Running Carla Sim 0.10.0 with low VRAM on docker

carla_instructions.md

Running Carla Sim 0.10.0 with low VRAM on docker

Steps

Pull the image:

docker pull carlasim/carla:0.10.0

Download the simulator binary:

mkdir -p $HOME/Downloads/carla
cd $HOME/Downloads/carla
wget https://tiny.carla.org/carla-0-10-0-linux-tar -O Carla-0.10.0-Linux-Shipping.tar.gz
tar -xvzf Carla-0.10.0-Linux-Shipping.tar.gz

↔️ Replace the $HOME/Downloads/carla/Carla-0.10.0-Linux-Shipping/CarlaUnreal/Config/DefaultEngine.ini with the provided file in this gist below.

🔎 Run watch -n 0.1 nvidia-smi on a separate terminal to track VRAM usage.

▶️ Run the following command to start the simulator:

docker run -it --rm \
  --runtime=nvidia \
  --net=host \
  --env=DISPLAY=$DISPLAY \
  --env=NVIDIA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=all \
  --env=NVIDIA_DRIVER_CAPABILITIES=all \
  --volume="/tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix:rw" \
  --volume="$HOME/Downloads/carla/Carla-0.10.0-Linux-Shipping/:/home/carla/host-carla" \
  --workdir="/home/carla/host-carla" \
  carlasim/carla:0.10.0 \
  bash CarlaUnreal.sh -nosound

⚠️ At first, you will see a black window. Watch the nvidia-smi terminal for the GPU VRAM usage. For me, once it reached to about 6GB of usage, it showed the simulation screen correctly.

Docker run command with explanations:

docker run -it --rm \
  --runtime=nvidia \                        # Use NVIDIA runtime for GPU access
  --net=host \                              # Use the host's network stack (helps with networking/performance)
  --env=DISPLAY=$DISPLAY \                  # Pass the host's DISPLAY environment variable (for GUI forwarding)
  --env=NVIDIA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=all \        # Expose all GPUs to the container
  --env=NVIDIA_DRIVER_CAPABILITIES=all \    # Enable all driver capabilities (graphics, compute, etc.)
  --volume="/tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix:rw" \ # Mount X11 UNIX socket to enable GUI apps to display
  --volume="$HOME/Downloads/carla/Carla-0.10.0-Linux-Shipping/:/home/carla/host-carla" \ 
                                              # Mount your local CARLA folder into the container
  --workdir="/home/carla/host-carla" \        # Set the working directory to the mounted CARLA folder
  carlasim/carla:0.10.0 \                    # Use the official CARLA Docker image, version 0.10.0
  bash CarlaUnreal.sh -nosound              # Run the CARLA startup script with -nosound flag

References

• https://hub.docker.com/r/carlasim/carla/tags
• https://carla.readthedocs.io/en/latest/build_docker/
• https://github.com/carla-simulator/carla/releases/tag/0.10.0
• carla-simulator/carla#8566 (comment)

DefaultEngine.ini

[/Script/Engine.Engine]
bSmoothFrameRate=false
SmoothedFrameRateRange=(LowerBound=(Type="ERangeBoundTypes::Inclusive",Value=22),UpperBound=(Type="ERangeBoundTypes::Exclusive",Value=120))

[/Script/HardwareTargeting.HardwareTargetingSettings]
TargetedHardwareClass=Desktop
AppliedTargetedHardwareClass=Desktop
DefaultGraphicsPerformance=Maximum
AppliedDefaultGraphicsPerformance=Maximum

[/Script/EngineSettings.GameMapsSettings]
EditorStartupMap=/Game/Carla/Maps/Town10HD_Opt.Town10HD_Opt
GameDefaultMap=/Game/Carla/Maps/Town10HD_Opt.Town10HD_Opt
ServerDefaultMap=/Game/Carla/Maps/Town10HD_Opt.Town10HD_Opt
GlobalDefaultGameMode=/Game/Carla/Blueprints/Game/CarlaGameMode.CarlaGameMode_C
GameInstanceClass=/Script/Carla.CarlaGameInstance
TransitionMap=/Game/Carla/Maps/Town10HD_Opt.Town10HD_Opt
GlobalDefaultServerGameMode=/Game/Carla/Blueprints/Game/CarlaGameMode.CarlaGameMode_C

