Modified sample_pointcloudprocessing: fused point cloud OK, but range image always black / depth = 0

Autonomous Vehicles DRIVE AGX Orin DRIVE AGX Orin General
1

Hi,

I’m using DRIVE OS 6.0.10 / DriveWorks 5.20.24 on DRIVE Orin P3710.

I modified sample_pointcloudprocessing to work with my setup:

  • 4x Hesai AT128 via custom lidar.custom plugin
  • custom rig
  • point cloud stitching/fusion similar to the original sample

The important part:

  • The original, unmodified sample works on my system.
  • My modified version renders the fused point cloud correctly.
  • Only the range image stays completely black.

What works:

  • all LiDARs decode correctly
  • fused/stiched point cloud looks plausible
  • rendering pipeline is fine (I verified this with a simple gradient test)

What does not work:

  • dwPCRangeImageCreator_process() returns no error
  • but m_stitchedDepthMap3D, m_stitchedDepthImage, and the host copy contain only zeros
  • all output values are finite, but depth/range is always 0

Debug output example:

  • stitched input cloud: valid ranges, plausible XYZ values
  • depth map output: all (0,0,0), range = 0
  • range image: all pixels = 0

What I already tried:

  • recorded LiDAR data instead of live data
  • no CAN / no DBC
  • very permissive clipping settings (huge OBB, elevation ±90°)

Result is always the same.

So it seems the issue happens inside the range image creation step, before visualization.

My main questions:

  1. What conditions can cause dwPointCloudRangeImageCreator to output only zeros although the input cloud is valid?
  2. Are there specific assumptions about the input point cloud format/order/layout that may be violated after modifying the sample?
  3. Does the range image creator expect a specific sensor model or organized cloud structure that may not hold for Hesai/custom fused clouds?

If helpful, I can also share:

  • a minimal rig
  • recorded LiDAR data
  • the relevant modified code section

Any hints on what exactly to verify next would be very appreciated.
Thanks!

5

Dear @Jis ,
Let me check with engineering team on your queries and get back to you if need any additional details.

6
  1. This behaviour is observed when using spinning lidars too. We get range image pixels as 0.
7

Dear @Jis ,
I notice range image creation is not working with point cloud sample in DW 5.20. It is a known issue and fix not available in DW 5.20

Range-image
Range-image1885×1110 195 KB

9

@SivaRamaKrishnaNV

Thanks for the clarification.

The strange thing is that I am sure I had the range image working before — I definitely remember seeing it on my setup.

I have now checked all of my old Docker containers, but I cannot reproduce that state anymore. So I assume it was not the final prebuilt sample from /usr/local/driveworks/bin , but one of the binaries I had previously built from the NVIDIA source code.

Those old mounted build folders under /home/nvidia/build-x86_64-linux-gnu are unfortunately already deleted, so I cannot verify the exact build anymore.

This makes me think that the issue is not fully deterministic / not 100% reproducible, or at least depends on a specific build state.

Do you know whether this DW 5.20 issue should always occur, or only in certain configurations?

Thanks!

10

I notice it with default point cloud sample shipped in DW 5.20.