From a sample robot to a ROS 2 package on your machine.

Check the prerequisites

On Ubuntu 24.04, after adding the ROS 2 apt repository, install everything the generated packages use:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y ros-jazzy-desktop ros-dev-tools \
  ros-jazzy-xacro ros-jazzy-joint-state-publisher-gui \
  ros-jazzy-ros2-control ros-jazzy-ros2-controllers \
  ros-jazzy-gz-ros2-control ros-jazzy-ros-gz

Know the limits before you start

• RoboCanvas generates a ROS 2 package. It does not build or run it for you unless you use the optional companion, and the app always says which of these happened.
• The preview in the browser is kinematic: no physics, no contact, no grasping.
• In Gazebo, range, bumper and force/torque sensors give no data; vacuum grippers do not suck; grasping is untested; tracks are approximated by wheels; a parallel gripper can overshoot when it re-opens. There is no pick-and-place or task sequencing.
• You will need basic ROS 2 skills: a terminal, colcon, source, ros2 launch.

The full list, with measurements, is on the capabilities and limits page.

Open the app

Go to Open RoboCanvas. The page shows Starting… while the engine loads in your tab.

Load a sample robot

Under Sample projects, press Open a copy on R1 Scout, a differential-drive rover with a LiDAR, an IMU and a range finder.

Other samples are listed with what was verified for each. You can also press New project and pick a template.

Make a simple change

1. In the link tree, click chassis.
2. In the inspector, change Mass (kg), for example to 12, and press Enter.
3. Drag in the 3D view to orbit; move a wheel joint slider to see the joint turn.
4. Press Save (or Ctrl+S).

Validate

Validation runs after every change. Open the Problems panel at the bottom.

Try breaking it on purpose: select left_wheel_joint, set its Type to fixed, and watch two errors appear and the status bar change to generate: blocked. Then press Undo.

Generate and download the ROS 2 package

1. Press Generate.
2. Read the dialog: Generated in this browser: done, and colcon build, ros2 launch and Gazebo: not run. It lists the launch files, the files in the package (expand Files in the package) and the archive's SHA-256.
3. Press Download ZIP.

Build it locally

Ubuntu 24.04 + ROS 2 Jazzy (verified)

mkdir -p ~/rc_ws/src
cd ~/rc_ws/src
unzip ~/Downloads/r1_scout_description.zip -d .
cd ~/rc_ws
source /opt/ros/jazzy/setup.bash
rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -y   # optional: installs anything still missing
colcon build --packages-select r1_scout_description
source install/setup.bash

Windows + ROS 2 Jazzy (verified for building; no Gazebo)

In a terminal where ROS 2 Jazzy for Windows and your xacro overlay are set up, from a workspace folder whose src\ contains the unzipped package:

colcon build --packages-select r1_scout_description --cmake-args -G Ninja
call install\local_setup.bat

Run it

See the robot in RViz (any platform)

ros2 launch r1_scout_description display.launch.py

Simulate it in Gazebo (Ubuntu)

ros2 launch r1_scout_description simulation.launch.py

In a second terminal (after source ~/rc_ws/install/setup.bash), drive it forward for three seconds and look at the LiDAR:

ros2 topic pub -r 10 -t 30 /cmd_vel geometry_msgs/msg/Twist "{linear: {x: 0.3}}"
ros2 topic echo --once /lidar/scan --field ranges | head

No Gazebo? Use RoboCanvas's kinematic simulator (Windows or Linux)

In the app, select Settings & targets in the tree, set Simulation target to Kinematic (native), generate and download again, rebuild, and run the same simulation.launch.py. It moves the robot ideally (no physics) and simulates LiDAR, range and IMU readings against the world.

Report what happened

Whether it worked or not, tell us on the report page: what you built, which step failed, what you expected and what you saw. It prepares an email for you to send yourself.

Build and launch from the browser

The Run on ROS 2 tab can sync your project to a folder on your computer, run colcon build and ros2 launch, and show the logs, through a small local program called the companion. You do not need it to use RoboCanvas.

1. Download robocanvas-companion-beta1-cp312.zip (1.0 MB) and check it:

   sha256sum robocanvas-companion-beta1-cp312.zip        # Linux
   certutil -hashfile robocanvas-companion-beta1-cp312.zip SHA256   # Windows

   It must print 4bce74704f7a0902216ec13c55ebe36f26946850e746d3ba56a0bd831ad4b602.
2. Unzip it. It needs Python 3.12, which is the Python ROS 2 Jazzy uses on both Ubuntu 24.04 and Windows. Open a terminal where ROS 2 is set up (Linux: source /opt/ros/jazzy/setup.bash; Windows: the ROS 2 Jazzy environment), go into the unzipped folder and start it. The exact command for this page, with its address, is also shown in the app's Run on ROS 2 tab:

   cd robocanvas-companion
   python3 -m robocanvas.companion --workspace ~/robocanvas-workspace --web-origin https://robocanvas-beta.robocanvas.workers.dev

   (On Windows use python and a Windows path for --workspace.)
3. The companion prints a pairing code such as K7QM-2XRB. In the app: Run on ROS 2 → Check → type the code → Pair. If your browser asks whether this site may connect to apps on your device, allow it: that is the companion.
4. Sync project… → Send, then Build… → Build, then Launch…, and Stop when done.

The companion is RoboCanvas's engine compiled to Python bytecode, plus the runtime nodes as source. It listens only on your computer (127.0.0.1), answers only this site, and needs the pairing code.

Troubleshooting

Still stuck? Report it; include the step number and the exact message.