SDFormat is an XML file format that describes environments, objects, and robots in a manner suitable for robotic applications. SDFormat is capable of representing and describing different physic engines, lighting properties, terrain, static or dynamic objects, and articulated robots with various sensors, and acutators. The format of SDFormat is also described by XML, which facilitates updates and allows conversion from previous versions.

See the SDFormat Website for a more comprehensive description of the specification, proposals for modifications, developer information, etc. This website is published using some information from the sdf_tutorials repository.

• SDFormat - The specification.
  • SDF - Synonym for SDFormat, though SDFormat should be preferred, as "SDF" is an acronym with other meanings.
• libsdformat - The C++ parsing code contained within this repository, which can be used to read SDFormat files and return a C++ interface.

Note: the master branch is under development for libsdformat11 and is currently unstable. A release branch (sdf10, sdf9, etc.) is recommended for most users.

Standard installation can be performed in UNIX systems using the following steps:

mkdir build/
cd build/
cmake ..  # Consider specifying -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=...
make install

sdformat supported cmake parameters at configuring time:

• USE_INTERNAL_URDF (bool) [default False]
  Use an internal copy of urdfdom 1.0.0 instead of look for one installed in the system
• USE_UPSTREAM_CFLAGS (bool) [default True]
  Use the sdformat team compilation flags instead of the common set defined by cmake.

To uninstall the software installed with the previous steps:

cd build/
make uninstall