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dev_env_mac.md

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MacOS Development Environment

The following instructions set up a PX4 development environment for macOS. This environment can be used to build PX4 for:

:::tip This setup is supported by the PX4 dev team. To build other targets you will need to use a different OS (or an unsupported development environment). :::

Video Guide

@youtube

Base Setup

The "base" macOS setup installs the tools needed for building firmware, and includes the common tools that will be needed for installing/using the simulators.

Environment Setup

:::details Apple M1 Macbook users! If you have an Apple M1 Macbook, make sure to run the terminal as x86 by setting up an x86 terminal:

  1. Locate the Terminal application within the Utilities folder (Finder > Go menu > Utilities)
  2. Select Terminal.app and right-click on it, then choose Duplicate.
  3. Rename the duplicated Terminal app, e.g. to x86 Terminal
  4. Now select the renamed x86 Terminal app and right-click and choose *Get Info
  5. Check the box for Open using Rosetta, then close the window
  6. Run the x86 Terminal as usual, which will fully support the current PX4 toolchain :::

First set up the environment

  1. Enable more open files by appending the following line to the ~/.zshenv file (creating it if necessary):

    echo ulimit -S -n 2048 >> ~/.zshenv

    :::note If you don't do this, the build toolchain may report the error: "LD: too many open files" :::

  2. Enforce Python 3 by appending the following lines to ~/.zshenv

    # Point pip3 to MacOS system python 3 pip
alias pip3=/usr/bin/pip3

Common Tools

To setup the environment to be able to build for Pixhawk/NuttX hardware (and install the common tools for using simulators):

  1. Install Homebrew by following these installation instructions.

  2. Run these commands in your shell to install the common tools:

    brew tap PX4/px4
brew install px4-dev

  3. Install the required Python packages:

    # install required packages using pip3
python3 -m pip install --user pyserial empty toml numpy pandas jinja2 pyyaml pyros-genmsg packaging kconfiglib future jsonschema
# if this fails with a permissions error, your Python install is in a system path - use this command instead:
sudo -H python3 -m pip install --user pyserial empty toml numpy pandas jinja2 pyyaml pyros-genmsg packaging kconfiglib future jsonschema

Gazebo Classic Simulation

To setup the environment for Gazebo Classic simulation:

  1. Run the following commands in your shell:

    brew unlink tbb
sed -i.bak '/disable! date:/s/^/  /; /disable! date:/s/./#/3' $(brew --prefix)/Library/Taps/homebrew/homebrew-core/Formula/[email protected]
brew install tbb@2020
brew link tbb@2020

    :::note September 2021: The commands above are a workaround to this bug: PX4-Autopilot#17644. They can be removed once it is fixed (along with this note). :::

  2. To install SITL simulation with Gazebo Classic:

    brew install --cask temurin
brew install --cask xquartz
brew install px4-sim-gazebo

  3. Run the macOS setup script: PX4-Autopilot/Tools/setup/macos.sh The easiest way to do this is to clone the PX4 source, and then run the script from the directory, as shown:

    git clone https://github.com/PX4/PX4-Autopilot.git --recursive
cd PX4-Autopilot/Tools/setup
sh macos.sh

jMAVSim Simulation

To setup the environment for jMAVSim simulation:

  1. Install a recent version of Java (e.g. Java 15). You can download Java 15 (or later) from Oracle or use Eclipse Temurin:

    brew install --cask temurin

  2. Install jMAVSim:

    brew install px4-sim-jmavsim

    :::warning PX4 v1.11 and beyond require at least JDK 15 for jMAVSim simulation.

    For earlier versions, macOS users might see the error Exception in thread "main" java.lang.UnsupportedClassVersionError:. You can find the fix in the jMAVSim with SITL > Troubleshooting). :::

Next Steps

Once you have finished setting up the command-line toolchain:

  • Install VSCode (if you prefer using an IDE to the command line).

  • Install the QGroundControl Daily Build

    :::tip The daily build includes development tools that are hidden in release builds. It may also provide access to new PX4 features that are not yet supported in release builds. :::

  • Continue to the build instructions.