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Isaac Sim Installation

Introduction​

Installing Isaac Sim requires setting up NVIDIA Omniverse Launcher, configuring system requirements, and installing Isaac Sim itself. This chapter provides a complete installation guide for Ubuntu and Windows.

Learning Objectives:

  • Install NVIDIA Omniverse Launcher
  • Configure system for Isaac Sim
  • Install Isaac Sim and verify installation
  • Launch first simulation

Prerequisites​

Hardware Requirements​

Minimum:

  • GPU: NVIDIA RTX 2080 (8GB VRAM)
  • CPU: Intel i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 (6+ cores)
  • RAM: 16GB
  • Storage: 50GB free space
  • Display: 1920x1080

Recommended:

  • GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3080 or better (12GB+ VRAM)
  • CPU: Intel i9 or AMD Ryzen 9 (8+ cores)
  • RAM: 32GB+
  • Storage: 100GB+ SSD
  • Display: 2560x1440 or higher

Software Requirements​

Ubuntu 22.04:

# Check Ubuntu version
lsb_release -a

# Expected: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

NVIDIA Driver:

# Check driver version
nvidia-smi

# Required: Driver 525+ with CUDA 12.x

If driver needs update:

# Add NVIDIA PPA
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa
sudo apt update

# Install latest driver
sudo apt install nvidia-driver-535

# Reboot
sudo reboot

Installation Steps​

Step 1: Download Omniverse Launcher​

Ubuntu:

# Visit NVIDIA Omniverse Download page
# https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/omniverse/download/

# Download AppImage
wget https://install.launcher.omniverse.nvidia.com/installers/omniverse-launcher-linux.AppImage

# Make executable
chmod +x omniverse-launcher-linux.AppImage

# Run launcher
./omniverse-launcher-linux.AppImage

Windows:

  1. Visit https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/omniverse/download/
  2. Download omniverse-launcher-win.exe
  3. Run installer and follow prompts

Step 2: Create NVIDIA Account​

  1. Launch Omniverse Launcher
  2. Click "Sign In"
  3. Create NVIDIA account (or sign in with existing)
  4. Accept terms and conditions

Step 3: Install Isaac Sim​

Via Omniverse Launcher:

  1. Navigate to Exchange

    • Click "Exchange" tab in launcher
    • Search for "Isaac Sim"

  2. Install Isaac Sim

    • Click "Install" on Isaac Sim card
    • Select installation location (default: ~/.local/share/ov/pkg/)
    • Wait for download (15-20 GB)

Installation Path:

  • Linux: ~/.local/share/ov/pkg/isaac_sim-{version}/
  • Windows: C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\ov\pkg\isaac_sim-{version}\

Step 4: Verify Installation​

# Navigate to Isaac Sim directory
cd ~/.local/share/ov/pkg/isaac_sim-*

# List contents
ls

# Should see: isaac-sim.sh, python.sh, etc.

# Test launch (headless mode)
./isaac-sim.sh --help

Expected output:

usage: isaac-sim.sh [options]
  --help                 Show this help message
  --no-window           Run in headless mode
  ...

Step 5: Launch Isaac Sim GUI​

# Launch Isaac Sim
./isaac-sim.sh

# First launch may take 2-5 minutes (shader compilation)

Omniverse Create window should open with Isaac Sim UI.

Configuration​

ROS 2 Integration Setup​

# Source ROS 2
source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash

# Set environment variable for Isaac Sim
export ISAACSIM_PATH=~/.local/share/ov/pkg/isaac_sim-*

# Add to ~/.bashrc for persistence
echo "export ISAACSIM_PATH=~/.local/share/ov/pkg/isaac_sim-*" >> ~/.bashrc

Python Environment​

Isaac Sim includes its own Python environment:

# Isaac Sim Python
./python.sh

# Verify Isaac Sim modules
./python.sh -c "import omni.isaac.core; print('Isaac Core loaded')"

Installing Additional Python Packages​

# Use Isaac Sim's pip
./python.sh -m pip install numpy scipy matplotlib

First Simulation​

Launch Sample Scene​

Method 1: Via GUI

  1. Launch Isaac Sim
  2. Isaac Examples → Simple Objects → Rigid Bodies
  3. Click "Play" button (bottom left)
  4. Observe physics simulation

Method 2: Via Python Script

Create hello_isaac.py:

from omni.isaac.kit import SimulationApp
simulation_app = SimulationApp({"headless": False})

from omni.isaac.core import World
from omni.isaac.core.objects import DynamicCuboid

# Create world
world = World()

# Add cube
cube = DynamicCuboid(
    prim_path="/World/Cube",
    position=[0, 0, 2.0],
    size=0.5,
    color=[0, 0, 1]
)

# Run simulation
world.reset()
for i in range(500):
    world.step(render=True)

simulation_app.close()

Run script:

./python.sh hello_isaac.py

Cube should fall and bounce!

Load Robot Example​

# Launch Carter robot navigation example
# In Isaac Sim GUI:
# Isaac Examples → ROS2 → Navigation → Carter Warehouse
# Click "Load"
# Click "Play"

Verify ROS 2 topics:

# In separate terminal
ros2 topic list

# Should show:
# /cmd_vel
# /scan
# /odom
# /camera/rgb/image_raw

Troubleshooting​

Issue 1: "NVIDIA Driver Not Found"​

Solution:

# Reinstall driver
sudo apt purge nvidia-*
sudo apt install nvidia-driver-535
sudo reboot

Issue 2: Isaac Sim Crashes on Launch​

Check GPU compatibility:

nvidia-smi

# Verify GPU is RTX series (2000+, 3000+, 4000+)

Check VRAM:

# Ensure at least 8GB VRAM available
nvidia-smi --query-gpu=memory.total --format=csv

Issue 3: Slow Performance​

Enable GPU acceleration:

  1. Isaac Sim → Edit → Preferences
  2. Rendering → Enable RTX Real-Time
  3. Physics → Set Update Rate to 60 Hz

Reduce scene complexity:

  • Lower texture resolution
  • Disable ray tracing (for testing)
  • Reduce number of objects

Issue 4: ROS 2 Bridge Not Working​

# Ensure ROS 2 is sourced
source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash

# Verify ROS_DOMAIN_ID matches
echo $ROS_DOMAIN_ID

# Check Isaac Sim ROS 2 bridge status
# In Isaac Sim Python console:
# >>> import omni.isaac.ros2_bridge

Best Practices​

1. Cache Management​

Isaac Sim generates shader cache:

# Clear cache if experiencing issues
rm -rf ~/.cache/ov
rm -rf ~/.nvidia-omniverse/cache

2. Multiple Versions​

Keep multiple Isaac Sim versions:

# Versions are stored separately:
~/.local/share/ov/pkg/isaac_sim-2023.1.0/
~/.local/share/ov/pkg/isaac_sim-2023.1.1/

# Switch by changing ISAACSIM_PATH

3. Extensions​

Install useful extensions via Omniverse Launcher:

  • Isaac ROS Bridge
  • Isaac Cortex (behavior trees)
  • Isaac Surface Gripper

Summary​

Installing Isaac Sim involves downloading Omniverse Launcher, installing Isaac Sim via the Exchange tab, and verifying the installation with sample scenes. Proper NVIDIA driver setup and GPU requirements are critical for optimal performance.

Further Reading​