The development container includes pre-configured aliases that simplify common ROS2 and TurtleBot3 operations. These shortcuts are automatically available in every terminal session.
Build and source aliases
These aliases help you quickly build and source your ROS2 workspace.
Build workspace
This alias builds your entire workspace with colcon using symlink install for faster rebuilds.
Source workspace
Sources the workspace installation to make newly built packages available in your current terminal.
You must run sb after building with cb to use your newly compiled packages.
Simulation world aliases
Launch different Gazebo simulation environments with a single command.
Empty world
Launches a minimal empty world with the TurtleBot3 robot. Ideal for basic movement testing and teleoperation practice.
TurtleBot3 world
Launches the TurtleBot3 world featuring obstacles and barriers. Perfect for testing navigation and obstacle avoidance.
House environment
Launches a complex indoor house environment. Excellent for advanced SLAM and navigation testing.
Robot control aliases
Teleoperation
Starts keyboard teleoperation for manual robot control.
SLAM and navigation aliases
SLAM mapping
Launches Cartographer SLAM for real-time mapping. RViz2 opens automatically to visualize the map being created.
Autonomous navigation
Starts Navigation2 stack for autonomous navigation with your saved map.
The tb3_nav alias expects a map file at ~/maps/my_map.yaml. Create a map using SLAM first before running autonomous navigation.
Software rendering aliases
If you experience GPU-related crashes with Gazebo, use these software rendering alternatives.
Software rendering variants
tb3_empty_sw # Empty world with software rendering
tb3_world_sw # TurtleBot3 world with software rendering
tb3_house_sw # House environment with software rendering
LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1 to force software rendering, which provides better stability on systems without proper GPU acceleration.
Check ~/GPU_INFO.txt in your container to see your GPU detection results and rendering recommendations.
Common workflow examples
Basic simulation
Launch simulation
Open a terminal and start the empty world: Control the robot
Open a second terminal and start teleoperation: Build custom package
Use your package
Your newly built packages are now available in the current terminal.
SLAM workflow