ROS Topics not being published with Gazebo

edit

@tryan's two points are right: for a single camera you should use the camera_controller plugin, and you should put the plugin block inside the sensor block. Below is a complete world file with those two change that works correctly. Save it as foo.world and then run it as roslaunch gazebo_ros empty_world.launch world_name:=pwd/foo.world. After simulation is up, rostopic list includes the desired camera topics:

/test/camera/camera_info
/test/camera/image_raw
/test/camera/parameter_descriptions
/test/camera/parameter_updates

foo.world:

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<sdf version="1.5">
  <world name="default">
    <!-- A global light source -->
    <include>
      <uri>model://sun</uri>
    </include>
    <!-- A ground plane -->
    <include>
      <uri>model://ground_plane</uri>
    </include>
    <model name='camera'>
      <link name='link'>
        <inertial>
          <mass>0.1</mass>
          <inertia>
            <ixx>0.000166667</ixx>
            <iyy>0.000166667</iyy>
            <izz>0.000166667</izz>
            <ixy>0</ixy>
            <ixz>0</ixz>
            <iyz>0</iyz>
          </inertia>
          <pose frame=''>0 0 0 0 -0 0</pose>
        </inertial>
        <sensor name='camera' type='camera'>
          <camera name='__default__'>
            <horizontal_fov>1.047</horizontal_fov>
            <image>
              <width>320</width>
              <height>240</height>
            </image>
            <clip>
              <near>0.1</near>
              <far>100</far>
            </clip>
          </camera>
          <always_on>1</always_on>
          <update_rate>30</update_rate>
          <visualize>1</visualize>
        <plugin name='camera_controller' filename='libgazebo_ros_camera.so'>
          <alwaysOn>1</alwaysOn>
          <updateRate>0.0</updateRate>
          <cameraName>test/camera</cameraName>
          <imageTopicName>image_raw</imageTopicName>
          <cameraInfoTopicName>camera_info</cameraInfoTopicName>
          <frameName>left_camera_optical_frame</frameName>
          <hackBaseline>0.07</hackBaseline>
          <distortionK1>0.0</distortionK1>
          <distortionK2>0.0</distortionK2>
          <distortionK3>0.0</distortionK3>
          <distortionT1>0.0</distortionT1>
          <distortionT2>0.0</distortionT2>
        </plugin>
        </sensor>
        <self_collide>0</self_collide>
        <enable_wind>0</enable_wind>
        <kinematic>0</kinematic>
        <pose frame=''>0 0 0 0 -0 0</pose>
        <visual name='visual'>
          <geometry>
            <box>
              <size>0.1 0.1 0.1</size>
            </box>
          </geometry>
          <material>
            <shader type='pixel'/>
          </material>
          <pose frame=''>0 0 0 0 -0 0</pose>
          <transparency>0</transparency>
          <cast_shadows>1</cast_shadows>
        </visual>
        <collision name='collision'>
          <laser_retro>0</laser_retro>
          <max_contacts>10</max_contacts>
          <pose frame=''>0 0 0 0 -0 0</pose>
          <geometry>
            <box>
              <size>0.1 0.1 0.1</size>
            </box>
          </geometry>
          <surface>
            <friction>
              <ode>
                <mu>1</mu>
                <mu2>1</mu2>
                <fdir1>0 0 0</fdir1>
                <slip1>0</slip1>
                <slip2>0</slip2>
              </ode>
              <torsional>
                <coefficient>1</coefficient>
                <patch_radius>0</patch_radius>
                <surface_radius>0</surface_radius>
                <use_patch_radius>1</use_patch_radius>
                <ode>
                  <slip>0</slip>
                </ode>
              </torsional>
            </friction>
            <bounce>
              <restitution_coefficient>0</restitution_coefficient>
              <threshold>1e+06</threshold>
            </bounce>
            <contact>
              <collide_without_contact>0</collide_without_contact>
              <collide_without_contact_bitmask>1</collide_without_contact_bitmask>
              <collide_bitmask>1</collide_bitmask>
              <ode>
                <soft_cfm>0</soft_cfm>
                <soft_erp>0.2</soft_erp>
                <kp>1e+13</kp>
                <kd>1</kd>
                <max_vel>0.01</max_vel>
                <min_depth>0</min_depth>
              </ode>
              <bullet>
                <split_impulse>1</split_impulse>
                <split_impulse_penetration_threshold>-0.01</split_impulse_penetration_threshold>
                <soft_cfm>0</soft_cfm>
                <soft_erp>0.2</soft_erp>
                <kp>1e+13</kp>
                <kd>1</kd>
              </bullet>
            </contact>
          </surface>
        </collision>
      </link>
      <static>0</static>
      <allow_auto_disable>1</allow_auto_disable>
      <pose frame=''>-22.3817 16.9364 0.05 0 -0 0</pose>
    </model>
  </world>
</sdf>