Visual Servoing Platform  version 3.5.1 under development (2023-09-22)
Tutorial: Installation from Docker images

Table of Contents

Introduction

Even with the detailed and tested Installation from source code tutorials, sometimes it is tough for people to get a system up and running with ViSP. That's why in this tutorial we explain how to get ready to use Docker images that contains ViSP source code with already build tests, examples and tutorials that you may just run to discover ViSP capabilities.

Our Docker images available on Docker Hub are around 1 GB in size (compressed size) and contain minimal things to discover and start to play with ViSP.

Install Docker Engine

On Ubuntu host

As mentioned here, to install Docker Engine on Ubuntu host using the repository, follow the instructions:

  • Update the apt package index and install packages to allow apt to use a repository over HTTPS: 
    $ sudo apt-get update

$ sudo apt-get install \
    apt-transport-https \
    ca-certificates \
    curl \
    gnupg-agent \
    software-properties-common
  • Add Docker’s official GPG key: 
    $ curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo apt-key add -
  • Use the following command to set up the stable repository 
    $ sudo add-apt-repository \
   "deb [arch=amd64] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
   $(lsb_release -cs) \
   stable"
  • Update the apt package index, and install the latest version of Docker Engine and containerd 
    $ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

On MacOS host

  • To install Docker Engine on MacOS host, first go to the Docker Store and download Docker Desktop for Mac.
  • Double-click Docker.dmg to open the installer, then drag Moby the whale to the Applications folder.
  • Double-click Docker.app in the Applications folder to start Docker.
  • You are prompted to authorize Docker.app with your system password after you launch it. Privileged access is needed to install networking components and links to the Docker apps.

Install Docker ViSP images

In Docker Hub we provide various ready to use Docker images with ViSP already built that could be used on an Ubuntu or MacOS host.

Ubuntu 18.04 image

Note
The Dockerfile used to generate this image is available here.

To use the docker image installed on an Ubuntu 18.04 system, use the following instructions: 

$ docker pull vispci/vispci:ubuntu-18.04
$ docker run -it vispci/vispci:ubuntu-18.04

Within the container, ViSP workspace is installed in $HOME/visp-ws folder: 

[root@7152a1ec64ba]# ls $HOME/visp-ws
visp  visp-build  visp-images
  • In visp folder you will find a Github clone of the source code. To update its content with the last changes, run cd visp; git pull
  • In visp-build folder you will find ViSP libraries and all the build binaries corresponding to the tests, examples and tutorials. If you updated visp folder content, don't forget to refresh your build with cd visp-build; cmake ../visp; make
  • In visp-images folder you will find the dataset used by the tests and examples.

Ubuntu 20.04 image

Note
The Dockerfile used to generate this image is available here.

To use the docker image installed on an Ubuntu 20.04 system, use the following instructions: 

$ docker pull vispci/vispci:ubuntu-20.04
$ docker run -it vispci/vispci:ubuntu-20.04

Within the container, ViSP workspace is installed in $HOME/visp-ws folder: 

[root@7152a1ec64ba]# ls $HOME/visp-ws
visp  visp-build  visp-images
  • In visp folder you will find a Github clone of the source code. To update its content with the last changes, run cd visp; git pull
  • In visp-build folder you will find ViSP libraries and all the build binaries corresponding to the tests, examples and tutorials. If you updated visp folder content, don't forget to refresh your build with cd visp-build; cmake ../visp; make
  • In visp-images folder you will find the dataset used by the tests and examples.

Run Docker ViSP images

On Ubuntu host

Note
The following instructions refer to Ubuntu 20.04 image, but could be easily adapted to any other image.

With Docker installed on a MacOS host, when you run ViSP binaries that open GUI window to display for example an image you will get the following error: 

$ docker pull vispci/vispci:ubuntu-20.04
$ docker run -it vispci/vispci:ubuntu-20.04
[root@7152a1ec64ba]# cd $HOME/visp-ws/visp-build/tutorial/image
[root@7152a1ec64ba]# ./tutorial-viewer monkey.png 
Catch an exception: Error [2]:  Can't connect display on server .

In order to run GUIs from the container, you will need to:

  • Determine the IP Address of your Ubuntu host 
    ...
wlp2s0: flags=4163<UP,BROADCAST,RUNNING,MULTICAST>  mtu 1500
        inet 192.168.1.5  netmask 255.255.255.0  broadcast 192.168.1.255
...
  • Allow access to the X11 server 
    $ xhost +
access control disabled, clients can connect from any host
  • Start or connect to your Docker container. 
    $ docker run --device=/dev/video0:/dev/video0 -v /tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix -e DISPLAY=$DISPLAY -it vispci/vispci:ubuntu-20.04
  • You are now ready to run binaries that open GUI 
    [root@7152a1ec64ba]# cd $HOME/visp-ws/visp-build/tutorial/image 
[root@7152a1ec64ba]# ./tutorial-viewer monkey.png 
A click to quit...
    ·
  • You are now also ready to run binaries that require access to your camera 
    [root@7152a1ec64ba]# cd $HOME/visp-ws/visp-build/tutorial/grabber 
[root@7152a1ec64ba]# ./tutorial-grabber-v4l2 
Use device : 0
Recording  : disabled
Warning: cannot set input channel to 2
Image size : 640 480
    or with this other tutorial 
    [root@7152a1ec64ba]# ./tutorial-grabber-opencv 
Use device : 0
Recording  : disabled

On MacOS host

Note
The following instructions refer to Ubuntu 20.04 image, but could be easily adapted to any other image.

With Docker installed on a MacOS host, when you run ViSP binaries that open GUI window to display for example an image you will get the following error: 

$ docker pull vispci/vispci:ubuntu-20.04
$ docker run -it vispci/vispci:ubuntu-20.04
[root@7152a1ec64ba]# cd $HOME/visp-ws/visp-build/tutorial/image
[root@7152a1ec64ba]# ./tutorial-viewer monkey.png 
Catch an exception: Error [2]:  Can't connect display on server .

In order to run GUIs from the container, you will need to:

  • Install XQuartz 2.7.11 or later
  • After installing XQuartz, start it and open XQuartz -> Preferences from the menu bar. Go to the last tab, Security, and enable both "Allow connections from network clients" and "Authenticate connections" checkboxes and restart XQuartz.
  • Now your Mac will be listening on port 6000 for X11 connections. Record the IP Address of your Mac as you will need it in your containers. 
    $ ifconfig en0 | grep inet | awk '$1=="inet" {print $2}'
192.168.1.18
  • Add the IP Address of your Mac to the X11 allowed list. 
    $ xhost + 192.168.1.18
192.168.1.18 being added to access control list
  • Start or connect to your Docker container. 
    $ docker run -it vispci/vispci:ubuntu-20.04
  • Export the DISPLAY variable within your container. 
    [root@7152a1ec64ba]# export DISPLAY=192.168.1.18:0
  • You are now ready to run binaries that open GUI 
    [root@7152a1ec64ba]# cd $HOME/visp-ws/visp-build/tutorial/image 
[root@7152a1ec64ba]# ./tutorial-viewer monkey.png 
A click to quit...
    ·

Next tutorial

You are now ready to see the next Tutorial: How to create and build a project that uses ViSP and CMake on Unix or Windows that will show you how to use ViSP as a 3rd party to build your own project.