Ionic Release Notes and Highlights (#4)

* Add raw list of merged PRs Signed-off-by: Addisu Z. Taddese <addisu@openrobotics.org> * Add notes for gz-utils Signed-off-by: Addisu Z. Taddese <addisu@openrobotics.org> * Add bullet-featherstone and mesh optimization features in highlights and release notes (#5) * Added bullet-featherstone and mesh optimization highlights Signed-off-by: Ian Chen <ichen@openrobotics.org> * update release notes Signed-off-by: Ian Chen <ichen@openrobotics.org> * Add backticks. Signed-off-by: Addisu Z. Taddese <addisu@openrobotics.org> --------- Signed-off-by: Ian Chen <ichen@openrobotics.org> Signed-off-by: Addisu Z. Taddese <addisu@openrobotics.org> Co-authored-by: Addisu Z. Taddese <addisu@openrobotics.org> * Add documentation website improvements Signed-off-by: Addisu Z. Taddese <addisu@openrobotics.org> * Add highlight for specifying plugins in SDF without overriding default plugins Signed-off-by: Addisu Z. Taddese <addisu@openrobotics.org> * Add ros_gz improvements Signed-off-by: Addisu Z. Taddese <addisu@openrobotics.org> * gz-transport improvements Signed-off-by: Carlos Agüero <caguero@openrobotics.org> * Conflict Signed-off-by: Carlos Agüero <caguero@openrobotics.org> * Add cone, track cam, topic freq, dynamic material color. Signed-off-by: Benjamin Perseghetti <bperseghetti@rudislabs.com> * Add the gz-cmake release notes (#7) Signed-off-by: Jose Luis Rivero <jrivero@osrfoundation.org> * Include a note about setup-gazebo github action (#6) Signed-off-by: Jose Luis Rivero <jrivero@osrfoundation.org> Signed-off-by: Addisu Z. Taddese <addisu@openrobotics.org> Co-authored-by: Addisu Z. Taddese <addisu@openrobotics.org> * Small formatting changes Signed-off-by: Addisu Z. Taddese <addisu@openrobotics.org> * Highlights: FT sensor determinist, system execution order (#8) * Prefer SDFormat over SDF Signed-off-by: Steve Peters <scpeters@openrobotics.org> * FT determinism, system execution order Signed-off-by: Steve Peters <scpeters@openrobotics.org> --------- Signed-off-by: Steve Peters <scpeters@openrobotics.org> * Add some note about hydrodynamics deprecations and few other important community contributed features (#9) * Add some note about hydrodynamics deprecations and few other important community-contributed features Signed-off-by: Arjo Chakravarty <arjoc@intrinsic.ai> * Typos Signed-off-by: Arjo Chakravarty <arjoc@intrinsic.ai> --------- Signed-off-by: Arjo Chakravarty <arjoc@intrinsic.ai> * Address reviewer feedback about gz:policies * Add highlight about package.xml * Add docs * Update gz-common * Add gz-fuel-tools * Update gz-gui * Add gz-launch * Add gz-math * Add gz-msgs * Update gz-physics * Add gz-plugin * Add gz-rendering * Add gz-sensors * Update gz-sim * Add gz-tools * Add gz-transport * Add gz-usd * Add ros_gz * Add ros_gz_project_template * Update sdformat * Alphabetize --------- Signed-off-by: Addisu Z. Taddese <addisu@openrobotics.org> Signed-off-by: Ian Chen <ichen@openrobotics.org> Signed-off-by: Carlos Agüero <caguero@openrobotics.org> Signed-off-by: Benjamin Perseghetti <bperseghetti@rudislabs.com> Signed-off-by: Jose Luis Rivero <jrivero@osrfoundation.org> Signed-off-by: Steve Peters <scpeters@openrobotics.org> Signed-off-by: Arjo Chakravarty <arjoc@intrinsic.ai> Co-authored-by: Ian Chen <ichen@openrobotics.org> Co-authored-by: Carlos Agüero <caguero@openrobotics.org> Co-authored-by: Benjamin Perseghetti <bperseghetti@rudislabs.com> Co-authored-by: Jose Luis Rivero <jrivero@osrfoundation.org> Co-authored-by: Steve Peters <computersthatmove@gmail.com> Co-authored-by: Arjo Chakravarty <arjo129@gmail.com>
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 ## New Features
 
+- [Add new console logging functionality based on `spdlog`](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-common/pull/615).
