urdfdom ☆

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Description:
Unified Robot Description Format (URDF) parser

Type: Formula | Tracked Since: Dec 28, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Developer tools

Tags: robotics ros urdf parser c-plus-plus

Install: brew install urdfdom

About:
Urdfdom is a C++ library that provides a robust parser for the Unified Robot Description Format (URDF), which is the standard XML representation for robot models in ROS. It allows developers to load and interpret complex robot kinematics, visual, and collision geometries directly into their applications. This library serves as a foundational component for simulation, motion planning, and control systems in robotics.

Key Features:

Parses URDF XML into a C++ object model
Independent of ROS core for broader integration
Handles kinematic chains, joints, and links
Supports visual and collision geometry definitions

Use Cases:

Loading robot models into custom simulation engines
Building kinematic and dynamic analysis tools
Integrating robot descriptions into non-ROS applications

Alternatives:

SDF (Simulation Description Format) – SDF is a newer, more feature-rich format used by Gazebo, offering better support for physics and sensors, but URDF remains the standard for ROS kinematics.
KDL (Kinematics and Dynamics Library) – KDL focuses on kinematic and dynamic computation, while Urdfdom focuses on parsing the model definition; they are often used together.

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit
Sep 11, 2025 3:15am		0	VERSION_BUMP	f876cef1
Sep 13, 2024 8:43pm		0	VERSION_BUMP	cdbc7d68