[/Script/Engine.RendererSettings]
r.DefaultFeature.MotionBlur=True
r.VelocityOutputPass=True
r.AllowStaticLighting=True
r.DiscardUnusedQuality=True
r.DefaultFeature.Bloom=False
r.DefaultFeature.AmbientOcclusion=False
r.DefaultFeature.AmbientOcclusionStaticFraction=False
r.DefaultFeature.AutoExposure=False
r.CustomDepth=3
r.TextureStreaming=True
r.GenerateMeshDistanceFields=False
r.DistanceFieldBuild.EightBit=False
r.DistanceFieldBuild.Compress=False
r.DefaultFeature.AutoExposure.ExtendDefaultLuminanceRange=True
r.GPUSkin.Support16BitBoneIndex=True
r.GPUSkin.UnlimitedBoneInfluences=True
r.SkinCache.CompileShaders=True
SkeletalMesh.UseExperimentalChunking=1
r.ReflectionMethod=1
r.DynamicGlobalIlluminationMethod=0
r.RayTracing.Shadows=False
r.RayTracing.UseTextureLod=False
r.PathTracing=False
r.RayTracing.Shadows.AvoidSelfIntersectionTraceDistance=6
r.ReflectionCaptureResolution=256
r.SkinCache.SceneMemoryLimitInMB=1024
r.CARLA.EnableSegmentationRendering=1

r.Shadow.Virtual.Enable=1
r.RayTracing=False  # Disable ray tracing completely
r.Lumen.Enabled=0
r.Lumen.Reflections.Quality=0
r.Lumen.HardwareRayTracing=False
r.Lumen.HardwareRayTracing.LightingMode=0
r.Lumen.GlobalIllumination=0  # Disable Lumen GI
r.ReflectionMethod=2  # Disable reflections
r.VirtualTextures=True 
r.DistanceFields.AtlasSizeXY=256  # Reduce memory usage for distance fields
r.DistanceFields.AtlasSizeZ=512
r.Streaming.PoolSize=4000  # Reduce VRAM usage
r.HZBOcclusion=1 
r.ViewDistanceScale=0.5  # Reduce view distance
r.DefaultFeature.AntiAliasing=2
r.Lumen.Reflections.HardwareRayTracing.Translucent.Refraction.EnableForProject=False

[/Script/AIModule.AISense_Sight]
bAutoRegisterAllPawnsAsSources=False
bAutoRegisterNewPawnsAsSources=False

[/Script/NavigationSystem.RecastNavMesh]
RuntimeGeneration=Static

[/Script/AIModule.CrowdManager]
MaxAgents=1000

[/Script/Engine.PhysicsSettings]
DefaultGravityZ=-980.000000
DefaultTerminalVelocity=4000.000000
DefaultFluidFriction=0.300000
SimulateScratchMemorySize=262144
RagdollAggregateThreshold=4
TriangleMeshTriangleMinAreaThreshold=5.000000
bEnableShapeSharing=False
bEnablePCM=False
bEnableStabilization=False
bWarnMissingLocks=True
bEnable2DPhysics=False
PhysicErrorCorrection=(PingExtrapolation=0.100000,PingLimit=100.000000,ErrorPerLinearDifference=1.000000,ErrorPerAngularDifference=1.000000,MaxRestoredStateError=1.000000,MaxLinearHardSnapDistance=400.000000,PositionLerp=0.000000,AngleLerp=0.400000,LinearVelocityCoefficient=100.000000,AngularVelocityCoefficient=10.000000,ErrorAccumulationSeconds=0.500000,ErrorAccumulationDistanceSq=15.000000,ErrorAccumulationSimilarity=100.000000)
LockedAxis=Invalid
DefaultDegreesOfFreedom=Full3D
BounceThresholdVelocity=200.000000
FrictionCombineMode=Average
RestitutionCombineMode=Average
MaxAngularVelocity=3600.000000
MaxDepenetrationVelocity=0.000000
ContactOffsetMultiplier=0.010000
MinContactOffset=0.000100
MaxContactOffset=1.000000
bSimulateSkeletalMeshOnDedicatedServer=True
DefaultShapeComplexity=CTF_UseSimpleAndComplex
bDefaultHasComplexCollision=True
bSuppressFaceRemapTable=False
bSupportUVFromHitResults=False
bDisableActiveActors=False
bDisableKinematicStaticPairs=False
bDisableKinematicKinematicPairs=False
bDisableCCD=False
bEnableEnhancedDeterminism=True
MaxPhysicsDeltaTime=0.333330
bSubstepping=True
bSubsteppingAsync=False
MaxSubstepDeltaTime=0.010000
MaxSubsteps=10
SyncSceneSmoothingFactor=0.000000
InitialAverageFrameRate=0.016667
# PhysXTreeRebuildRate=10
DefaultBroadphaseSettings=(bUseMBPOnClient=False,bUseMBPOnServer=False,MBPBounds=(Min=(X=0.000000,Y=0.000000,Z=0.000000),Max=(X=0.000000,Y=0.000000,Z=0.000000),IsValid=0),MBPNumSubdivs=2)

