Intall or Build Cosys-AirSim on Linux

The current recommended and tested environment is Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. Theoretically, you can build on other distros as well, but we haven't tested it.

Install Unreal Engine

Download the latest version of Unreal Engine 5.4 from the [official download page]](https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/linux). This will require an Epic Games account. Once the zip archive is downloaded you can extract it to where you want to install the Unreal Engine.

unzip Linux_Unreal_Engine_5.4.X.zip -d destination_folder

If you chose a folder such as for example /opt/UnrealEngine make sure to provide permissions and to set the owner, otherwise you might run into issues:

sudo chmod -R 777 /opt/UnrealEngine
sudo chown -r yourusername /opt/UnrealEngine

From where you install Unreal Engine, you can run Engine/Binaries/Linux/UnrealEditor from the terminal to launch Unreal Engine. For more information you can read the quick start guide.

You can alternatively install Unreal Engine from source if you do not use a Ubuntu distribution, see the documentation linked above for more information.

Build Cosys-Airsim

• Clone Cosys-AirSim and build it: bash # go to the folder where you clone GitHub projects git clone https://github.com/Cosys-Lab/Cosys-AirSim.git cd Cosys-AirSim ./setup.sh ./build.sh

Build Unreal Environment

Finally, you will need an Unreal project that hosts the environment for your vehicles. Cosys-AirSim comes with a built-in "Blocks Environment" which you can use, or you can create your own. Please see setting up Unreal Environment if you'd like to setup your own environment.

How to Use Cosys-AirSim

Once Cosys-AirSim is setup: - Navigate to the environment folder (for example for BLocks it is Unreal\Environments\Blocks), and run update_from_git.sh. - Go to UnrealEngine installation folder and start Unreal by running ./Engine/Binaries/Linux/UnrealEditor. - When Unreal Engine prompts for opening or creating project, select Browse and choose Cosys-AirSim/Unreal/Environments/Blocks (or your custom Unreal project). - Alternatively, the project file can be passed as a commandline argument. For Blocks: ./Engine/Binaries/Linux/UnrealEditor <Cosys-AirSim_path>/Unreal/Environments/Blocks/Blocks.uproject - If you get prompts to convert project, look for More Options or Convert-In-Place option. If you get prompted to build, choose Yes. If you get prompted to disable Cosys-AirSim plugin, choose No. - After Unreal Editor loads, press Play button.

See Using APIs and settings.json for various options available for Cosys-AirSim usage.

!!! tip Go to 'Edit->Editor Preferences', in the 'Search' box type 'CPU' and ensure that the 'Use Less CPU when in Background' is unchecked.

[Optional] Setup Remote Control (Multirotor Only)

A remote control is required if you want to fly manually. See the remote control setup for more details.

Alternatively, you can use APIs for programmatic control or use the so-called Computer Vision mode to move around using the keyboard.