Learning Robotics using Python - Second Edition

Opening the device and generating a point cloud

Open a new terminal and launch the ROS-OpenNI driver, along with the point cloud generator nodes, using the following command:

    $ roslaunch openni_launch openni.launch  

This command will activate the Kinect driver and process the raw data into convenient outputs, such as a point cloud.

If you are using Orbbec Astra, you can use the following command:

    $ roslaunch astra_launch astra.launch  

We will use the RViz 3D visualization tool to view our point clouds.

The following command will start the RViz tool:

    $ rosrun rviz rviz  

Set the RViz options for Fixed Frame (at the top of the Displays panel under Global Options) to camera_link.

From the left-hand side panel of the RViz panel, click on the ...