How to Publish tf Between an ArUco Marker and a Camera

In this tutorial, I will show you how to publish a coordinate transformation between an ArUco marker and a camera (which is usually mounted on the robot). The ArUco marker coordinate frame will be labeled aruco_marker (child frame), and the camera frame will be labeled camera_depth_frame (parent frame). 

Here is the output we will achieve:

aruco_marker_pose_rviz_visualize

We will also see how to visualize the coordinate transformation in RViz.

Robotics companies like Boston Dynamics use ArUco markers to precisely connect and recharge at a docking station.

Prerequisites

The link to the opencv_tools package that contains all the full code in this tutorial is here on my Google Drive.

Create the Code

Open a new terminal window, and type:

cd ~/dev_ws/src/opencv_tools/opencv_tools

Open a new Python file named aruco_marker_pose_estimation.py.

gedit aruco_marker_pose_estimation_tf.py

Type the code below into it:

# Publishes a coordinate transformation between an ArUco marker and a camera
# Author:
# - Addison Sears-Collins
# - https://automaticaddison.com
  
# Import the necessary ROS 2 libraries
import rclpy # Python library for ROS 2
from rclpy.node import Node # Handles the creation of nodes
from cv_bridge import CvBridge # Package to convert between ROS and OpenCV Images
from geometry_msgs.msg import TransformStamped # Handles TransformStamped message
from sensor_msgs.msg import Image # Image is the message type
from tf2_ros import TransformBroadcaster

# Import Python libraries
import cv2 # OpenCV library
import numpy as np # Import Numpy library
from scipy.spatial.transform import Rotation as R

# The different ArUco dictionaries built into the OpenCV library. 
ARUCO_DICT = {
  "DICT_4X4_50": cv2.aruco.DICT_4X4_50,
  "DICT_4X4_100": cv2.aruco.DICT_4X4_100,
  "DICT_4X4_250": cv2.aruco.DICT_4X4_250,
  "DICT_4X4_1000": cv2.aruco.DICT_4X4_1000,
  "DICT_5X5_50": cv2.aruco.DICT_5X5_50,
  "DICT_5X5_100": cv2.aruco.DICT_5X5_100,
  "DICT_5X5_250": cv2.aruco.DICT_5X5_250,
  "DICT_5X5_1000": cv2.aruco.DICT_5X5_1000,
  "DICT_6X6_50": cv2.aruco.DICT_6X6_50,
  "DICT_6X6_100": cv2.aruco.DICT_6X6_100,
  "DICT_6X6_250": cv2.aruco.DICT_6X6_250,
  "DICT_6X6_1000": cv2.aruco.DICT_6X6_1000,
  "DICT_7X7_50": cv2.aruco.DICT_7X7_50,
  "DICT_7X7_100": cv2.aruco.DICT_7X7_100,
  "DICT_7X7_250": cv2.aruco.DICT_7X7_250,
  "DICT_7X7_1000": cv2.aruco.DICT_7X7_1000,
  "DICT_ARUCO_ORIGINAL": cv2.aruco.DICT_ARUCO_ORIGINAL
}

class ArucoNode(Node):
  """
  Create an ArucoNode class, which is a subclass of the Node class.
  """
  def __init__(self):
    """
    Class constructor to set up the node
    """
    # Initiate the Node class's constructor and give it a name
    super().__init__('aruco_node')

    # Declare parameters
    self.declare_parameter("aruco_dictionary_name", "DICT_ARUCO_ORIGINAL")
    self.declare_parameter("aruco_marker_side_length", 0.0785)
    self.declare_parameter("camera_calibration_parameters_filename", "/home/focalfossa/dev_ws/src/opencv_tools/opencv_tools/calibration_chessboard.yaml")
    self.declare_parameter("image_topic", "/video_frames")
    self.declare_parameter("aruco_marker_name", "aruco_marker")
    
    # Read parameters
    aruco_dictionary_name = self.get_parameter("aruco_dictionary_name").get_parameter_value().string_value
    self.aruco_marker_side_length = self.get_parameter("aruco_marker_side_length").get_parameter_value().double_value
    self.camera_calibration_parameters_filename = self.get_parameter(
      "camera_calibration_parameters_filename").get_parameter_value().string_value
    image_topic = self.get_parameter("image_topic").get_parameter_value().string_value
    self.aruco_marker_name = self.get_parameter("aruco_marker_name").get_parameter_value().string_value

