Standalone example is not visile

[amoghv1]

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Topic Description

Tutorial 9 : Standalone example runs without error but is not visible

Detailed Description

Running the line

“./python.sh standalone_examples/tutorials/manipulation/tutorial_9_pick_place_pink.py” in the folder with isaac sim. Runs the program in terminal but the gui is not visible

Steps to Reproduce

1. Run the line mentioned “./python.sh standalone_examples/tutorials/manipulation/tutorial_9_pick_place_pink.py”

(Add more steps as needed)

Error Messages

(If applicable, copy and paste any error messages you received)

Screenshots or Videos

Additional Information

What I’ve Tried

(Describe any troubleshooting steps you’ve already taken)

Related Issues

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Additional Context

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[VickNV]

Thanks for the clear report and the screenshots – they make it easy to see what’s happening.

The script is running correctly; the simulation just has no window to display on. Here’s why:

What’s Happening

tutorial_9_pick_place_pink.py launches Isaac Sim with a GUI by default (i.e., headless=False). On Linux, Isaac Sim’s SimulationApp checks whether the DISPLAY environment variable is set. If it is not – which happens when you run from an SSH session, a bare terminal with no display server, or a headless server – the app automatically falls back to --no-window mode and logs a warning:

DISPLAY environment variable is not set, running in headless mode with --no-window flag.
Set DISPLAY environment variable if you want to run in non-headless mode.

That’s why the script runs without error but nothing appears: the window backend was silently disabled.

If you’re running on a workstation with a physical display or virtual desktop, make sure the DISPLAY variable is exported before running. For a standard local display:

export DISPLAY=:0
./python.sh standalone_examples/tutorials/manipulation/tutorial_9_pick_place_pink.py

To confirm whether DISPLAY is set in your environment:

echo $DISPLAY

If that prints nothing (empty), that’s the issue. If it prints something like :0 or :1, a display server is running and you should see the window.

[amoghv1]

@VickNV

./python.sh standalone_examples/tutorials/manipulation/tutorial_9_pick_place_pink.py

I tried the echo $DISPLAY command and it returned :1, but when I run the export DISPLAY=:0 and run the .py file, the simulation window does not open.

So I set it back to 1 and this time the window opens but I cannot visualize the actions(Just like before). The terminal has these errors prior to app startup.

[amoghv1]

When the $DISPLAY variable is set to 0, the window does not open at all and the terminal has the following errors prior to the pick and play phases:

[VickNV]

Good progress getting the window open! The arm not moving is actually a separate issue from DISPLAY – could you share the full Kit log for the run with DISPLAY=:1?

[amoghv1]

The location where the log file says its created is not found on the system, I have sudo seaches, and tried to see if the folders were hidden, but the /log/* folder mentioned in the path is not there at all.

The “./isaacsim.sh” command opens the window and the logs are written onto a completely different location which can be accessed and searched.