theta-star-planner

To generate straighter any-angle paths in ROS 2 Nav2, configure the Theta* planner to apply line-of-sight shortcuts on 2D grid-based costmaps, reducing unnecessary turns and improving planning efficiency.

The Theta* planner is an any-angle path planning algorithm in Nav2 used to produce smoother routes on 2D gridmaps where diagonal moves are allowed and turning costs are significant for controller performance.

Tune Nav2 Theta* planner parameters by adjusting how_many_corners, w_euc_cost, w_traversal_cost, terminal_checking_interval, and allow_unknown in your YAML configuration to balance path smoothness and cost.

Yes, the Theta* planner supports unknown spaces in 2D grid-based costmaps by configuring the allow_unknown parameter, enabling path planning in partially mapped environments within ROS 2.

Use Theta* over standard grid-based planners in Nav2 when navigating 2D gridmaps where diagonal moves are allowed and reducing turning costs is necessary to improve controller performance and path smoothness.

Unnecessary turns in Nav2 paths on 2D gridmaps often occur without any-angle planning; applying the Theta* planner with line-of-sight shortcuts generates straighter, more efficient routes.