    # Check that we have a valid ArUco marker
    if ARUCO_DICT.get(aruco_dictionary_name, None) is None:
      self.get_logger().info("[INFO] ArUCo tag of '{}' is not supported".format(
        args["type"]))
        
    # Load the camera parameters from the saved file
    cv_file = cv2.FileStorage(
      self.camera_calibration_parameters_filename, cv2.FILE_STORAGE_READ) 
    self.mtx = cv_file.getNode('K').mat()
    self.dst = cv_file.getNode('D').mat()
    cv_file.release()
    
    # Load the ArUco dictionary
    self.get_logger().info("[INFO] detecting '{}' markers...".format(
  	  aruco_dictionary_name))
    self.this_aruco_dictionary = cv2.aruco.Dictionary_get(ARUCO_DICT[aruco_dictionary_name])
    self.this_aruco_parameters = cv2.aruco.DetectorParameters_create()
     
    # Create the subscriber. This subscriber will receive an Image
    # from the video_frames topic. The queue size is 10 messages.
    self.subscription = self.create_subscription(
      Image, 
      image_topic, 
      self.listener_callback, 
      10)
    self.subscription # prevent unused variable warning
      
    # Initialize the transform broadcaster
    self.tfbroadcaster = TransformBroadcaster(self)
      
    # Used to convert between ROS and OpenCV images
    self.bridge = CvBridge()
   
  def listener_callback(self, data):
    """
    Callback function.
    """
    # Display the message on the console
    self.get_logger().info('Receiving video frame')
 
    # Convert ROS Image message to OpenCV image
    current_frame = self.bridge.imgmsg_to_cv2(data)
    
    # Detect ArUco markers in the video frame
    (corners, marker_ids, rejected) = cv2.aruco.detectMarkers(
      current_frame, self.this_aruco_dictionary, parameters=self.this_aruco_parameters,
      cameraMatrix=self.mtx, distCoeff=self.dst)

    # Check that at least one ArUco marker was detected
    if marker_ids is not None:
    
      # Draw a square around detected markers in the video frame
      cv2.aruco.drawDetectedMarkers(current_frame, corners, marker_ids)

      # Get the rotation and translation vectors
      rvecs, tvecs, obj_points = cv2.aruco.estimatePoseSingleMarkers(
        corners,
        self.aruco_marker_side_length,
        self.mtx,
        self.dst)
        
      # The pose of the marker is with respect to the camera lens frame.
      # Imagine you are looking through the camera viewfinder, 
      # the camera lens frame's:
      # x-axis points to the right
      # y-axis points straight down towards your toes
      # z-axis points straight ahead away from your eye, out of the camera
      for i, marker_id in enumerate(marker_ids):  

        # Create the coordinate transform
        t = TransformStamped()
        t.header.stamp = self.get_clock().now().to_msg()
        t.header.frame_id = 'camera_depth_frame'
        t.child_frame_id = self.aruco_marker_name
      
        # Store the translation (i.e. position) information
        t.transform.translation.x = tvecs[i][0][0]
        t.transform.translation.y = tvecs[i][0][1]
        t.transform.translation.z = tvecs[i][0][2]

        # Store the rotation information
        rotation_matrix = np.eye(4)
        rotation_matrix[0:3, 0:3] = cv2.Rodrigues(np.array(rvecs[i][0]))[0]
        r = R.from_matrix(rotation_matrix[0:3, 0:3])
        quat = r.as_quat()   
        
        # Quaternion format     
        t.transform.rotation.x = quat[0] 
        t.transform.rotation.y = quat[1] 
        t.transform.rotation.z = quat[2] 
        t.transform.rotation.w = quat[3] 

        # Send the transform
        self.tfbroadcaster.sendTransform(t)    
                  
        # Draw the axes on the marker
        cv2.aruco.drawAxis(current_frame, self.mtx, self.dst, rvecs[i], tvecs[i], 0.05)        
              
    # Display image
    cv2.imshow("camera", current_frame)
    
    cv2.waitKey(1)
  
def main(args=None):
  
  # Initialize the rclpy library
  rclpy.init(args=args)
  
  # Create the node
  aruco_node = ArucoNode()
  
  # Spin the node so the callback function is called.
  rclpy.spin(aruco_node)
  
  # Destroy the node explicitly
  # (optional - otherwise it will be done automatically
  # when the garbage collector destroys the node object)
  aruco_node.destroy_node()
  
  # Shutdown the ROS client library for Python
  rclpy.shutdown()
  
if __name__ == '__main__':
  main()

Save the file, and close it.