+ Also see [gz-utils#134](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-utils/pull/134)
+
+ - Console logging has been reimplemented using `spdlog`. While the existing
+ macros such as `gzerr`, `gzwarn`, and `gzmsg` continue to work as before,
+ you can now get access to the raw `spdlog` logger, which provides greater
+ control and flexibility. A new macro, `gztrace` is also provided, which can
+ be useful in debugging or data collection scenarios. With `spdlog`, you also
+ get the ability to use format strings. Here's a quick example:
+
+ ```c++
+ auto logger = gz::common::Console::Root().RawLoggerPtr();
+ logger->trace("π to 5th decimal = {:.5f}\n", M_PI);
+ ```
+
+- Improvements to the bullet-featherstone physics plugin
+
+ - Many new features and bugfixes were made to the bullet-featherstone plugin
+ in gz-physics, which include support for nested models,
+ off-diagonal inertia, enforcing joint velocity and effort limits,
+ configuring solver iterations, and more. There are also features for
+ performance improvements and physics stability such as auto-deactivation,
+ static object collision optimization, and use of convex hull shapes for
+ convex decomposed meshes.
+
+- [Support for mesh optimization](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim/pull/2417),
+[gzsim#2352](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim/pull/2352),
+[gz-common#585](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-common/pull/585),
+[sdformat#1382](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-common/pull/585), and
+[gz-physics#606](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-physics/pull/606)
+
+ - Added support for mesh optimization on the collision mesh. Users can now
+ specify whether or not to perform mesh optimization on a
+ collision mesh in SDFormat (requires SDFormat spec version >= 1.11). Two optimization
+ methods are currently supported: `convex_decomposition` and `convex_hull`.
+ Gazebo uses the open source
+ [V-HACD](https://github.com/kmammou/v-hacd) library to perform
+ convex decomposition to split the mesh into multiple submeshes.
+ Example SDFormat usage:
+
+ ```xml
+ <collision>
+ <mesh optimization="convex_decomposition">
+ <convex_decomposition>
+ <max_convex_hulls>16</max_convex_hulls>
+ <voxel_resolution>400000</voxel_resolution>
+ </convex_decomposition>
+ <uri>/path/to/mesh.dae</uri>
+ </mesh>
+ </collision>
+ ```
+
+- [Support specifying plugins in SDFormat files without overriding default
+ plugins](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim/pull/2497) and [gz-gui#631](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-gui/pull/631)
+
+ - In prior Gazebo versions, if a user specified a server plugin at the
+ world level, it would override all default plugins. This required
+ users to have in-depth knowledge and specify every plugin necessary
+ for a simulation to run correctly. Omitting critical plugins would
+ lead to unexpected simulation behavior, causing confusion,
+ particularly for new Gazebo users.
+
+ Gazebo Ionic addresses this issue by loading default plugins even when users
+ specify additional plugins. Gazebo Ionic also introduces the `<gz:policies>`
+ tag which can be used to revert this behavior to how it functioned in
+ previous Gazebo versions, if desired (see the
+ [GUI Configuration](https://gazebosim.org/api/sim/9/gui_config.html) and
+ [Server Configuration](https://gazebosim.org/api/sim/9/server_config.html)
+ tutorials to learn more about `<gz:policies>`). For example, the
+ `contact_sensor.sdf` example can now include just the additional Contact
+ system:
+
+ ```xml
+ <world name="contact_sensor">
+ <plugin filename="gz-sim-contact-system" name="gz::sim::systems::Contact"/>
+ ...
+ </world>
+
+ ```
+
+ whereas previously, the SDFormat file has all the default plugins:
+
+ ```xml
+ <world name="contact_sensor">
+ <plugin
+ filename="gz-sim-physics-system"
+ name="gz::sim::systems::Physics">
+ </plugin>
+ <plugin
+ filename="gz-sim-contact-system"
+ name="gz::sim::systems::Contact">
+ </plugin>
+ <plugin
+ filename="gz-sim-user-commands-system"
+ name="gz::sim::systems::UserCommands">
+ </plugin>
+ <plugin
+ filename="gz-sim-scene-broadcaster-system"
+ name="gz::sim::systems::SceneBroadcaster">
+ </plugin>
+
+ ...
+ </world>
+
+ ```
+
+- Specify execution order for System `PreUpdate` and `Update` callbacks
+ ([gz-sim#2487](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim/pull/2487),
+ [gz-sim#2500](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim/pull/2500)).
