RViz Visualization

Visualize your Mini-Arm in RViz2.

Basic Visualization

Launch the robot description viewer:

ros2 launch miniarm_bringup view_robot.launch.py

This opens RViz with:

  • Robot model from URDF

  • Joint state publisher GUI

  • TF frames

Interactive Control

Use the joint state publisher GUI to move joints interactively:

_static/ros2/rviz_interactive.png

Real Robot Visualization

Connect to the physical robot and visualize its state:

ros2 launch miniarm_bringup robot.launch.py rviz:=true

The robot model will follow the real joint positions.

Custom RViz Configuration

Create a custom RViz config:

  1. Launch RViz:

rviz2

  1. Add displays:

    • RobotModel: Topic = /robot_description

    • TF: Show all transforms

    • Marker: Topic = /miniarm/workspace (optional)

  2. Save configuration:

    File → Save Config As → my_miniarm.rviz

  3. Launch with custom config:

ros2 launch miniarm_bringup view_robot.launch.py \
    rviz_config:=/path/to/my_miniarm.rviz

Workspace Visualization

Visualize the reachable workspace:

# Publish workspace boundary markers
ros2 run miniarm_bringup workspace_visualizer

TF Frames

The Mini-Arm publishes these TF frames:

base_link
└── link_1 (base rotation)
    └── link_2 (shoulder)
        └── link_3 (upper arm)
            └── link_4 (forearm)
                └── link_5 (wrist 1)
                    └── link_6 (wrist 2)
                        └── tool0 (end effector)
                            └── gripper_base
                                ├── finger_left
                                └── finger_right

View frames:

ros2 run tf2_tools view_frames

Next Steps