Open the package.xml file by opening a new terminal window, and typing:

cd ~/dev_ws/src/opencv_tools/
gedit package.xml

Add the following lines to the package.xml file in the appropriate location.

<depend>geometry_msgs</depend>
<depend>tf2_ros</depend>
<depend>tf_transformations</depend>

Save the file, and close it.

Now open the setup.py file.

gedit setup.py

Add the following line under the ‘img_subscriber’ = …. line.

'aruco_marker_pose_estimator_tf = opencv_tools.aruco_marker_pose_estimation_tf:main',

Save the file, and close it.

Build the package:

cd ~/dev_ws/
colcon build 

Run the Nodes

To run the nodes, open a new terminal window.

Make sure you are in the root of your workspace:

cd ~/dev_ws/

Run the image publisher node. If you recall, its name is img_publisher.

ros2 run opencv_tools img_publisher

Open a new terminal window, and type:

ros2 run opencv_tools img_publisher

Open another terminal window, and type:

ros2 run opencv_tools aruco_marker_pose_estimator_tf

Let’s check out the topics.

ros2 topic list
1-ros2_topic_list

Let’s see the tf topic.

ros2 topic echo /tf

How to Visualize an ArUco Marker Pose in RViz

Now open a new terminal window, and type:

rviz2

Change the Fixed Frame to camera_depth_frame.

Click the Add button on the bottom-left.

Scroll down to TF and add the TF plugin.

You should see the following output.

2-rviz2-visualize-aruco-marker-pose-1

How to Perform Pose Estimation Using an ArUco Marker

In this tutorial, I will show you how to determine the pose (i.e. position and orientation) of an ArUco Marker in real-time video (i.e. my webcam) using OpenCV (Python). The official tutorial is here, but I will walk through all the steps below.

Here is the output you will be able to generate by completing this tutorial:

aruco-pose-estimation-opencv-python

Prerequisites

Calibrate the Camera

The first thing we need to do is to perform camera calibration. To learn why we need to perform camera calibration, check out this post. This post has a short but sweet explanation of the code, and this post has good instructions on how to save the parameters and load them at a later date.

Print a Chessboard

The first step is to get a chessboard and print it out on regular A4 size paper. You can download this pdf, which is the official chessboard from the OpenCV documentation, and just print that out.

Measure Square Length

Measure the length of the side of one of the squares. In my case, I measured 2.5 cm (0.025 m).

Take Photos of the Chessboard From Different Distances and Orientations

We need to take at least 10 photos of the chessboard from different distances and orientations. The more photos you take, the better. 

Take the photos, and move them to a directory on your computer.

Here are examples of some of the photos I took from an old camera calibration project.

Here is a photo I took for this project. I kept the webcam steady while I moved the chessboard around with my hand and took photos with the built-in webcam on my computer.

1-chessboard-pattern-a

Create the Code

Open your favorite code editor, and write the following code. I will name my program camera_calibration.py. This program performs camera calibration using images of chessboards. It also saves the parameters to a yaml file.

#!/usr/bin/env python
 
'''
Welcome to the Camera Calibration Program!
 
This program:
  - Performs camera calibration using a chessboard.
'''

from __future__ import print_function # Python 2/3 compatibility 
import cv2 # Import the OpenCV library to enable computer vision
import numpy as np # Import the NumPy scientific computing library
import glob # Used to get retrieve files that have a specified pattern

# Project: Camera Calibration Using Python and OpenCV
# Date created: 12/19/2021
# Python version: 3.8
 
# Chessboard dimensions
number_of_squares_X = 10 # Number of chessboard squares along the x-axis
number_of_squares_Y = 7  # Number of chessboard squares along the y-axis
nX = number_of_squares_X - 1 # Number of interior corners along x-axis
nY = number_of_squares_Y - 1 # Number of interior corners along y-axis
square_size = 0.025 # Size, in meters, of a square side 
 
# Set termination criteria. We stop either when an accuracy is reached or when
# we have finished a certain number of iterations.
criteria = (cv2.TERM_CRITERIA_EPS + cv2.TERM_CRITERIA_MAX_ITER, 30, 0.001) 

