Cosys-AirSim on Docker in Linux

We've two options for docker. You can either build an image for running Cosys-AirSim binaries, or for compiling Cosys-AirSim from source.

Runtime Binaries

Requirements:

Build the docker image

  • Below are the default arguments. --base_image: This is image over which we'll run a runtime packaged binary. We've tested only the official Unreal Engine runtime container, more info can be found here. Change the base image at your own risk. --target_image is the desired name of your docker image. Defaults to airsim_binary with same tag as the base image.
cd Airsim/docker;
python build_airsim_image.py \
   --base_image=ghcr.io/epicgames/unreal-engine:runtime \
   --target_image=airsim_binary:runtime
  • Verify you have an image by: docker images | grep airsim

Running an unreal binary inside a docker container

  • Get a Linux packaged Unreal project binary like the Blocks packaged binary example found in the releases of Cosys-AirSim or package your own project in Ubuntu. Let's take the Blocks project binary as an example. You can download it by running
cd Airsim/docker;
./download_blocks_env_binary.sh

Modify it to fetch the specific binary required.

  • Running an unreal binary inside a docker container with display output: The syntax is:
xhost +local:docker
./run_airsim_image_binary.sh DOCKER_IMAGE_NAME UNREAL_BINARY_SHELL_SCRIPT UNREAL_BINARY_ARGUMENTS

Do not forget to run the xhost command first to bind the X11 to docker. For Blocks, you can do a ./run_airsim_image_binary.sh airsim_binary:runtime LinuxBlocks/Linux/Blocks.sh -windowed -ResX=1080 -ResY=720 `

  • DOCKER_IMAGE_NAME: Same as target_image parameter in previous step. By default, enter airsim_binary:runtime
  • UNREAL_BINARY_SHELL_SCRIPT: for Blocks enviroment, it will be LinuxBlocks/Linux/Blocks.sh
  • UNREAL_BINARY_ARGUMENTS: For airsim, most relevant would be -windowed, -ResX, -ResY. Click on link to see all options.

Click here for info on specifying a settings.json

Source

Requirements:

Building Cosys-AirSim inside UE5 dev docker container:

  • Below are the default arguments. --base_image: This is image over which we'll install Cosys-AirSim. We've tested only the official Unreal Engine dev container, more info can be found here. Change the base image at your own risk. This image includes everything needed and includes a pre-installed Unreal Engine and editor. --target_image is the desired name of your docker image. Defaults to airsim_source with same tag as the base image
$ cd Airsim/docker;
$ python build_airsim_image.py \
   --source \
   ----base_image ghcr.io/epicgames/unreal-engine:dev-5.4.3 \
   --target_image=airsim_source:dev-5.4.3

Running Cosys-AirSim container

  • Run the airsim source image we built by:
xhost +local:docker
./run_airsim_image_source.sh airsim_source:dev-5.4.3

Syntax is ./run_airsim_image_source.sh DOCKER_IMAGE_NAME Do not forget to run the xhost command first to bind the X11 to docker.

  • Inside the container, you can see UnrealEngine and Cosys-AirSim under /home/ue4.
  • Start unreal engine inside the container: /home/ue4/UnrealEngine/Engine/Binaries/Linux/UnrealEditor
  • Specifying an airsim settings.json
  • Continue with Cosys-AirSims's Linux docs. For example start the Blocks environment in the container run (This will first copy the plugin and afterwards start open the project with the Unreal Editor):
/home/ue4/Cosys-AirSim/Unreal/Environments/Blocks/update_from_git.sh
/home/ue4/UnrealEngine/Engine/Binaries/Linux/UnrealEditor /home/ue4/Cosys-AirSim/Unreal/Environments/Blocks/Blocks.uproject

Packaging Unreal Environments in airsim_source containers

  • Let's take the Blocks environment as an example. In the following script, specify the full path to your unreal uproject file by project and the directory where you want the binaries to be placed by archivedirectory
/home/ue4/UnrealEngine/Engine/Build/BatchFiles/RunUAT.sh BuildCookRun -platform=Linux -clientconfig=Development -serverconfig=Development -noP4 -cook -allmaps -build -stage -prereqs -pak -archive \
-archivedirectory=/home/ue4/Binaries/Blocks/ \
-project=/home/ue4/Cosys-AirSim/Unreal/Environments/Blocks/Blocks.uproject

This would create a Blocks binary in /home/ue4/Binaries/Blocks/. You can test it by running /home/ue4/Binaries/Blocks/LinuxNoEditor/Blocks.sh -windowed

Specifying settings.json

airsim_binary docker image:

  • We're mapping the host machine's PATH/TO/Airsim/settings.json to the docker container's /home/airsim_user/Documents/airsim/settings.json.
  • Hence, we can load any settings file by simply modifying PATH_TO_YOUR/settings.json by modifying the following snippets in run_airsim_image_binary.sh to link $PATH_TO_YOUR to the correct folder. 
$DOCKER_CMD -it \
-v $PATH_TO_YOUR/settings.json:/home/airsim_user/Documents/AirSim/settings.json \
-v $UNREAL_BINARY_PATH:$UNREAL_BINARY_PATH \
--rm \
$DOCKER_IMAGE_NAME \
/bin/bash -c "$UNREAL_BINARY_COMMAND"

airsim_source docker image:

  • We're mapping the host machine's PATH/TO/Cosys-AirSim/settings.json to the docker container's /home/ue4/Documents/airsim/settings.json.
  • Hence, we can load any settings file by simply modifying PATH_TO_YOUR/settings.json by modifying the following snippets in run_airsim_image_source.sh:
$DOCKER_CMD -it \
-v $PATH_TO_YOUR/settings.json:/home/ue4/Documents/AirSim/settings.json \   
--rm \
$DOCKER_IMAGE_NAME