NVIDIA Isaac Sim Overview
NVIDIA Isaac Sim is a free, open-source reference framework for robotics simulation, testing and synthetic data generation, built on NVIDIA Omniverse libraries and OpenUSD.
Key Specifications
Specification | NVIDIA Isaac Sim |
Manufacturer | NVIDIA |
Model | Isaac Sim |
Category | Software / Robotics simulation software |
Licence | Free and open source, Apache 2.0 |
Foundation | NVIDIA Omniverse libraries; OpenUSD |
Import | URDF, MJCF, Onshape, CAD converter |
Physics | Rigid bodies, articulations, vehicles, SDF colliders |
Synthetic data | Randomization; RGB, bounding box and segmentation annotators |
Export formats | COCO and KITTI |
ROS | ROS and ROS 2 bridge |
Testing | Software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop |
Availability | GitHub, NGC container, AWS Marketplace |
Price | Price on request |
Price available on request. Any price is indicative, not final and may change.
Applications
Training Perception Models
Testing Robot Software
Robot Learning
NVIDIA Isaac Sim Review Summary
Isaac Sim has become the common simulator for robot AI. It is free and open source under Apache 2.0. Robots are imported from URDF, MJCF, Onshape or CAD into OpenUSD scenes with physics for rigid bodies, articulated joints and vehicles. Its two main jobs are testing a robot's software in the loop and generating synthetic training data: lighting, colour and position are randomized and images are exported with bounding boxes and segmentation in COCO or KITTI formats. A bridge connects it to ROS and ROS 2, and it scales over several GPUs.
Pros
Free and open source
Photoreal sensor simulation
Automatic labelled data
ROS 2 support
Multi-GPU scaling
Cons
Needs a powerful NVIDIA GPU
Steep learning curve
Redistribution of Omniverse Kit needs a separate licence
Who It Is For
It fits robotics developers and researchers who train and test AI for robots.
Full review: NVIDIA Isaac Sim Review: Features and Uses of the Open-Source Robotics Simulator