# Define real world coordinates for points in the 3D coordinate frame
# Object points are (0,0,0), (1,0,0), (2,0,0) ...., (5,8,0)
object_points_3D = np.zeros((nX * nY, 3), np.float32)  
 
# These are the x and y coordinates                                              
object_points_3D[:,:2] = np.mgrid[0:nY, 0:nX].T.reshape(-1, 2) 

object_points_3D = object_points_3D * square_size

# Store vectors of 3D points for all chessboard images (world coordinate frame)
object_points = []
 
# Store vectors of 2D points for all chessboard images (camera coordinate frame)
image_points = []
 
def main():
     
  # Get the file path for images in the current directory
  images = glob.glob('*.jpg')
     
  # Go through each chessboard image, one by one
  for image_file in images:
  
    # Load the image
    image = cv2.imread(image_file)  
 
    # Convert the image to grayscale
    gray = cv2.cvtColor(image, cv2.COLOR_BGR2GRAY)  
 
    # Find the corners on the chessboard
    success, corners = cv2.findChessboardCorners(gray, (nY, nX), None)
     
    # If the corners are found by the algorithm, draw them
    if success == True:
 
      # Append object points
      object_points.append(object_points_3D)
 
      # Find more exact corner pixels       
      corners_2 = cv2.cornerSubPix(gray, corners, (11,11), (-1,-1), criteria)       
       
      # Append image points
      image_points.append(corners_2)
 
      # Draw the corners
      cv2.drawChessboardCorners(image, (nY, nX), corners_2, success)
 
      # Display the image. Used for testing.
      cv2.imshow("Image", image) 
     
      # Display the window for a short period. Used for testing.
      cv2.waitKey(1000) 
                                                                                                                     
  # Perform camera calibration to return the camera matrix, distortion coefficients, rotation and translation vectors etc 
  ret, mtx, dist, rvecs, tvecs = cv2.calibrateCamera(object_points, 
                                                    image_points, 
                                                    gray.shape[::-1], 
                                                    None, 
                                                    None)

  # Save parameters to a file
  cv_file = cv2.FileStorage('calibration_chessboard.yaml', cv2.FILE_STORAGE_WRITE)
  cv_file.write('K', mtx)
  cv_file.write('D', dist)
  cv_file.release()
 
  # Load the parameters from the saved file
  cv_file = cv2.FileStorage('calibration_chessboard.yaml', cv2.FILE_STORAGE_READ) 
  mtx = cv_file.getNode('K').mat()
  dst = cv_file.getNode('D').mat()
  cv_file.release()
  
  # Display key parameter outputs of the camera calibration process
  print("Camera matrix:") 
  print(mtx) 
 
  print("\n Distortion coefficient:") 
  print(dist) 
   
  # Close all windows
  cv2.destroyAllWindows() 
     
if __name__ == '__main__':
  print(__doc__)
  main()

Save the file, and close it.

Run the Code

To run the program in Linux for example, type the following command:

python3 camera_calibration.py
2-chessboard_pattern-b

The parameters will be saved to a yaml file. Here is what my yaml file looks like:

%YAML:1.0
---
K: !!opencv-matrix
   rows: 3
   cols: 3
   dt: d
   data: [ 7.9583655916512669e+02, 0., 6.6532633921223646e+02, 0.,
       7.9991597622640393e+02, 3.9142009039738559e+02, 0., 0., 1. ]
D: !!opencv-matrix
   rows: 1
   cols: 5
   dt: d
   data: [ 1.0557813457472758e-01, 1.0526580754799850e+00,
       4.6737646216940517e-03, 2.9071112143870346e-03,
       -6.2540648080086747e+00 ]

You will also see the parameters printed to the terminal window.

4-output-to-terminal

Estimate the ArUco Marker Pose Using OpenCV

We will now estimate the pose of the ArUco marker with respect to the camera lens frame. 

What is the camera lens frame coordinate system? Imagine you are looking through the camera viewfinder. The:

  • positive x-axis points to the right
  • positive y-axis points straight down towards your toes
  • positive z-axis points straight ahead away from you, out of the camera

Open your favorite code editor and write the following code. I will name my program aruco_marker_pose_estimator.py.

