IMU Display
PROOrientation and angular velocity readout
When to reach for it
IMU Display renders roll and pitch as an artificial horizon from a sensor_msgs/msg/Imu topic, plus an optional raw roll, pitch, yaw readout. Use it on aerial robots and gimbal rigs, anywhere attitude, not just heading, is what matters. For heading alone, use Compass. For a full position and orientation readout, use Pose Display (Pro).
Worked example: a MAVROS flight controller
Point Topic at /mavros/imu/data (sensor_msgs/msg/Imu) on a MAVROS-bridged flight controller. Set Display to Horizon + Values and leave Show Raw Euler Values on so roll, pitch, and yaw print below the dial during a disturbance test. Switch Sky Color and Ground Color to the Aviation options for a cockpit-familiar read.
Watch out for
- At 1x1 size, both width and height under 140px, the widget always shows the horizon regardless of Display: Values Only will not hide it there, there is no room for the numeric layout.
- Quaternion-to-Euler conversion loses information at pitch of plus or minus 90 degrees, gimbal lock. If yaw turns erratic near vertical, trust the quaternion: the displayed Euler is the artifact.
- Max Message Rate (Hz)defaults to 10, whatever the IMU's real publish rate. Fine for the dial, too coarse if you are chasing fast oscillation in the raw numbers: raise it, up to 60.
Configuration fields
The IMU topic (sensor_msgs/msg/Imu) providing orientation and angular velocity.
Messages per second this widget takes from the topic. Lower saves data, higher shows more.
0.1 to 60, step 0.1What to show: an artificial-horizon dial, the numeric values, or both.
Units for the orientation readout.
Color of the sky half of the artificial horizon.
Color of the ground half of the artificial horizon.
Show the raw roll, pitch and yaw numbers alongside the dial.