PhysX Generic Sensor

The PhysX SDK generic sensor is deprecated. Use the Physics Raycast Sensor (isaacsim.sensors.experimental.physics.RaycastSensor) as the replacement. The raycast sensor accepts explicit per-ray origin offsets and direction vectors, making it a direct replacement for custom scanning patterns.

Concept mapping

PhysX SDK Generic Sensor	Physics Raycast Sensor
sensor_pattern (Nx2 azimuth/zenith array)	rayDirections (Nx3 Cartesian direction vectors). Convert azimuth/zenith to Cartesian: dx = cos(zenith) * cos(azimuth), dy = cos(zenith) * sin(azimuth), dz = sin(zenith).
origin_offsets (Nx3 array)	rayOrigins (Nx3 array). Same semantics.
batch_size / sampling_rate / streaming mode	rayTimeOffsets (per-ray time offsets in seconds). The sensor fires only rays whose time offsets fall within the current physics step, producing a sweeping pattern without manual batching.
_range_sensor Python interface	RaycastSensor class.
send_next_batch() / set_next_batch_rays()	Not needed. All rays are defined at creation time and the sensor handles timing internally via rayTimeOffsets.

Interactive example

The Physics Raycast Sensor example demonstrates all three sensor configurations (solid state, rotating, and beam curtain) in a single scene:

• GUI: Open Robotics Examples > Sensors > Physics Raycast Sensor and click Load Scene.

• Source code: source/extensions/isaacsim.sensors.physics.examples/isaacsim/sensors/physics/examples/raycast_sensor.py

See Physics raycast sensor for the full documentation, including Python API usage and OmniGraph workflows.