Convert between OpenDRIVE and Lanelet2

drawtonomy imports both OpenDRIVE (.xodr) and Lanelet2 (.osm) into the same internal lane model, and can export either format. That makes the editor a practical bridge between the two: import one, edit it visually, and export the other — no install, no account, all in the browser.

Because both formats describe lane-level networks, the conversion is faithful for the parts that matter most in simulation and HD-map work: lane geometry, lane connectivity, junctions, and regulatory elements — traffic lights, traffic signs, stop lines, and right-of-way — all carry across in both directions.

What a 2D bridge does and doesn’t carry

drawtonomy works in 2D polylines. The 2D road network — lanes, junctions, and regulatory elements — converts cleanly. What it does not carry is anything outside that 2D model: 3D detail (elevation, banking, bridges, grade separation) and the exact analytical curvature of roads you draw from scratch (these are re-fitted, which is fine for esmini / CARLA / Autoware but not for road-design CAD). For survey-grade 3D pipelines, use a dedicated HD-mapping tool.

Why a shared model makes this possible

Both formats describe lane-level road networks, but they store geometry differently — OpenDRIVE uses analytical primitives (arcs, spirals, polynomials), Lanelet2 uses polylines (linestrings). drawtonomy samples OpenDRIVE geometry into polylines on import, which is the representation Lanelet2 already uses natively. See What is OpenDRIVE? for a side-by-side of the two formats.

OpenDRIVE → Lanelet2

1. Import the .xodr and select the roads you need.
2. Edit lanes, connections, and boundaries as needed.
3. Open the File menu → Export → .osm (Lanelet2).

Lane boundaries become way linestrings and each lane becomes a relation type=lanelet, so the result loads into Autoware-aware tools or back into drawtonomy.

Lanelet2 → OpenDRIVE

1. Import the .osm.
2. Edit as needed.
3. Open the File menu → Export → OpenDRIVE / OpenSCENARIO / esmini.

The result targets OpenDRIVE 1.8 and plays back in esmini.

What does and doesn’t carry across

Feature	Carries across a conversion?
Lane geometry	✓ (sampled to polylines)
Lane Next / Previous connectivity	✓
Junctions / intersection areas	✓ — connectivity and intersection geometry
Traffic lights	✓ — mapped between Lanelet2 regulatory elements and OpenDRIVE <signal> + lane validity
Traffic signs (incl. speed limits)	✓ — same regulatory mapping in both directions
Stop lines and right-of-way	✓
Analytical curvature of roads you draw	Re-fitted — sampled, not exact clothoid coefficients (fine for simulators)
3D detail (elevation, banking, bridges)	✗ — drawtonomy is a 2D canvas

Round-trip vs cross-conversion

Re-exporting the same format you imported is the most faithful path: drawtonomy carries the original file through as a sidecar, so even details it doesn’t model in the UI are re-emitted verbatim (see OpenDRIVE round-trip and the Lanelet2 regulatory sidecar). Converting between formats can’t use that verbatim shortcut, but everything in the shared 2D model — geometry, connectivity, and regulatory elements — is rebuilt natively in the target format.

See also

• Import an OpenDRIVE (.xodr) file
• Import a Lanelet2 (.osm) file
• Supported export formats
• What is OpenDRIVE? · What is Lanelet2?