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[isaacsim.replicator.episode_recorder.ui] Isaac Sim Episode Recorder UI#

Version: 0.1.2

Overview#

The isaacsim.replicator.episode_recorder.ui extension adds a dockable Episode Recorder window under the Tools > Replicator menu. It drives the manifest-first HDF5 recorder / replayer provided by isaacsim.replicator.episode_recorder with no teleop coupling, so it works for any stage whose prims expose an articulation, rigid body, or xform.

Functionality#

  • USD Root + Discover — walks the stage under a root prim path and lists discovered articulations, rigid bodies, and loose xforms with individual opt-in checkboxes.

  • Session options — output directory, file prefix, and a one-shot Export Scene button that writes stage_snapshot.usd (+ sidecar JSON) beside future recordings so sessions auto-link a flattened reference stage.

  • Session control — Open Session / Close Session toggle, plus a Start / End button that wires into TimelineDrivenEpisodeController so episodes follow Kit’s timeline play / stop state. An Auto-start recording on timeline Play checkbox toggles whether timeline PLAY automatically starts a new episode; when unchecked, recording must be started explicitly via the Start button (which also works at any point while the timeline is already playing). Timeline STOP always drains an active episode so the HDF5 file stays consistent regardless of the checkbox state.

  • Replay — file picker + episode combo, Latest shortcut, and playback controls (Start Replay, Pause Replay, Step Forward, Step Backward, and Stop Replay). The replay drives EpisodeReplayer.start_replay, which applies one recorded frame on every app update. If Seek timeline is checked, replay also seeks (never plays) the Kit timeline to the recorded sim_time so stage-authored USD animations play back in sync without stepping physics. The progress label and terminal log are throttled so long episodes do not flood the UI thread. Pressing Stop Replay (or hitting the last frame in non-loop mode) pops the anonymous USD sublayer the replayer wrote into, visibly reverting the stage to its pre-replay state.

Extending the UI from another extension#

The panel uses the built-in recordables (ArticulationRecordable, RigidBodyRecordable, XformRecordable) and then invokes apply_session_injectors to let other extensions contribute channels. Register a callback with register_session_injector and it will fire for every session opened from the window:

from isaacsim.replicator.episode_recorder import (
    register_session_injector,
    SessionInjector,
)

def add_my_channels(recorder) -> None:
    recorder.add(MyRecordable(group="my/channel"))

handle = register_session_injector(add_my_channels)
# ... later ...
handle()  # unregister

isaacsim.replicator.teleop uses this mechanism to attach its controller / head-pose channels to sessions opened from the Episode Recorder window whenever a live TeleopManager is active.

Command-bus integration#

Start / end / toggle events are dispatched through the shared EPISODE_CMD_EVENT carb event, so external callers (e.g. a VR button, a remote script, a keyboard shortcut) can drive the same session without the UI in focus.

Enable Extension#

The extension can be enabled (if not already) in one of the following ways:

Define the next entry as an application argument from a terminal.

APP_SCRIPT.(sh|bat) --enable isaacsim.replicator.episode_recorder.ui

Define the next entry under [dependencies] in an experience (.kit) file or an extension configuration (extension.toml) file.

[dependencies]
"isaacsim.replicator.episode_recorder.ui" = {}

Open the Window > Extensions menu in a running application instance and search for isaacsim.replicator.episode_recorder.ui. Then, toggle the enable control button if it is not already active.