External library dependencies and build options

List of all MRPT dependencies

1. Mandatory

eigen3

MRPT crucially relies on Eigen3, so this dependency is mandatory. Still, for convenience of users, if Eigen3 is not present in the system MRPT’s CMake build system will automatically switch to an embedded version of this library.

Read more about the integration of MRPT and Eigen3 in https://www.mrpt.org/Matrices_vectors_arrays_and_Linear_Algebra_MRPT_and_Eigen_classes

2. Optional but strongly recommended

opencv

This is used for almost everything related to computer vision in MRPT. Even MRPT-specific computer vision functions or classes cannot work without OpenCV since the basic structure for holding images is OpenCV’s cv::Mat.

If not present, the following classes will raise an exception upon usage:

• mrpt::img::CImage. Note that creating mrpt::img::CImage objects in the “external storage mode” will not raise an exception unless you really access the image contents.

• Everything needing access to an image (loading, saving, processing, etc.).

wxwidgets

If this library is not present in the system, the following will raise an exception upon usage:

• All window classes in mrpt::gui except those based on nanogui.

• The function mrpt::hwdrivers::prepareVideoSourceFromUserSelection()

Also, most GUI apps will not be built if wxWidgets is not found.

opengl

This optional library is required to render 3D graphics. It is fundamentally used by the classes in mrpt::opengl.

Note however that nothing prevents you from creating objects in mrpt::opengl, manipulating them, building 3D scenes, saving them to disk, etc. even without OpenGL support. An exception will be raised only if you try to render them in a mrpt::gui::CDisplayWindow3D or by any other means.

3. Optional

libftdi

This optional library is needed for interfacing FTDI USB chips in the FIFO parallel mode.

If not present, the following classes will raise exceptions upon usage:

• mrpt::comms::CInterfaceFTDI

• All its children classes.

liblas

The ASPRS LiDAR LAS file format for point cloud datasets. If available, it will provide the functionality of loading/saving mrpt::maps::CPointsMaps to LAS files.

See: libLAS interface for CPointsMap (in

Since MRPT 1.5.0, building MRPT against liblas is not required. In turn, user programs requiring this feature must make sure of adding the required compiler and linker flags to their programs, and including the additional file #include <mrpt/maps/CPointsMap_liblas.h>.

Install libLAS in Ubuntu/Debian with: sudo apt-get install liblas-dev liblas-c-dev

libpcap

This optional library is needed to support reading/writing PCAP files (Network dump files) in these classes:

• mrpt::hwdrivers::CVelodyneScanner

libusb

This optional library is needed as a dependency of the embedded version of libfreenect for communicating with Kinect sensors.

If not present, the following classes will raise exceptions upon usage:

• mrpt::hwdrivers::CKinect ( unless a different underlying implementation is used, see https://www.mrpt.org/Kinect_and_MRPT)

ZeroMQ

ZeroMQ is not required to compile MRPT, but if the user application uses it, then MRPT offers a few functions for sending and receiving MRPT objects via ZMQ sockets.

See:

• Available functions in: noncstream_serialization_zmq

• Example code :

  • Publisher: main_pub.cpp

  • Subscriber: main_sub.cpp

suitesparse

This suite provides many efficient sparse algebra routines, e.g. CHOLMOD.

SuiteSparse’s CSparse library: Mandatory, but an embedded version exists if the library is not found in the system.

Used in these classes:

• mrpt::math::CSparseMatrix relies on the CSparse library.