Containers forwards it automatically.

Installing the Foxglove extension (one-time, host-side)

The simulator publishes EUFS-specific message types that Foxglove Studio cannot render natively. Install the bundled extension into Foxglove Studio on your host (not into the dev container — this is a frontend extension, not a ROS package).

Easy path — drag-and-drop the pre-built .foxe:

1. Open Foxglove Studio.
2. Drag eufs_sim_foxglove_plugins/edinburghuniversityformulastudent.eufs-sim-foxglove-plugins-0.0.1.foxe onto the Foxglove window.
3. Reload — coloured cones (ConeWithColorProbabilityArray), WheelForceArrows, Joystick, Mission State, and Set Map panels are now available.

Note: this .foxe is a Bristol-patched build that adds support for the ConeWithColorProbabilityArray message type used by eufs_sim2 (the upstream extension only handles the older ConeArrayWithCovariance format).

Dev path — build from source (only needed if you edit the plugin):

cd eufs_sim_foxglove_plugins
npm install
npm run package        # produces a new .foxe in this directory
# then drag the .foxe into Foxglove Studio

Driving the simulator

After bri sim run, use these commands in a new terminal to drive the car:

source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash
source install/setup.bash

# 1. Select mission (14 = Trackdrive, 11 = Acceleration, 12 = Skidpad, ...)
ros2 service call /set_mission eufs_msgs/srv/SetMission "{mission: 14}"

# 2. Send GO signal (transitions: OFF → READY → DRIVING)
ros2 service call /go std_srvs/srv/Trigger "{}"

# 3. Publish control commands  ← use acceleration, not speed
ros2 topic pub /cmd ackermann_msgs/msg/AckermannDriveStamped \
  "{drive: {acceleration: 2.0, steering_angle: 0.0}}" --rate 10

Control interface: /cmd uses the acceleration field (m/s²) and steering_angle (radians). The speed field is not used by the simulator — your own velocity controller should convert a speed setpoint to an acceleration command before publishing to /cmd.

To reset between runs:

ros2 service call /reset std_srvs/srv/Trigger "{}"

In Foxglove Studio, add the Mission State [local] and Joystick [local] panels (from the EUFS extension) for a GUI-based alternative to the CLI commands above.

Updating an EUFS package

Each EUFS package is a normal git clone, not a submodule. To pull upstream changes for one of them:

cd eufs_sim2 && git pull && cd ..
colcon build --packages-select eufs_sim2 --symlink-install

How to contribute

git checkout -b your_branch_name
# ... edit files (live, on host — symlink-install picks them up) ...
git add path/to/file
git commit -m "describe change"
git push -u origin your_branch_name

Credit

• EUFS: https://gitlab.com/eufs
• Dev container template: ijnek/ros-devcontainer-template
• Original Bristol fork: bristol_fsai_sim-docker (eufs_sim 1, Galactic)