This is an example data-loader plugin that lets you view URDF files in the Rerun Viewer. It uses the external data loader mechanism to add this capability to the viewer without modifying the viewer itself.

External data loaders are executables that are available to the Rerun Viewer via the PATH variable, with a name that starts with rerun-loader-.

This example is written in Python, and uses urdf_parser_py to read the files. ROS package-relative paths support both ROS 1 and ROS 2-based resolving.

The simplest option is just (this example currently requires a prerelease):

pip install --pre -f https://build.rerun.io/commit/1dad7c8/wheels --upgrade rerun-sdk

Read this guide for more options.

The most robust way to install the plugin to your PATH is using pipx.

If you don't have pipx installed on your system, you can follow the official instructions here.

Now you can install the plugin to your PATH using

pipx install git+https://github.com/rerun-io/rerun-loader-python-example-urdf.git
pipx ensurepath

Note: you can use the --python argument to specify the Python interpreter to use with pipx. On unix-like systems --python $(which python) will use the currently active Python.

Make sure it's installed by running it from your terminal, which should output an error and usage description:

rerun-loader-urdf
usage: rerun-loader-urdf [-h] [--recording-id RECORDING_ID] filepath
rerun-loader-urdf: error: the following arguments are required: filepath

curl -OL https://github.com/rerun-io/rerun-loader-python-example-urdf/raw/main/example.urdf

You can either first open the viewer, and then open the file from there using drag-and-drop or the menu>open… dialog, or you can open it directly from the terminal like:

rerun example.urdf