Paparazzi Center

The Paparazzi Center is a graphical user interface which contains a notebook of three main pages:

• A set of selection boxes to configure an aircraft with its flight plan and build the corresponding programs to be simulated and uploaded to the airborne device.
• A Control Panel to launch the agents of the system and handle collection of programs as configurable sessions
• A page where the GCS may be embedded.

A log console is also diplayed in the configuration and control panel pages.

Run the ./paparazzi script at the root of your installation to start it.

Options:

• -fullscreen

Configuration

The left part of the configuration page is an editor for the Conf.xml file. A new aircraft can be added from the A/C menu. The current aircraft can be deleted from the A/C menu.

The editor for the configuration files is taken from the environment variable EDITOR or defaults to gedit for Linux and open for Darwin (i.e. uses the default program for .xml files).

Note: Several setting files can be simultaneously selected for the Settings attribute (use the CRTL key in the file selector)

Compilation

Compilation and flashing are done from the building panel. Targets can be added to the combo box with the New Target button. Compilation and flashing commands are shown as running agents so they can be interrupted if needed.

Compiling code for stm with hard FPU needs gcc-arm-embedded (just drop it in main directory)

Execution

In the Execution panel, a combo box provide a set of predefined and user sessions (collections of programs).

The Simulation session runs a server, a GCS and a simulator for the aircraft selected in the configuration panel. Note that the sim target must have been built prior to the simulation.

The launched programs can be stopped and restarted (Stop/Redo buttons). Options can also be edited (in the entry box). Automatic respawn is enabled by setting the check box (left side of the Stop/Redo button). The set of the current processes can be saved as a user session (actually in the conf/control_panel.xml configuration file) to be restarted later (from the Session menu).

Tools

The Tools menu contains the most important programs to run everything (look also at the Overview of the system):

App Server

A server agent to connect an Android device using the application PPRZonDroid

Attitude Visualizer

A very specific tool for debugging a Quadshot aircraft.

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Before you start, install some needed software

$ sudo apt-get install python-pygame

Then you can start the Attitude Visualizer via:

$ cd ~/paparazzi/sw/tools
$ ./attitude_viz.py

Data Link

Connection to the Modems.

• set baud rate: -s 57600
• set device: -d /dev/ttyUSB0 (replace ttyUSB0 with the USB port the actual modem is plugged in)

Enviroment Simulator

The Environment Simulator agent, Gaia. Gaia is used for setting a time speed-up , set a windforce and wind direction and simulate GPS failure during simulation of a flightplan. For more details and examples of command line options go here.

Flight Plan Editor

Flight_Plan_Editor for editing the flight plan xml.

GCS

The actual GCS with lots of configuration options.

GPSd position display

Link to connect a GPS Modem to your GCS.
Very helpful if you landed you micro UAV while testing in high gras or elsewhere opbscured, just walk or drive up there until your GCG red dot overlap you AC icon, you are standing on your MAV. Also handy if GCS is moving in e.g. a car, boat or train.

TIP: A whole page dedicated to explain the details, just go here

Hardware in the Loop

Connection to tha AP for HITL simulation.

Ivy2NMEA

A proxy converting ivy aircraft information to NMEA G and A messages onto a hardware port lke a serial bus.

Joystick

Tool to use a Joystick to send commands to the aircraft using Input2Ivy.

Link combiner

To establish a redundant datalink (multiple datalinks for redundancy / security).

Log File Player

To replay Log files.

Log Plotter

A Log Plotter.

Messages

Shows all messages from the datalink (messages bus observer).

Command line options:

 -b <ivy bus> Default is 127.255.255.255:2010
 -c class name
 -help  Display this list of options
 --help  Display this list of options

And example would be to show messages not from airframe but the ones from the groundstation to the aircraft

$ ./messages -c ground

Messages (Python)

Shows all messages from the datalink (messages bus observer) with python.

NatNet

A proxy application to transform position, velicity and oher relevant data received over a network from an Optitrack sysem onto the ivy bus.

Plot Meto Profile

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Real-time Plotter

The Real Time Plotter can visualize received data from the Paparazzi_Center#Messages over time (just drag and drop from the messages).

Server

The Server is an agent that logs, distributes, and preprocesses messages for the GCS and other agents as described in the system overview.
turn off logging: -n

Settings

An important "form" where one can, in real time, adjust aircraft parameters. This is the standalone window version of what is embedded in the GCS.

Settings (Python)

An alternative to the regular settings "form"

Simulator

Simulators. You can build with the sim/jbsim/nps as target in the control panel.

Weather Station

A interface to a weather stations

These different agents and tools are available from the Tools menu.

The set of running agents can be saved as a new custom session (from the Session menu). The current session can also be deleted.

Evolutions

Read more about the possible Paparazzi Center evolutions...