Implementation:CARLA simulator Carla Python Control Bindings

Knowledge Sources	CARLA
Domains	Python Bindings, Vehicle Control, Physics
Last Updated	2026-02-15 05:00 GMT

Overview

Control.cpp provides the Boost.Python bindings that expose CARLA's vehicle and walker control types, physics control parameters, and related RPC structures to the Python API.

Description

This binding file exposes a comprehensive set of vehicle physics and control types to Python. The implementation includes:

Helper Functions for List Conversion

GetVectorOfVector2DFromList -- Converts Python lists to std::vector<carla::geom::Vector2D>, supporting both direct Vector2D extraction and tuple-based construction.
GetVectorOfBoneTransformFromList -- Converts Python lists to std::vector<carla::rpc::BoneTransformDataIn> for walker bone control.

VehiclePhysicsControl Property Accessors

Static getter/setter pairs for complex properties that require Python list conversion:

GetWheels / SetWheels -- Converts between C++ vector of WheelPhysicsControl and Python lists.
GetForwardGearRatios / SetForwardGearRatios -- Forward gear ratio list conversion.
GetReverseGearRatios / SetReverseGearRatios -- Reverse gear ratio list conversion.
GetTorqueCurve / SetTorqueCurve -- Torque curve (Vector2D points) conversion.
GetSteeringCurve / SetSteeringCurve -- Steering curve (Vector2D points) conversion.

VehiclePhysicsControl Init

The VehiclePhysicsControl_init function implements a custom Python __init__ with keyword arguments supporting over 29 parameters including: torque_curve, max_torque, max_rpm, idle_rpm, brake_effect, rev_up_moi, rev_down_rate, differential_type, front_rear_split, use_automatic_gears, gear_change_time, final_ratio, forward_gear_ratios, reverse_gear_ratios, mass, drag_coefficient, center_of_mass, steering_curve, wheels, use_sweep_wheel_collision, and more.

Usage

This file is compiled as part of the CARLA Python module. Once built, Python users can create and manipulate VehicleControl, VehicleAckermannControl, WalkerControl, VehiclePhysicsControl, and WheelPhysicsControl objects directly from Python.

Code Reference

Source Location

Repository: CARLA
File: PythonAPI/carla/src/Control.cpp (491 lines)

Signature

// Key helper functions
static auto GetVectorOfVector2DFromList(const boost::python::list &list);
static auto GetVectorOfBoneTransformFromList(const boost::python::list &list);

// VehiclePhysicsControl property accessors
static auto GetWheels(const carla::rpc::VehiclePhysicsControl &self);
static void SetWheels(carla::rpc::VehiclePhysicsControl &self, const boost::python::list &list);
static auto GetTorqueCurve(const carla::rpc::VehiclePhysicsControl &self);
static void SetTorqueCurve(carla::rpc::VehiclePhysicsControl &self, const boost::python::list &list);
static auto GetSteeringCurve(const carla::rpc::VehiclePhysicsControl &self);
static void SetSteeringCurve(carla::rpc::VehiclePhysicsControl &self, const boost::python::list &list);
static auto GetForwardGearRatios(const carla::rpc::VehiclePhysicsControl &self);
static void SetForwardGearRatios(carla::rpc::VehiclePhysicsControl &self, const boost::python::list &list);
static auto GetReverseGearRatios(const carla::rpc::VehiclePhysicsControl &self);
static void SetReverseGearRatios(carla::rpc::VehiclePhysicsControl &self, const boost::python::list &list);

// Custom __init__ for VehiclePhysicsControl
boost::python::object VehiclePhysicsControl_init(boost::python::tuple args, boost::python::dict kwargs);

Import

#include <PythonAPI.h>

I/O Contract

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Description
list	boost::python::list	Yes	Python list of values to convert to C++ vectors
self	carla::rpc::VehiclePhysicsControl&	Yes	The physics control object being modified
args	boost::python::tuple	Yes	Positional arguments for VehiclePhysicsControl init
kwargs	boost::python::dict	No	Keyword arguments (torque_curve, max_torque, mass, etc.)

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
Python list	boost::python::list	Converted C++ vectors as Python lists (for getters)
VehiclePhysicsControl	Python object	Initialized physics control object (for __init__)

Usage Examples

import carla

# Create vehicle physics control from Python
physics = carla.VehiclePhysicsControl(
    torque_curve=[carla.Vector2D(0, 400), carla.Vector2D(1300, 600)],
    max_rpm=5000.0,
    mass=1500.0,
    drag_coefficient=0.3,
    use_automatic_gears=True
)

# Apply control to a vehicle
vehicle.apply_physics_control(physics)

# Create vehicle control
control = carla.VehicleControl(throttle=0.5, steer=0.0, brake=0.0)
vehicle.apply_control(control)

Related Pages

Environment:CARLA_simulator_Carla_Simulation_Runtime
CARLA_simulator_Carla_PythonAPI_Header - Master header included by this file
CARLA_simulator_Carla_Vehicle_Class - C++ Vehicle class whose controls are exposed here

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Principle

Implementation

Heuristic

Environment