Path planning

Related API functions

V-REP's path planning module allows handling path planning tasks in 3D-space, and in 2D-space for vehicles with non-holonomic motion constraints. Following figures illustrate some path planning examples in V-REP:

[(1) holonomic path planning, (2) non-holonomic path planning]


A path planning task usually takes several input values or parameters:

  • a start position (or start configuration): this is the initial configuration of a device (e.g. robot).
  • a goal position (or goal configuration): this is the desired configuration for the device or robot.
  • obstacles: those are the objects that the device (or robot) shouldn't be colliding with, while following a path from the start to the goal configuration.
  • A path linking the start configuration to the goal configuration can be specified (or restricted to be) in a configuration space with a specific number of dimensions (e.g. the X, Y configuration space). Moreover additional constraints are usually needed that make the task more complicated (e.g. keeping a certain distance threshold to the obstacles, or moving only in one direction).


    Recommended topics

  • Using the path planning module
  • Path planning dialog