#!/usr/bin/env python
 
'''
Welcome to the ArUco Marker Pose Estimator!
 
This program:
  - Estimates the pose of an ArUco Marker
'''
 
from __future__ import print_function # Python 2/3 compatibility
import cv2 # Import the OpenCV library
import numpy as np # Import Numpy library
from scipy.spatial.transform import Rotation as R
import math # Math library

# Project: ArUco Marker Pose Estimator
# Date created: 12/21/2021
# Python version: 3.8

# Dictionary that was used to generate the ArUco marker
aruco_dictionary_name = "DICT_ARUCO_ORIGINAL"

# The different ArUco dictionaries built into the OpenCV library. 
ARUCO_DICT = {
  "DICT_4X4_50": cv2.aruco.DICT_4X4_50,
  "DICT_4X4_100": cv2.aruco.DICT_4X4_100,
  "DICT_4X4_250": cv2.aruco.DICT_4X4_250,
  "DICT_4X4_1000": cv2.aruco.DICT_4X4_1000,
  "DICT_5X5_50": cv2.aruco.DICT_5X5_50,
  "DICT_5X5_100": cv2.aruco.DICT_5X5_100,
  "DICT_5X5_250": cv2.aruco.DICT_5X5_250,
  "DICT_5X5_1000": cv2.aruco.DICT_5X5_1000,
  "DICT_6X6_50": cv2.aruco.DICT_6X6_50,
  "DICT_6X6_100": cv2.aruco.DICT_6X6_100,
  "DICT_6X6_250": cv2.aruco.DICT_6X6_250,
  "DICT_6X6_1000": cv2.aruco.DICT_6X6_1000,
  "DICT_7X7_50": cv2.aruco.DICT_7X7_50,
  "DICT_7X7_100": cv2.aruco.DICT_7X7_100,
  "DICT_7X7_250": cv2.aruco.DICT_7X7_250,
  "DICT_7X7_1000": cv2.aruco.DICT_7X7_1000,
  "DICT_ARUCO_ORIGINAL": cv2.aruco.DICT_ARUCO_ORIGINAL
}

# Side length of the ArUco marker in meters 
aruco_marker_side_length = 0.0785

# Calibration parameters yaml file
camera_calibration_parameters_filename = 'calibration_chessboard.yaml'

def euler_from_quaternion(x, y, z, w):
  """
  Convert a quaternion into euler angles (roll, pitch, yaw)
  roll is rotation around x in radians (counterclockwise)
  pitch is rotation around y in radians (counterclockwise)
  yaw is rotation around z in radians (counterclockwise)
  """
  t0 = +2.0 * (w * x + y * z)
  t1 = +1.0 - 2.0 * (x * x + y * y)
  roll_x = math.atan2(t0, t1)
     
  t2 = +2.0 * (w * y - z * x)
  t2 = +1.0 if t2 > +1.0 else t2
  t2 = -1.0 if t2 < -1.0 else t2
  pitch_y = math.asin(t2)
     
  t3 = +2.0 * (w * z + x * y)
  t4 = +1.0 - 2.0 * (y * y + z * z)
  yaw_z = math.atan2(t3, t4)
     
  return roll_x, pitch_y, yaw_z # in radians

def main():
  """
  Main method of the program.
  """
  # Check that we have a valid ArUco marker
  if ARUCO_DICT.get(aruco_dictionary_name, None) is None:
    print("[INFO] ArUCo tag of '{}' is not supported".format(
      args["type"]))
    sys.exit(0)

  # Load the camera parameters from the saved file
  cv_file = cv2.FileStorage(
    camera_calibration_parameters_filename, cv2.FILE_STORAGE_READ) 
  mtx = cv_file.getNode('K').mat()
  dst = cv_file.getNode('D').mat()
  cv_file.release()
    
  # Load the ArUco dictionary
  print("[INFO] detecting '{}' markers...".format(
	aruco_dictionary_name))
  this_aruco_dictionary = cv2.aruco.Dictionary_get(ARUCO_DICT[aruco_dictionary_name])
  this_aruco_parameters = cv2.aruco.DetectorParameters_create()
  
  # Start the video stream
  cap = cv2.VideoCapture(0)
  
  while(True):
 
    # Capture frame-by-frame
    # This method returns True/False as well
    # as the video frame.
    ret, frame = cap.read()  
    
