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An open-source, high-performance, photorealistic camera emulator for space applications. Cielim is developed by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder for research in astrodynamics and spacecraft mission development and analysis.
Cielim is a camera emulation tool that models both the space environment and camera systems to generate photometrically calibrated images. The name combines "Ciel" (French for sky) with "im" (image).
Cielim implements a TCP/IP interface using ZMQ in order to receive image requests. The image requests contain protobuffers which update the scene before rendering an image for the desired camera. This image is sent back on the socket to the client. Cielim contains a python implementation of the interface in Source/cielim-python/cielim
Setup dependencies, build from source, and run your first simulation
Compare images to real data, run testing suites
Coding standards, development workflow, and community guidelines
- Real-time and faster-than-real-time simulation capability
- Reconfigurable interface over a high-performance C/C++ core (Unreal Engine)
- Integrated unit testing and validation support
- Hardware-in-the-loop compatibility for system integration testing
- Cross-platform support (Linux, Windows, macOS)
Image generation for developing computer vision algorithms including:
- Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN)
- Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM)
- Autonomous and ground-based optical navigation systems
- Scientific observation prediction for mission planning
- Closed-loop validation and verification of Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) algorithms
- Fast image generation (<0.1s per image) enabling Monte Carlo analysis
- Open-loop image generation for machine learning dataset creation
Cielim serves a diverse user community including:
- Startup space companies
- Academic research laboratories
- Space mission analysts and contractors
- Government space agencies
Leveraging GPU acceleration and Unreal Engine 5 capabilities, Cielim is designed as a Monte Carlo-capable tool for rapid image generation.
As a standalone application, Cielim provides a comprehensive Python interface for programmatic control and automation.
Cielim uses a ZMQ interface with Protocol Buffers as the marshalling format. Except for large assets (e.g., shape models), all parameters are transmitted through the ZMQ interface, making it application-agnostic and suitable for distributed systems.
Full support for Linux, Windows, and macOS operating systems.
Comprehensive unit and scenario testing ensure reliability and accuracy.