+
+ - While the `PreUpdate`, `Update`, and `PostUpdate` phases of gz-sim systems
+ allow some control over the order in which code is executed, there are
+ cases in which more control is desired. For example, the `UserCommands`
+ system can create new models during its `PreUpdate` callback in response
+ to `EntityFactory` messages (see the
+ [entity creation tutorial](https://gazebosim.org/api/sim/9/entity_creation.html)),
+ and that callback should happen before any other system callbacks that
+ expect to operate on all entities in the scene. Now, the order of execution
+ for `PreUpdate` and `Update` callbacks for a System can be specified using
+ an integer priority value, with smaller values executing first.
+ The default system priority can be specified at compilation time by
+ implementing a new `SystemConfigurePriority` interface in that system,
+ and the priority can be overridden by specifying an XML parameter in the
+ system's SDFormat `<plugin/>` tag.
+ - Constant priority values have been defined in
+ [gz/sim/System.hh](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim/blob/gz-sim9_9.0.0-pre1/include/gz/sim/System.hh#L106-L129)
+ for the `Physics` and `UserCommands` systems to ensure that
+ `UserCommands::PreUpdate` and `Physics::Update` execute before other
+ system callbacks with default priority.
+
+- Improve determinism of ForceTorque sensor
+ ([gz-sensors#449](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sensors/pull/449),
+ [gz-sim#2487](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim/pull/2487),
+ [gz-sim#2494](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim/pull/2494),
+ [gz-sim#2500](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim/pull/2500)).
+
+ - The wrenches measured by ForceTorque sensors are now written to the ECM
+ in addition to publishing to a gz-transport topic, offering a more
+ deterministic data path for sensor data.
+ - Writing sensor data to the ECM required moving the sensor update from the
+ `PostUpdate` callback, which allows read-only access to the ECM with
+ parallel execution, to the `Update` callback, which allows write-access to
+ the ECM with sequential execution. It also uses the system execution order
+ priority to ensure that the ForceTorque `Update` callback occurs after
+ the `Physics` system `Update`.
+
+- Gazebo Transport improvements.
+See [gz-transport#477](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-transport/pull/477), [gz-transport#486](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-transport/pull/486), [gz-transport#487](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-transport/pull/487), [gz-transport#503](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-transport/pull/503), and [gz-transport#506](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-transport/pull/506).
+
+ - An extra option has been added to the `SubscriberOptions` class allowing the ability to ignore messages when publisher
+ and subscriber share the same node. This feature was particularly interesting to avoid loops in the `ros_gz` bridge.
+ See more context [here](https://github.com/gazebosim/ros_gz/issues/555).
+
+ - Most of the gz-transport functionality can be exercised via command line with the `gz topic` or `gz service` subcommands.
+ We've reduced the amount of typing needed to request certain services from CLI. Here's a summary:
+ - Gazebo Ionic allows to request one-way service requests directly from the command line. In prior Gazebo versions, users
+ had to specify `--reptype gz.msgs.Empty ` to simulate one-way service requests.
+ - The synchronous service requests have now a default timeout, reducing the amount of typing from the CLI.
+ - Gazebo Ionic allows to request no-input service requests directly from the command line. In prior Gazebo versions, users had to specify `--reqtype gz.msgs.Empty ` to simulate no-input service requests.
+ - Closer `gz topic` behaviour to ROS CLI by adding topic frequency `gz topic -f <topic_name>`.
+
+- Gazebo camera tracking.
+
+ - Control tracking, following and see current tracking status from the gui as well as through gz topics. See [gz-gui#619](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-gui/pull/619), [gz-msgs#440](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-msgs/pull/440), and [gz-sim#2402](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim/pull/2402).
+
+
+- Change materials dynamically.
+
+ - Can now make opaque objects translucent, simulate LEDs or other lighting by setting emissivity when source turned on or off from a `gz-transport` message or over `ros-gz` bridge. See [gz-msgs#414](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-msgs/pull/414), [gz-msgs#415](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-msgs/pull/415), [gz-msgs#416](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-msgs/pull/416), [ros_gz#486](https://github.com/gazebosim/ros_gz/pull/486), and [gz-sim#2286](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim/pull/2286).
+
+
+- Add new primitive geometry for cones.
+
+ - Create a parametric cone primitive from the gui or in SDFormat. Useful for sensor visualization, nosecones, and much more. See [gz-gui#621](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-gui/pull/621), [gz-math#594](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-math/pull/594), [gz-msgs#442](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-msgs/pull/442), [gz-physics#639](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-physics/pull/639), [gz-rendering#1003](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-rendering/pull/1003), [gz-sim#2410](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim/pull/2410), and [sdformat#1418](https://github.com/gazebosim/sdformat/pull/1418).