    # Detect ArUco markers in the video frame
    (corners, marker_ids, rejected) = cv2.aruco.detectMarkers(
      frame, this_aruco_dictionary, parameters=this_aruco_parameters,
      cameraMatrix=mtx, distCoeff=dst)
      
    # Check that at least one ArUco marker was detected
    if marker_ids is not None:

      # Draw a square around detected markers in the video frame
      cv2.aruco.drawDetectedMarkers(frame, corners, marker_ids)
      
      # Get the rotation and translation vectors
      rvecs, tvecs, obj_points = cv2.aruco.estimatePoseSingleMarkers(
        corners,
        aruco_marker_side_length,
        mtx,
        dst)
        
      # Print the pose for the ArUco marker
      # The pose of the marker is with respect to the camera lens frame.
      # Imagine you are looking through the camera viewfinder, 
      # the camera lens frame's:
      # x-axis points to the right
      # y-axis points straight down towards your toes
      # z-axis points straight ahead away from your eye, out of the camera
      for i, marker_id in enumerate(marker_ids):
      
        # Store the translation (i.e. position) information
        transform_translation_x = tvecs[i][0][0]
        transform_translation_y = tvecs[i][0][1]
        transform_translation_z = tvecs[i][0][2]

        # Store the rotation information
        rotation_matrix = np.eye(4)
        rotation_matrix[0:3, 0:3] = cv2.Rodrigues(np.array(rvecs[i][0]))[0]
        r = R.from_matrix(rotation_matrix[0:3, 0:3])
        quat = r.as_quat()   
        
        # Quaternion format     
        transform_rotation_x = quat[0] 
        transform_rotation_y = quat[1] 
        transform_rotation_z = quat[2] 
        transform_rotation_w = quat[3] 
        
        # Euler angle format in radians
        roll_x, pitch_y, yaw_z = euler_from_quaternion(transform_rotation_x, 
                                                       transform_rotation_y, 
                                                       transform_rotation_z, 
                                                       transform_rotation_w)
        
        roll_x = math.degrees(roll_x)
        pitch_y = math.degrees(pitch_y)
        yaw_z = math.degrees(yaw_z)
        print("transform_translation_x: {}".format(transform_translation_x))
        print("transform_translation_y: {}".format(transform_translation_y))
        print("transform_translation_z: {}".format(transform_translation_z))
        print("roll_x: {}".format(roll_x))
        print("pitch_y: {}".format(pitch_y))
        print("yaw_z: {}".format(yaw_z))
        print()
        
        # Draw the axes on the marker
        cv2.aruco.drawAxis(frame, mtx, dst, rvecs[i], tvecs[i], 0.05)
    
    # Display the resulting frame
    cv2.imshow('frame',frame)
         
    # If "q" is pressed on the keyboard, 
    # exit this loop
    if cv2.waitKey(1) & 0xFF == ord('q'):
      break
 
  # Close down the video stream
  cap.release()
  cv2.destroyAllWindows()
  
if __name__ == '__main__':
  print(__doc__)
  main()

Save the file, and close it.

Make sure the calibration_chessboard.yaml file we created earlier is in the same directory as aruco_marker_pose_estimator.py.

You need to have opencv-contrib-python installed and not opencv-python. Open a terminal window, and type:

pip uninstall opencv-python
pip install opencv-contrib-python

Also install scipy.

pip install scipy

To run the program in Linux for example, type the following command (make sure there is a lot of light in your room):

python3 aruco_marker_pose_estimation.py
5-pose-estimator-1

You might notice that the blue z-axis jitters a bit, or the axis disappears from time to time. Here are a few suggestions on how to improve the pose estimation accuracy:

  • Use better lighting conditions.
  • Improve your camera calibration parameters by using a lot more than 10 photos of the chessboard pattern.
  • Print the AruCo marker on a hard surface like cardboard, or place the ArUco marker on a desk. When the surface of the ArUco marker is curved, the pose estimation algorithm can have problems.
  • Use a higher resolution camera.
  • Make sure there is enough ArUco marker on the screen.

If you want to restore OpenCV to the previous version after you’re finished creating the ArUco markers, type:

pip uninstall opencv-contrib-python
pip install opencv-python

To set the changes, I recommend rebooting your computer.

That’s it. Keep building!

