launch-scene

When to Use

• User wants to bring up the Genie Sim RT Engine interactively — physics + render + ROS topics on one shared sim_time.
• User references any scene yaml under source/geniesim_ros/src/ros_ws/src/genie_sim_bringup/config/scene_*.yaml or launcher yaml launcher_*.yaml.
• User wants MoveIt 2 + WBC RViz on top of a running scene (Genie G2 only).

Do not use for:

• Running a benchmark task → run-benchmark (under source/geniesim_benchmark/skills/).
• Probing an inference server → check-inference.
• Building the workspace first → build-workspace. Run that before this skill.

Critical Patterns

1. Scene = robot + task; Launcher = physics engine + renderer. They're orthogonal axes — pair any scene with any launcher.
2. Stable path is launcher_ovrtx_isaac_physx. Every launcher_newton_* and launcher_ovrtx_isaac_newton row is research / preview — physics behaviour, perf, and yaml schema can break between commits. Use the stable launcher unless the user explicitly wants the experimental rig (cloth / soft body / mjwarp).
3. MoveIt is Genie G2 only. Other robots run on the engine but don't have a packaged MoveIt config.
4. Inside the container. Every command below assumes geniesim docker into and source devel/setup.bash (see build-workspace skill).

The matrix

Scenes

Launchers

Workflow

Step 1 — Collect inputs

Ask the user via AskUserQuestion if not given:

• Scene: free-text basename (e.g. scene_pnp_g2_op). Auto-complete from the table above.
• Launcher: default launcher_ovrtx_isaac_physx (stable). Only pick a launcher_newton_* if the user explicitly wants the experimental backend or cloth / soft body.
• Headless? Default false (GUI window opens on $DISPLAY). Pick the value by where you're running:
  • Local workstation with a screen → headless:=false. The Isaac Sim viewport renders into a window you can see.
  • Remote / SSH / headless server / CI → headless:=true. No GUI, no $DISPLAY requirement. Physics + render still run; cameras publish over ROS exactly the same. Use this on machines without a display, when running over ssh without X-forwarding, or in container / batch jobs.
  • Remote machine, want the GUI? SSH with X-forwarding (ssh -X) or set $DISPLAY to a Xvfb / VNC server, then use headless:=false. Otherwise the launcher errors on the missing display rather than silently failing late.
• MoveIt + RViz? Default false. Only meaningful for scene_*_g2_*.

Step 2 — Make sure the overlay is sourced

source devel/setup.bash                   # see `build-workspace` skill if missing
ros2 pkg list | grep genie_sim_bringup    # must list the package

Step 3 — Launch the scene

ros2 launch genie_sim_bringup app.launch.py \
  scene:=<SCENE> \
  launcher_config:=<LAUNCHER> \
  headless:=<true|false>

Recommended starting line for new users (P&P, stable physics, GUI):

ros2 launch genie_sim_bringup app.launch.py \
  scene:=scene_pnp_g2_op \
  launcher_config:=launcher_ovrtx_isaac_physx \
  headless:=false

Step 4 — (optional) MoveIt 2 + WBC RViz

In a second container shell:

source devel/setup.bash

# default Genie G2: crsB arm + swiftpicker gripper
ros2 launch genie_sim_moveit wbc.launch.py

# different arm/gripper combo (match whatever scene_*_g2_{op,sp} you launched):
ros2 launch genie_sim_moveit wbc.launch.py arm:=crs gripper:=omnipicker

arm:={crs,crsB} and gripper:={swiftpicker,omnipicker,none} are independent — the launch wires both into the URDF filename and the SRDF xacro mappings.

Step 5 — Verify topics

ros2 topic list                            # /tf, /joint_states, /joint_command, /clock, …
ros2 topic hz /clock                       # should print sim-time pacing

Commands (copy-paste summary for the user)

# Inside the container, after `geniesim ros build dev`:
source devel/setup.bash

# Pick-and-place + stable Isaac PhysX:
ros2 launch genie_sim_bringup app.launch.py \
  scene:=scene_pnp_g2_op \
  launcher_config:=launcher_ovrtx_isaac_physx \
  headless:=false   # local workstation with a screen; flip to true on a remote/headless host

# Whole-body control + Newton-standalone (experimental):
ros2 launch genie_sim_bringup app.launch.py \
  scene:=scene_wbc_g2_sp \
  launcher_config:=launcher_newton_mjwarp \
  headless:=false   # local workstation with a screen; flip to true on a remote/headless host

# Optional MoveIt 2 + WBC RViz (second shell):
ros2 launch genie_sim_moveit wbc.launch.py

Notes

• The same app.launch.py covers every scene × launcher combo — there is no per-scene launch file. Don't try to invoke a yaml directly.
• Newton GL viewer pose is configurable per scene: every scene_*.yaml carries a viewer_camera: block with pos: / lookat:.
• For cloth / soft-body work, you need a launcher_newton_* that pairs with a VBD-family solver and a scene yaml that opts into the deformable. Treat any cloth / soft-body result as a preview, not a benchmark.
• init_base_pose and init_joint_pos apply as a non-physics teleport on every backend — the robot spawns at the configured pose without an initial PD swing.

Resources

• Bringup package: source/geniesim_ros/src/ros_ws/src/genie_sim_bringup/
• Scene + launcher yamls: source/geniesim_ros/src/ros_ws/src/genie_sim_bringup/config/
• Engine overview: source/geniesim_ros/README.md
• MoveIt config: source/geniesim_ros/src/ros_ws/src/genie_sim_moveit/
• Package routing: source/geniesim_ros/AGENTS.md