APPARATE is an application package to code, simulate, and visualise various path planning algorithms, such as A*, Real-time A* or incremental path planners like D* or Moving Target. To do so, the framework provides an interface to implement path finding algorithms and to run them, get statistics, and visualize them. Importantly, APPARATE is a suitable tool for testing incremental algorithms; it allows dynamic changes to the environment (like adding water areas or moving the target location), via a script or the GUI interface. Also, it is able to change the path-planning algorithms on-the-fly and can handle large maps.

The simulator uses Moving-AI+ maps.

APPARATE can be used for teaching purposes for students to code advanced search and execution algorithms and develop their own ones. See AOPD-2012 for an example.

For further detailed information (how to run it, map information, etc), refer to the Project Wiki, also available in text under docs/wiki.

For bugs, issues, and extensions please open an issue.

Have fun developing your agents!!!

• Sebastian Sardina (project supervisor, developer, and contact - [email protected]).
• Abhijeet Anand (developed JPathPlan library as part of his 2011 Minor Thesis, which provides the generic framework to develop path planners).
• Andy Heng Xie (developed first GUI version as part of a summer project).
• Nitin Yadav
• Geoff Sutcliffe and Rhys van der Waerden (for the HRTimer utility)

We thank Prof. Jorge Baier from Universidad Catolica of Chile for providing his original path-planning simulator in which we built on our system.

This project is using the GPLv3 for open source licensing for information and the license visit GNU website (https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html).

This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program. If not, see http://www.gnu.org/licenses/.