How to Create an ArUco Marker Using OpenCV Python

In this tutorial, I will show you how to create an ArUco Marker from scratch using OpenCV (Python). I will follow this tutorial.

If you do a search online for “aruco marker generator”, you can find a lot of free ArUco marker generators online. Here is one. We will create our own ArUco generator though.

Prerequisites

Create the Code

Open your favorite code editor, and write the following code. I will name my program generate_aruco_marker.py. This program generates an ArUco marker and saves it to your computer.

#!/usr/bin/env python
 
'''
Welcome to the ArUco Marker Generator!
 
This program:
  - Generates ArUco markers using OpenCV and Python
'''
 
from __future__ import print_function # Python 2/3 compatibility
import cv2 # Import the OpenCV library
import numpy as np # Import Numpy library
 
# Project: ArUco Marker Generator
# Date created: 12/17/2021
# Python version: 3.8
# Reference: https://www.pyimagesearch.com/2020/12/14/generating-aruco-markers-with-opencv-and-python/

desired_aruco_dictionary = "DICT_ARUCO_ORIGINAL"
aruco_marker_id = 1
output_filename = "DICT_ARUCO_ORIGINAL_id1.png"

# The different ArUco dictionaries built into the OpenCV library. 
ARUCO_DICT = {
  "DICT_4X4_50": cv2.aruco.DICT_4X4_50,
  "DICT_4X4_100": cv2.aruco.DICT_4X4_100,
  "DICT_4X4_250": cv2.aruco.DICT_4X4_250,
  "DICT_4X4_1000": cv2.aruco.DICT_4X4_1000,
  "DICT_5X5_50": cv2.aruco.DICT_5X5_50,
  "DICT_5X5_100": cv2.aruco.DICT_5X5_100,
  "DICT_5X5_250": cv2.aruco.DICT_5X5_250,
  "DICT_5X5_1000": cv2.aruco.DICT_5X5_1000,
  "DICT_6X6_50": cv2.aruco.DICT_6X6_50,
  "DICT_6X6_100": cv2.aruco.DICT_6X6_100,
  "DICT_6X6_250": cv2.aruco.DICT_6X6_250,
  "DICT_6X6_1000": cv2.aruco.DICT_6X6_1000,
  "DICT_7X7_50": cv2.aruco.DICT_7X7_50,
  "DICT_7X7_100": cv2.aruco.DICT_7X7_100,
  "DICT_7X7_250": cv2.aruco.DICT_7X7_250,
  "DICT_7X7_1000": cv2.aruco.DICT_7X7_1000,
  "DICT_ARUCO_ORIGINAL": cv2.aruco.DICT_ARUCO_ORIGINAL
}
 
def main():
  """
  Main method of the program.
  """
  # Check that we have a valid ArUco marker
  if ARUCO_DICT.get(desired_aruco_dictionary, None) is None:
    print("[INFO] ArUCo tag of '{}' is not supported".format(
      args["type"]))
    sys.exit(0)
    
  # Load the ArUco dictionary
  this_aruco_dictionary = cv2.aruco.Dictionary_get(ARUCO_DICT[desired_aruco_dictionary])
  
  # Allocate memory for the ArUco marker
  # We create a 300x300x1 grayscale image, but you can use any dimensions you desire.
  print("[INFO] generating ArUCo tag type '{}' with ID '{}'".format(
	desired_aruco_dictionary, aruco_marker_id))
    
  # Create the ArUco marker
  this_marker = np.zeros((300, 300, 1), dtype="uint8")
  cv2.aruco.drawMarker(this_aruco_dictionary, aruco_marker_id, 300, this_marker, 1)
  
  # Save the ArUco tag to the current directory
  cv2.imwrite(output_filename, this_marker)
  cv2.imshow("ArUco Marker", this_marker)
  cv2.waitKey(0)
  
if __name__ == '__main__':
  print(__doc__)
  main()

Save the file, and close it.

You need to have opencv-contrib-python installed and not opencv-python. Open a terminal window, and type:

pip uninstall opencv-python
pip install opencv-contrib-python

To run the program in Linux for example, type the following command:

python3 generate_aruco_marker.py
aruco_marker

If you want to restore OpenCV to the previous version after you’re finished creating the ArUco markers, type:

pip uninstall opencv-contrib-python
pip install opencv-python

To set the changes, I recommend rebooting your computer.

That’s it! Keep building!