Sketching scenes before building a CARLA map
CARLA needs a real map — an OpenDRIVE .xodr plus a 3D mesh — to run a scenario. Producing that map is a job for a dedicated tool. But before that, it often helps to have a clear top-down sketch of what you intend to build: the road layout, the participants, and the motion. drawtonomy is good for that sketch.
What this is good for
Section titled “What this is good for”- Agreeing on a scene layout with a team before anyone spends time on the production map.
- A top-down figure of a CARLA scenario for a paper, slide, or design review.
- A quick
.xoscyou can sanity-check in esmini for the simple version of the scene.
What this is not
Section titled “What this is not”- A way to produce a finished CARLA map. drawtonomy has no 3D mesh, no FBX export, and no Unreal Engine pipeline. Per its exporter documentation, the OpenDRIVE export is partial — no junction primitives, no traffic signs as
<signal>— so it is a seed, not a deliverable map. - A replacement for the map tools. For the actual map, the established route is a dedicated editor such as RoadRunner, with the CARLA Map Editor for adding signals.
The workflow
Section titled “The workflow”- Sketch the layout top-down with the Lane Tool and connect lanes with Next Lane links.
- Place participants using Vehicle / Pedestrian templates so the scene reads clearly.
- Show intended motion with Path arrows.
- Save as
.drawtonomy.svg— the editable source you revise as the plan changes. - Export OpenDRIVE / OpenSCENARIO as a starting point, and check the simple version in esmini.
- Build the production map downstream, keeping the drawtonomy file as the explanatory figure.