Isaac Lab Installation Guide

Isaac Sim/Lab Installation with Docker Compose

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

services:
  isaaclab:
    image: nvcr.io/nvidia/isaac-sim:5.1.0
    container_name: isaaclab
    shm_size: "2g"
    user: root
    environment:
      - ACCEPT_EULA=Y
      - PRIVACY_CONSENT=Y
      - NVIDIA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=all
      - NVIDIA_DRIVER_CAPABILITIES=all
      - DISPLAY=${DISPLAY}
      - QT_X11_NO_MITSHM=1
    volumes:
      - /home/<your-username>/docker/isaac-lab/IsaacLab:/workspace/isaac-lab
      - /home/<your-username>/docker/isaac-sim/cache:/isaac-sim/cache
      - /home/<your-username>/docker/isaac-sim/data:/isaac-sim/data
      - /home/<your-username>/docker/isaac-sim/logs:/isaac-sim/logs
      - /tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix:rw
    working_dir: /workspace/isaac-lab
    deploy:
      resources:
        reservations:
          devices:
            - capabilities: [gpu]

After entering the container, add the following to .bashrc (optional):

docker exec -it isaaclab bash
apt update
apt install nano
nano ~/.bashrc

alias python=/isaac-sim/python.sh
alias pip="/isaac-sim/python.sh -m pip"

Isaac Lab is a Python framework for training and research built on top of Isaac Sim. It depends on Isaac Sim at runtime (typically provided via the Isaac Sim Docker image). In practice, Isaac Lab mainly handles training logic, while Isaac Sim provides simulation and visualization capabilities.