rviz_visual_tools
- Software
- Middleware
- Library
A C++ library that wraps RViz, providing helper functions to publish shapes, meshes and text as markers for displaying and debugging robot data.
Made by PickNik Robotics, United States (checked on github.com/PickNikRobotics (opens in a new tab)).
Source on GitHub: github.com/PickNikRobotics/rviz_visual_tools (opens in a new tab). Facts read at commit 6f41d6a (opens in a new tab).
Licenses
- Code
- BSD-3-Clause (opens in a new tab)
Read by Robotheca from LICENSE (opens in a new tab) (BSD-3-Clause) at commit 6f41d6a (opens in a new tab), on 16 Oct 2026.
- Commercial use
- Yes
What it does
- Publishes basic and complex geometric markers such as spheres, arrows, cuboids, planes, paths, meshes and text to RViz.
- Batches marker publishing so that many markers can be sent with a single trigger, reducing message throttling.
- Offers conversion helpers between ROS messages, Eigen, tf and other pose and point types.
- Provides a tf publishing helper and an interactive marker helper for 6-DOF pose control.
- Includes preset colors and marker sizes, plus frame locking so markers follow a moving base frame.
- Mentions an RViz panel and keyboard control for stepping through code, but these are marked as not ported.
Written by Robotheca from the project's README (opens in a new tab) at commit 6f41d6a.
Getting started
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- How to start
- The project's README (opens in a new tab)
Maintenance
- Status
- Active: a commit in the last 90 days
- Newest commit
- 8 Sept 2026 on ros2
- Latest release
- None published on GitHub
Checked on GitHub on 16 Oct 2026.
Links
Robots on Robotheca that use it
No robot on Robotheca is linked to it yet. Links come from a robot's robot.yaml, from its dependency files read as text, or from Robotheca's editors.
Robotheca lists software as a reference: nothing is hosted or run here, and every fact links to where it was read.