Setting up naoqi SDKs on MacOS

Note: This guide is intended for ARM based macs but should apply to Intel x86 macs as well

Table of Contents

-C++ SDK Guide
-Python SDK Guide (recommended if you have never programmed with the Nao before)
-Connecting via Robot Settings
-API Reference

C++ SDK Setup on MacOS

Environment Setup

1. Install CMake, I recommend installing using brew install cmake (requires homebrew https://brew.sh) to avoid path issues but you can manually install CMake from here as well:
   http://www.cmake.org/cmake/resources/software.html
2. Install python 2.7.18 here, we will need to create a virtual environment to ensure qibuild functions properly
3. Create an empty folder ex: /path/to/myWorktree and cd into your worktree directory
4. Now create a virtual environment using python 2.7.18:

virtualenv -p /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/python2.7 venv_py2.7

*Note that you should also be able to use /usr/local/bin/python as your python2.7.18 path

5. Activate your virtual environment using:

source venv_py2.7/bin/activate

type python --version you should see 2.7.18

6. Install qibuild using pip install qibuild
7. Run qibuild config --wizard if this errors restart your terminal
   1. Cmake should be found automatically, if not specify the path
   2. For Cmake generator specify Unix Makefiles
   3. Dont specify an IDE, completely unecessary
8. Run qibuild init the folder should remain empty

C++ SDK and Toolchain Linking

the following requires you to have created a worktree folder as per previous section

1. Download the C++ SDK from https://developer.softbankrobotics.com/nao6/downloads/nao6-downloads-mac
2. extract the folder and rename to naoqi-sdk
   1. Create a new directory NAO6-I and copy naoqi-sdk into it
   2. You should have /path/to/NAO6-I/naoqi-sdk this is the path you will use to link the SDK
3. execute the following command to create a toolchain from the C++ SDK:

qitoolchain create mytoolchain /path/to/naoqi-sdk/toolchain.xml

4. cd into your worktree /path/to/myWorktree (if not already there)
5. Add your toolchain to your config using:

qibuild add-config myconfig -t mytoolchain --default

6. Lastly run qibuild configure

Confirm Setup

Follow this tutorial to make sure everything was configured correctly:
c-sdk-hello-world-step-step

Executable Permissions

Once you have compiled your first program you may run into a permission error on macos when trying to run it,
in order to fix this you must disable Gatekeeper. Please make sure you know what you are doing prior to executing this command.
sudo spctl --master-disable
Of course when you are finished working with the NAO it is recommended to re-enable Gatekeeper:
sudo spctl --master-enable

NAOqi Python 2.7 SDK Setup

1. Download python 2.7 here: https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-2718/
   1. Make sure to use Python from /usr/local/bin/python, not /usr/bin/python
2. Download the python SDK here: https://www.aldebaran.com/en/support/nao-6/downloads-softwares
3. Add the following to your zshrc or bash_profile (if you dont know which you are using use zshrc) replace the paths with your actual path to the sdk:

   export PYTHONPATH=${PYTHONPATH}:/path/to/python-sdk/lib/python2.7/site-packages
   export QI_SDK_PREFIX=/path/to/python-sdk
   

4. (Optional but I cannot recommend it enough) Create a virtual environment

   virtualenv -p /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/python2.7 venv_py2.7
   

   *Note that you should also be able to use /usr/local/bin/python as your python2.7.18 path
   
   And activate your virtual environment using:

   source venv_py2.7/bin/activate
   

5. To confirm setup:
   1. python && import naoqi
   2. If there are no errors you're done!

Robot Settings Installation

In order to connect to the NAO6 robot we need to install robot settings
Download the application here and follow the GUI steps to install:
https://community-static.aldebaran.com/resources/2.8.5/robot-settings-2.8.5.10-mac64-setup.dmg
The official download link does not work, this is the ONLY version that works on ARM-macs

API Reference Page

Refer to the api page to get started (note: most examples are written in python)
When searching for documentation ensure that your are looking at naoqi version 2.8
http://doc.aldebaran.com/2-8/dev/libqi/api/cpp/index.html