Simulator Support Matrix¶

RoboCI v0.1 is local-first. The mock simulator is turnkey. Other simulator surfaces are adapters that require local runtime setup.

Surface	v0.1 Status	Default Tests Require It	Local Runtime Required	Notes
Mock	Turnkey supported	No external dependency	No	Deterministic smoke/demo simulator for `roboci demo` and default benchmarks.
Python simulator	Supported extension path	No	Project-specific Python file	Load local Python simulator bindings explicitly.
Native C++/Rust simulator	Supported example path	No	Local compiler/runtime or executable	Example bindings exist, but default tests do not require native toolchains.
CARLA	Adapter surface with Compose smoke path	No	CARLA server/image and CARLA Python API	Use `docker compose --profile carla up --build carla carla-roboci` on a prepared Linux/GPU runner. Set `ROBOCI_CARLA_PYTHON_PACKAGE` to a matching CARLA Python API wheel/package for that runner, or point the adapter at an existing server with `ROBOCI_CARLA_HOST` and `ROBOCI_CARLA_PORT`.
Isaac Sim	Adapter surface	No	Isaac Sim Python environment	Run inside or against a configured Isaac environment.
Gazebo/ROS2	Reference bridge	No	Sourced ROS2 and Gazebo environment	Uses ROS2 topics/services and project-specific launch setup.
Hardware-in-loop	Not supported yet	No	N/A	Planned future surface, not a v0.1 feature.

Stable v0.1 Behavior¶

Default Python tests run without CARLA, Isaac Sim, Gazebo, ROS2, Node, or internet.
External simulator SDK imports must remain lazy.
Mock-backed examples write the same artifacts as external simulator runs.
External simulator failures should fail explicitly with missing-runtime context.

Passing mock benchmarks is not production safety validation.
External simulator manifests under examples/simulators/ are documentation examples and are not run by default tests. CARLA also has an opt-in Compose profile and suite smoke path.
Adapter configuration may need project-specific local paths, topics, maps, stages, controllers, and environment variables.