# Importing PiPER URDF into Isaac\_Sim

**URL:** <https://discourse.openrobotics.org/t/importing-piper-urdf-into-isaac-sim/51526>\
**Category:** ROS General\
**Created:** [December 26, 2025, 7:15am UTC](https://discourse.openrobotics.org/t/importing-piper-urdf-into-isaac-sim/51526 "2025-12-26T07:15:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Agilex\_Robotics](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/discourse.openrobotics.org/agilex_robotics/32/10554_2.png) [@Agilex\_Robotics](https://discourse.openrobotics.org/u/Agilex_Robotics)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 7:16am UTC](https://discourse.openrobotics.org/t/importing-piper-urdf-into-isaac-sim/51526/1 "2025-12-26T07:16:00Z")

</div>

# Importing PiPER URDF into Isaac\_Sim

## Preface

With the continuous development of robotics technology, simulation platforms play an increasingly important role in the research, development and testing of robotic arms. As a high-performance simulation tool launched by NVIDIA, Isaac Sim helps developers efficiently model, simulate and verify algorithms for robotic arms. This article will detail how to import the URDF model of the PiPER robotic arm into Isaac Sim, perform relevant configurations and operations, providing a reference for subsequent development and applications.

## Tags

PiPER robotic arm、Isaac Sim

## Respositories

- **Navigation Respository** : [GitHub - agilexrobotics/Agilex-College: Agilex College](https://github.com/agilexrobotics/Agilex-College)
- **Project Repository** : [GitHub - agilexrobotics/piper\_isaac\_sim: piper\_isaac\_sim](https://github.com/agilexrobotics/piper_isaac_sim.git)

## Environment Configuration

- Operating System：Ubuntu 24.04
- ROS Version：ROS2 jazzy
- Graphics Card：5090

### Install Graphics Card Driver

```auto
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa
sudo apt update
sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall
#reboot
reboot

```

After rebooting, you can use the following command to verify if the driver is installed successfully:

```auto
nvidia-smi

```

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/7/d/7d9677d2ccd4cd3dc615e2d78aa15dbec5f9c324.png)

### Install isaac sim

Installation Method: [Installation — Isaac Sim Documentation](https://docs.isaacsim.omniverse.nvidia.com/latest/installation/index.html)

After downloading according to the link, unzip it using the following method:

```auto
cd ~/Downloads
unzip "isaac-sim-standalone-5.1.0-linux-x86_64.zip" -d ~/
cd isaac-sim-standalone-5.1.0-linux-x86_64/
./post_install.sh
./isaac-sim.selector.sh

```

Select `isaacsim.ros2.bridge` for the ROS Bridge Extension; then click **Start** to launch:

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/3/c/3c087a536d0ece46b86f97c857319a54a96c81b0.png)

Once successfully opened, you can prepare to import the URDF model.

## Import URDF

### Download URDF Model

Download Link: [GitHub - agilexrobotics/piper\_isaac\_sim: piper\_isaac\_sim](https://github.com/agilexrobotics/piper_isaac_sim.git)

> The URDF files and USD for the Piper series will be continuously updated in the future.

After opening Isaac Sim; select **File-\>Import** in the upper left corner; select the URDF model to import according to the actual path:

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/2/3/234639cbecd0f0ef88918d5ae491b1db51f58e10.png)

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/e/e/eeec2f998585b74551bfb4b803a41086e38dc3bd.png)

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/5/c/5c1f013091250c77113872b8a103c19c0afb9673.png)

After successful import, you can see the robotic arm appear at the center position; you can add a ground plane and increase the brightness:

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/b/8/b817d56a63c0130f3e9916fc4d430ed34303b0fc.png)

Click the triangle button on the left; after starting the simulation, you will find that the gripper moves. This is because some physical parameters are not defined in the imported URDF and need to be set in Isaac Sim:

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/d/b/dba1043f46e30eacd0963c5b9829df0c3c3f1a40.png)

The parameter setting method is as follows: open `joint1` of the robotic arm; set **Damping** to 80 and **Stiffness** to 400 in **Drive-\>Angular** ; set all movable joints in the same way.

> These parameters are for reference only.

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/8/0/80ac227b24d34b9a6f85a8b494142fb67d3c89c4.png)

After setting, start the simulation again, and the robotic arm is successfully imported.

### Add Camera

Right-click in the blank space, select **Create-\>Camera** ; create a new camera perspective:

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/f/8/f8f18feb7753a3a768c512b96ac4da8e8c2b3a6f.jpeg)

After creation, you need to adjust the camera perspective in **Property-\>Transform** ; then in **Visual-\>Visibility** , select `invisible` to hide the camera:

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/d/9/d92589a22878cf69eb62528d2e00e11a4ccb7f76.png)

Right-click in the blank space, select **Create-\>Visual Scripting-\>Action Graph** ; create an Action Graph to publish the camera perspective via ROS2:

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/1/c/1c633c5f8b6f621603115ab5af2133f644cf634a.jpeg)

The content in the Action Graph is shown below:

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/e/8/e8fef87cb9f41327ee32bbe39ceb12520826635d.png)

After connecting the modules, you need to set some parameters:

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/8/2/82d6aed1e8d3dfe1b8871fefea832d6ddaac4036.png)

For **Isaac Create Render Product** ; select the newly created camera perspective for `camera Prim` :

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/1/a/1a4d20e7707a48d56c10abd4d2879dddacc9ed71.png)

For **ROS2 Camera Helper** ; you can set the `frame id` and `topicName` of the camera topic:

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/7/5/7519ba4231ade0a4a4b00e096eb0728f543c9e24.jpeg)

Press **Ctrl+S** to save the USD model, and the import of the Piper USD model is completed.

This article details the complete process of importing the PiPER robotic arm URDF model into the Isaac Sim environment, including environment configuration, model import, physical parameter setting, and camera perspective creation and ROS2 topic publishing. Through these steps, developers can quickly realize visualization and interaction of the PiPER robotic arm in the simulation environment, laying a solid foundation for subsequent algorithm development and system integration. If you encounter problems during actual operation, you can refer to relevant official documents or community resources for further study and communication.