ORB-SLAM3 Docker Setup

Docker container with CUDA + X11(GUI) Support + Ubuntu 22.04

ORB-SLAM3 Dockerized

This guide will walk you through setting up ORB-SLAM3 in a Docker container, running it with a EuRoC dataset, and testing it with different configurations like Monocular, Monocular-Inertial, and Stereo.

Note

After setup, you can attach to the running container and compile code using the ORB-SLAM3 library. This setup is designed for development purposes and testing different configurations.

Important

Communication between ORB-SLAM3 is done with sockets in this example. Real world applications usually use ROS communication protocol.

Prerequisites

• Docker installed
• NVIDIA GPU and drivers with CUDA support for GPU acceleration
• X11 server running for displaying graphical applications

Tip

For Windows users, you can use VcXsrv as your X11 server. Setup instructions are provided in Step 5.

Getting Started

Step 1: Running the Docker Container

First, build the Docker image:

docker build -t orb_slam3:latest .

Important

Run the container with GPU support and X11 forwarding for graphical output:

docker run -it --gpus all --env="DISPLAY" \
  --env="QT_X11_NO_MITSHM=1" \
  --volume="/tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix:rw" \
  --name orb_slam3_container \
  orb_slam3:latest

Step 2: Dataset Setup

Inside the container, download and set up the EuRoC MAV dataset:

cd /opt/orb_slam3

# Create directory for dataset
mkdir -p Datasets/EuRoc
cd Datasets/EuRoc/

# Download the dataset
wget -c http://robotics.ethz.ch/~asl-datasets/ijrr_euroc_mav_dataset/machine_hall/MH_01_easy/MH_01_easy.zip

# Create a directory for MH_01_easy dataset and extract it
mkdir MH01
unzip MH_01_easy.zip -d MH01/

Step 3: Installing Additional Packages

To run graphical applications inside the container:

apt-get update && apt-get install -y x11-apps

Test the X11 setup:

xclock

[!check] You should see a clock window appear on your screen. If it works, your X11 forwarding is configured correctly.

Step 4: Running ORB-SLAM3 Examples

Navigate to the ORB-SLAM3 directory and run the examples:

Stereo Example

./Examples/Stereo/stereo_euroc ./Vocabulary/ORBvoc.txt \
  ./Examples/Stereo/EuRoC.yaml \
  ../Datasets/EuRoc/MH01 \
  ./Examples/Stereo/EuRoC_TimeStamps/MH01.txt dataset-MH01_stereo

Tip

You can also run other configurations like Monocular and Monocular-Inertial by using the respective executables in the Examples directory.

Step 5: Setting Up X11 Server on Windows

Platform	Setup Instructions
Windows	1. Download and install VcXsrv 2. During configuration, check the box "Disable access control" 3. Set DISPLAY environment variable in your Docker run command
Linux	Run these commands: bash<br>export DISPLAY=host.docker.internal:0<br>xhost +<br>

Attaching to a Running Container

There are two ways to attach to your running container:

Method 1: Using Docker CLI

docker exec -it orb_slam3_container bash

Method 2: Using VS Code

1. Install the "Dev - Containers" extension
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + P
3. Select "Remote-Containers: Attach to Running Container"
4. Choose the orb_slam3_container
5. Select /opt/ as the workspace folder

Tip

To change the workspace folder later, press Ctrl + Shift + P and select "Remote-Containers: Open Container Configuration File"