[/Script/LinuxTargetPlatform.LinuxTargetSettings]
SpatializationPlugin=
SourceDataOverridePlugin=
ReverbPlugin=
OcclusionPlugin=
SoundCueCookQualityIndex=-1
-TargetedRHIs=SF_VULKAN_SM5
+TargetedRHIs=SF_VULKAN_SM6

[/Script/WindowsTargetPlatform.WindowsTargetSettings]
DefaultGraphicsRHI=DefaultGraphicsRHI_DX12
-D3D12TargetedShaderFormats=PCD3D_SM5
+D3D12TargetedShaderFormats=PCD3D_SM6
-VulkanTargetedShaderFormats=SF_VULKAN_SM6
Compiler=Default
AudioSampleRate=48000
AudioCallbackBufferFrameSize=1024
AudioNumBuffersToEnqueue=1
AudioMaxChannels=0
AudioNumSourceWorkers=4
SpatializationPlugin=
SourceDataOverridePlugin=
ReverbPlugin=
OcclusionPlugin=
CompressionOverrides=(bOverrideCompressionTimes=False,DurationThreshold=5.000000,MaxNumRandomBranches=0,SoundCueQualityIndex=0)
CacheSizeKB=0
MaxChunkSizeOverrideKB=0
bResampleForDevice=False
MaxSampleRate=0.000000
HighSampleRate=0.000000
MedSampleRate=0.000000
LowSampleRate=0.000000
MinSampleRate=0.000000
CompressionQualityModifier=0.000000
AutoStreamingThreshold=0.000000
SoundCueCookQualityIndex=-1

[/Script/Engine.CollisionProfile]
+Profiles=(Name="CustomSensorCollision",CollisionEnabled=QueryOnly,bCanModify=True,ObjectTypeName="SensorObject",CustomResponses=((Channel="WorldStatic",Response=ECR_Ignore),(Channel="WorldDynamic",Response=ECR_Ignore),(Channel="Pawn",Response=ECR_Ignore),(Channel="Visibility",Response=ECR_Ignore),(Channel="Camera",Response=ECR_Ignore),(Channel="PhysicsBody",Response=ECR_Ignore),(Channel="Vehicle",Response=ECR_Ignore),(Channel="Destructible",Response=ECR_Ignore),(Channel="SensorObject"),(Channel="SensorTrace")),HelpMessage="Used for custom collision meshes for objects that has very complex meshes but we want them to appear in raycast based sensors")
+DefaultChannelResponses=(Channel=ECC_GameTraceChannel1,DefaultResponse=ECR_Ignore,bTraceType=False,bStaticObject=False,Name="SensorObject")
+DefaultChannelResponses=(Channel=ECC_GameTraceChannel2,DefaultResponse=ECR_Ignore,bTraceType=True,bStaticObject=False,Name="SensorTrace")
+DefaultChannelResponses=(Channel=ECC_GameTraceChannel3,DefaultResponse=ECR_Overlap,bTraceType=True,bStaticObject=False,Name="OverlapChannel")
+EditProfiles=(Name="BlockAll",CustomResponses=((Channel="SensorObject"),(Channel="SensorTrace")))
+EditProfiles=(Name="OverlapAll",CustomResponses=((Channel="SensorObject",Response=ECR_Overlap),(Channel="SensorTrace",Response=ECR_Overlap)))

[/Script/AndroidFileServerEditor.AndroidFileServerRuntimeSettings]
bEnablePlugin=True
bAllowNetworkConnection=True
SecurityToken=9054E0B944FB8898FCDC94BAD5B596A0
bIncludeInShipping=False
bAllowExternalStartInShipping=False
bCompileAFSProject=False
bUseCompression=False
bLogFiles=False
bReportStats=False
ConnectionType=USBOnly
bUseManualIPAddress=False
ManualIPAddress=