+
+
+- Gazebo/ROS Vendor Packages
+
+ - Gazebo libraries and simulator are now available directly from
+ packages.ros.org via vendor packages. The packages are built in the
+ ROS buildfarm and as part of their build process, fetch the sources of
+ the underlying Gazebo library and build it. In addition, the vendor
+ packages provide CMake shims that make it possible to use CMake
+ targets without version numbers. See the documentation for full
+ details.
+
+- Improved ros_gz Launch Files
+
+ - ROS launch files used to start Gazebo, spawn models in simulation, and
+ start the ros_gz bridge are now much simpler and more idiomatic. New
+ XML and YAML elements are available to simplify the creation of launch
+ files. As an example, here's how you can start gzserver and the bridge
+ from an XML file:
+
+ ```xml
+ <launch>
+ <gz_server world_sdf_file="$(find-pkg-share my_package)/worlds/my_world.sdf" />
+ <ros_gz_bridge config_file="$(find-pkg-share my_package)/config/bridge_config.yaml" />
+ </launch>
+ ```
+
+- Improved ros_gz_bridge performance
+
+ - A new parameter use_composition is also available all the new launch
+ files to leverage the ability to launch composable nodes. This feature
+ allows us to run Gazebo, the ros_gz_bridge, and other potential ROS
+ composable nodes within the same process. This improves performance by
+ avoiding message serialization and network transport between Gazebo
+ and ROS.
+
+
+- [New setup-gazebo GitHub Action](https://github.com/marketplace/actions/setup-gazebo-environment)
+
+ - A new GitHub Action to install the different versions of Gazebo is
+ available through the GitHub marketplace named `setup-gazebo`. It
+ supports Linux, Mac and Windows as target platforms and the use of
+ different repositories for Gazebo packages: stable, prerelease or
+ nightly. The Linux installation can also be combined with ROS 2 to
+ install the `ros_gz_bridge` packages.
+
+ ```yaml
+ - name: 'Install Gazebo Ionic from nightlies'
+ uses: gazebo-tooling/setup-gazebo@v0.2.0
+ with:
+ required-gazebo-distributions: 'ionic'
+ use-gazebo-prerelease: 'true'
+ use-gazebo-nightly: 'true'
+ ```
+
+- [Removing a parent entity stops execution of the child plugins](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim/pull/2232)
+
+ - This solves a lot of issues where plugin developers may have had to
+ check if the parent entity was still around on every update. Now when
+ an entity is removed all its child plugins are stopped as well.
+
+- [Spacecraft Thruster](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim/pull/2431)
+ - New spacecraft thruster system for simulating satellites was added.
+
+- [`package.xml` files have been added to all Gazebo packages](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim/pull/2337)
+ - This adds structure package metadata so that automated tools can
+ easily extract information such as the package's version and its
+ dependencies. For example,
+ [`vcstool`](https://github.com/dirk-thomas/vcstool) can now be used to
+ fetch dependencies of Gazebo packages when building Gazebo from
+ source. In addition,
+ [`colcon`](https://colcon.readthedocs.io/en/released/) can now rely on
+ package dependencies in `package.xml` to determine the order of
+ packages to build.
+
 ## Bug Fixes
 
 ## Breaking Changes
 
+- [Added mass coefficients for hydrodynamics are now deprecated](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim/pull/2493)
+Use the SDFormat level `fluid_added_mass` tag instead. Tutorial and migration guide is available here: https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim/pull/2608
+
+- [Spherical Coordinate API Cleaned Up](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-math/pull/616)
+We are deprecating `LOCAL`. SphericalCoordinate LOCAL now behaves the same as `LOCAL2`. Also introduce new Coordinate3 APIs.
+
 ## Documentation
 
+- [Improved Gazebo Documentation Website](https://github.com/gazebosim/docs/pull/441)
+ - The main documentation [website](https://gazebosim.org/docs) has been
+ migrated to a statically generated site built with
+ [Sphinx](https://sphinx-doc.org/). This adds a number of features and solves
+ a number of problems with the previous website, namely:
+ - Documentation authors can easily preview their changes by downloading the
+ generated website instead of having to set up a local development
+ environment
+ - The website is updated automatically instead of being manually triggered
+ after each PR.
+ - Search functionality is now available
+ - Improved layout and UX on mobile devices
+ - Dark and light modes
+ - Improved SEO as the content is now more easily accessible to search
+ engines.
+ - Use of Sphinx as a common documentation tool for both Gazebo and ROS.