URDF

URDF = Unified Robot Description Format - used to generate TFs

making a urdf file

urdf files end with .urdf and are in XML format

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<robot name="myrobot"> 
    <!-- your links and joints go here! -->
</robot>

link

<link name="base_link">
    <visual> <!-- physical properties -->
        <geometry>
            <box size=".2 .4 .6"/> <!-- in meters -->
        </geometry>
        <origin xyz="0 0 0" rpy="0 0 0"/>
        <material name="orange">
    </visual>
</link>

- visual = visual propertries of a link - you will need to include a geometry tag to create shapes - box size property: measured in meters, size in XYZ - material name property: defines color - origin: defines the offset of the visual (geometry) - use joints to move a link relative to another instead - XYZ - determines position - RPY = Roll (X axis), Pitch (Y axis), Yaw (Z axis) - determines rotation

joint

<joint name="my_cool_joint" type="fixed">
    <parent link="mom"/>
    <child link="son"/>
    <origin xyz="0 0 0.5" rpy="0 0 0"/>
</joint>

* join property type: * the origin tag here represents the child's offset relative to the parent