SMAC Lattice Planner

Source: ros2-copilot-skills SMAC lattice skill

Why This Matters

Some robots need the global planner to respect more of the vehicle's motion structure than a generic 2D shortest path. The lattice variant of SMAC is attractive when motion feasibility and orientation-aware planning matter enough to justify the additional complexity.

Distilled Takeaways

• Lattice planning is useful when the vehicle motion model matters materially to path quality.
• It is more complex than plain 2D planning but can produce paths that are more meaningful for constrained platforms.
• The value comes when planning realism reduces downstream control pain.
• It should be chosen for a vehicle and environment reason, not just because it sounds more advanced.

Practical Guidance

• Use the lattice planner when kinematic feasibility needs to be respected earlier in planning.
• Compare against simpler planners on real paths and controller outcomes.
• Keep the motion-model assumptions aligned with the actual vehicle.
• Expect more configuration and testing than with basic 2D planners.

Corroborating References

• Nav2 planner plugins docs
• Nav2 tuning guide

When to Read the Original Source

Go to the original skill when you want SMAC lattice-specific setup, tradeoffs, and selection guidance relative to the other planners.