[Bug/Artifact] 60° Point-Cloud Traces from RTX LiDAR — Isaac Sim 4.5

Omniverse Isaac Sim
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Isaac Sim Version

5.1.0
5.0.0
[ x] 4.5.0
4.2.0
4.1.0
4.0.0
2023.1.1
2023.1.0-hotfix.1
Other (please specify):

Operating System

Ubuntu 24.04
Ubuntu 22.04
[ x] Ubuntu 20.04
Windows 11
Windows 10
Other (please specify):

GPU Information

  • Model: RTX 4090
  • Driver Version: 570.195.03

Topic Description

Detailed Description

I’m experiencing 60-degree radial traces in my RTX LiDAR point cloud output from Isaac Sim 4.5. The point cloud shows distinct radial patterns at approximately every 60 degrees emanating from the robot, creating visible “sector-like” artifacts in the visualization.

Expected behavior: Smooth, continuous point cloud distribution around the robot without angular sectoring artifacts.

Setup: Using Ouster OS0-128 LiDAR sensor model with 512 horizontal resolution and 128 vertical rings, configured through Isaac Sim’s RTX LiDAR system and ROS1 Bridge.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Set up Isaac Sim 4.5 with RTX LiDAR sensor (Ouster OS0-128 model)

  2. Configure LiDAR with 512 horizontal resolution, 128 vertical rings

  3. Run simulation and visualize point cloud data using ROS1 Bridge (through RViz). LiDAR (which is mounted on a robot) can be stationary or moving - issue appears regardless.

Screenshots or Videos

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Additional Information

What I’ve Tried

  1. Verified the artifact exists in raw Isaac Sim output

  2. Confirmed it’s not motion-related - The traces appear immediately when simulation starts, even with the robot completely stationary

  3. Attempted post-processing smoothing - Added angular noise and smoothing in a custom lidar_callback function, but this didn’t resolve the underlying issue

  4. Confirmed RTX LiDAR usage - The actual sensor is handled by Isaac Sim’s ROS1RtxLidarHelper node, not the visual primitive

  5. Tested different resolution settings - Tried varying the horizontal resolution (H=512, H=1024) but the 60-degree pattern persists

  6. Verified robot-specific configuration - Checked Spot robot LiDAR mounting and configuration, but the issue persists

4

Our latest stable version is 5.1.0. There are a few known RTX Lidar issues with Isaac Sim 4.5.0 which have been fixed in the latest version. Please try with 5.1.0 and see if your issue persists.

1 Like
5

I understand the improvements with the latest versions. However, I am constrained to using 4.5.0 for now since my stack is on ROS 1. Could you specifically look into what improvement might have solved these stray LiDAR rays? This issue exists right from the Isaac Simulation’s environment.

Screenshot from 2025-11-07 10-01-01
Screenshot from 2025-11-07 10-01-011662×829 509 KB

6

Hi @kevinpaulose35 Unfortunately Isaac Sim 4.5 is no longer supported, and ROS1 compatibility is not maintained in newer releases. For the best experience, we recommend upgrading to Isaac Sim 5.1, which offers continued support and improved integration with ROS2. If you need any guidance on migrating your stack, feel free to ask.

7

Hello!

We noticed that this topic hasn’t received any recent responses, so we are closing it for now to help keep the forum organized.

If you’re still experiencing this issue or have additional questions, please feel free to create a new topic with updated details. When doing so, we recommend mentioning or linking to this original topic in your new post—this helps provide context and makes it easier for others to assist you.

Thank you for being part of the NVIDIA Isaac Sim community.

Best regards,
The NVIDIA Isaac Sim Forum Team

1 Like