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Glass is a different kind of dashboard - a powerful visualization tool for viewing and analyzing robot data in real-time. It provides a graphical interface for monitoring NetworkTables, viewing camera streams, and visualizing robot mechanisms.

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Overview

Glass is built on top of the WPILib GUI framework and provides advanced visualization capabilities for robot debugging and development. It supports viewing NetworkTables data, plotting values over time, and displaying robot mechanisms with field visualizations.

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Features

  • NetworkTables Integration: Connect to and visualize NetworkTables data from your robot
  • Camera Support: View camera streams from your robot
  • Field Visualization: Display robot position and mechanisms on a 2D field
  • Real-time Plotting: Plot sensor values and other data over time
  • Hardware Widgets: Visualize various hardware components including:
    • Accelerometers
    • Analog Gyros
    • Analog Inputs/Outputs
    • Digital I/O
    • Encoders
    • Motor Controllers
    • And more

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Running Glass

1

Navigate to the WPILib repository

Open a terminal and navigate to the root of the WPILib repository:
cd /path/to/allwpilib
2

Run Glass using Gradle

Execute the Glass application using the Gradle wrapper:
./gradlew glass:run
On Windows:
gradlew.bat glass:run
3

Connect to your robot

Once Glass opens, configure the NetworkTables connection:
  • Click on NetworkTables in the menu bar
  • Select Settings
  • Enter your robot’s IP address or team number
  • Click Apply to connect

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Connection Modes

Glass can operate in different NetworkTables modes:
  • Client Mode: Connect to a robot or simulation as a NetworkTables client
  • Server Mode: Run as a NetworkTables server (useful for testing)
The title bar shows the connection status:
  • DISCONNECTED: Not connected to any NetworkTables instance
  • Connected (IP): Connected to a robot or server
  • X Client(s) Connected: Running as a server with X clients

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Using Glass with Simulation

Glass works seamlessly with robot simulation. When running your robot code in simulation, Glass can connect to visualize:
  • Simulated sensor values
  • Robot position on the field
  • Camera feeds
  • NetworkTables data

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Building Glass

To build Glass from source: 
./gradlew glass:build
The compiled executable will be available in the build output directory.

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Key Components

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NetworkTables Viewer

The main NetworkTables viewer shows all published topics and their values. You can:
  • Browse the topic hierarchy
  • View and edit values
  • Monitor value changes in real-time

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Plot Windows

Create plot windows to visualize data over time:
  • Add multiple data sources to a single plot
  • Adjust time ranges and scales
  • Pause and resume data collection

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Field View

Visualize your robot’s position and mechanisms on a standard FRC field using the field images included with WPILib.

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System Requirements

  • Java Development Kit (JDK) 17 or later
  • C++ Compiler:
    • Linux: GCC 11 or greater
    • Windows: Visual Studio 2022 with C++ support
    • macOS: Xcode 14 or later command-line tools

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