DART Model Loading (dart::utils)

Load this skill when working with robot model files or parsers.

When the claim depends on the loaded hierarchy, transforms, collision geometry, or simulated behavior, also load dart-verify-sim for a text scene/behavior oracle plus claim-tied Filament visual corroboration.

Quick Start

#include <dart/utils/urdf/DartLoader.hpp>

dart::utils::DartLoader loader;
auto skel = loader.parseSkeleton(
    "dart://sample/urdf/KR5/KR5 sixx R650.urdf");

Full Documentation

For complete I/O guide: docs/onboarding/io-parsing.md

For repository-specific guidance: AGENTS.md

Supported Formats

Format	Extension	Use Case
URDF	.urdf	ROS robots
SDF	.sdf, .world	Gazebo models
MJCF	.xml	MuJoCo models
SKEL	.skel	Legacy DART

Common Patterns

#include <dart/utils/sdf/SdfParser.hpp>

// URDF with package resolution
dart::utils::DartLoader loader;
loader.addPackageDirectory("my_robot", "/path/to/my_robot");
auto skel = loader.parseSkeleton("package://my_robot/urdf/robot.urdf");

// Force specific format
auto world = dart::utils::SdfParser::readWorld("dart://sample/sdf/world.sdf");

Key Files

• URDF API: dart/utils/urdf/DartLoader.hpp
• SDF API: dart/utils/sdf/SdfParser.hpp
• SKEL API: dart/utils/SkelParser.hpp
• Tests: tests/integration/test_DartLoader.cpp, tests/integration/test_SdfParser.cpp, tests/integration/test_SkelParser.cpp