.. _testing_micro_benchmarks: Micro-Benchmarks for Performance Testing ======================================== Isaac Lab provides micro-benchmarking tools to measure the performance of asset setter/writer methods and data property accessors without requiring Isaac Sim. .. seealso:: For full-simulation benchmarks (environment stepping, RL training), see :ref:`testing_benchmarks`. This page covers method-level micro-benchmarks that use mock interfaces. Overview -------- The benchmarks use **mock interfaces** to simulate PhysX views, allowing performance measurement of Python-level overhead in isolation. This is useful for: - Comparing list vs tensor index performance - Identifying bottlenecks in hot code paths - Tracking performance regressions - Optimizing custom methods Quick Start ----------- Run benchmarks using the Isaac Lab launcher: .. code-block:: bash # Run Articulation method benchmarks ./isaaclab.sh -p source/isaaclab_physx/benchmark/assets/benchmark_articulation.py # With custom parameters ./isaaclab.sh -p source/isaaclab_physx/benchmark/assets/benchmark_articulation.py \ --num_iterations 1000 \ --num_instances 64 \ --num_bodies 5 \ --num_joints 4 Available Benchmarks -------------------- Asset Method Benchmarks ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These benchmark setter and writer methods on asset classes: .. list-table:: :header-rows: 1 :widths: 35 25 40 * - Benchmark File - Asset Class - Methods Covered * - ``benchmark_articulation.py`` - ``Articulation`` - 24 methods (root/joint state, mass props, forces) * - ``benchmark_rigid_object.py`` - ``RigidObject`` - 13 methods (root state, mass props, forces) * - ``benchmark_rigid_object_collection.py`` - ``RigidObjectCollection`` - 13 methods (body state, mass props, forces) Data Property Benchmarks ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These benchmark property accessors on data classes: .. list-table:: :header-rows: 1 :widths: 40 30 30 * - Benchmark File - Data Class - Properties * - ``benchmark_articulation_data.py`` - ``ArticulationData`` - 59 properties * - ``benchmark_rigid_object_data.py`` - ``RigidObjectData`` - 40 properties * - ``benchmark_rigid_object_collection_data.py`` - ``RigidObjectCollectionData`` - 40 properties All benchmarks are located in ``source/isaaclab_physx/benchmark/assets/``. Command Line Arguments ---------------------- Common Arguments ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. list-table:: :header-rows: 1 :widths: 20 15 65 * - Argument - Default - Description * - ``--num_iterations`` - 1000 - Number of timed iterations * - ``--warmup_steps`` - 10 - Warmup iterations (not timed) * - ``--num_instances`` - 4096 - Number of asset instances * - ``--device`` - ``cuda:0`` - Device for tensors * - ``--mode`` - ``all`` - ``all``, ``torch_list``, or ``torch_tensor`` * - ``--output`` - auto - Output JSON filename * - ``--no_csv`` - false - Disable CSV output Asset-Specific Arguments ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Articulation benchmarks:** - ``--num_bodies``: Number of links (default: 13) - ``--num_joints``: Number of DOFs (default: 12) **RigidObjectCollection benchmarks:** - ``--num_bodies``: Number of bodies in collection (default: 5) Benchmark Modes --------------- Each method is benchmarked under two input scenarios: **torch_list** Environment/body IDs passed as Python lists. Measures the overhead of list-to-tensor conversion, which is common in user code. **torch_tensor** Environment/body IDs passed as pre-allocated tensors. Represents the optimal baseline with minimal overhead. Example output: .. code-block:: text [1/24] [TORCH_LIST] write_root_state_to_sim... 132.02 ± 6.79 µs [1/24] [TORCH_TENSOR] write_root_state_to_sim... 65.44 ± 3.06 µs The comparison shows tensor indices are ~2x faster than list indices. Output Format ------------- Console Output ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. code-block:: text Benchmarking Articulation (PhysX) with 64 instances, 5 bodies, 4 joints... Device: cuda:0 Iterations: 100, Warmup: 10 Benchmarking 24 methods... [1/24] [TORCH_LIST] write_root_state_to_sim... 132.02 ± 6.79 µs [1/24] [TORCH_TENSOR] write_root_state_to_sim... 65.44 ± 3.06 µs ... ================================================================================ COMPARISON: Torch_list vs Torch_tensor ================================================================================ Method Name Torch_list Torch_tensor Speedup ------------------------------------------------------------------------ write_root_state_to_sim 132.02 65.44 2.02x Export Files ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Results are automatically exported to: - ``{benchmark_name}_{timestamp}.json`` - Full results with hardware info - ``{benchmark_name}_{timestamp}.csv`` - Tabular results for analysis JSON Structure ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. code-block:: json { "config": { "num_iterations": 100, "num_instances": 64, "device": "cuda:0" }, "hardware": { "cpu": "Intel Core i9-13950HX", "gpu": "NVIDIA RTX 5000", "pytorch": "2.7.0", "cuda": "12.8" }, "results": [ { "name": "write_root_state_to_sim", "mode": "torch_list", "mean_us": 132.02, "std_us": 6.79, "iterations": 100 } ] } Architecture ------------ The benchmarks use mock interfaces to simulate PhysX views without Isaac Sim: .. code-block:: text ┌─────────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────┐ │ Asset Class │────>│ MockArticulationView│ │ (Articulation) │ │ (mock_interfaces) │ └─────────────────────┘ └──────────────────────┘ │ v ┌───────────────────────────┐ │ MethodBenchmarkRunner │ │ (extends BaseIsaacLab- │ │ Benchmark) │ └───────────────────────────┘ │ v ┌───────────────────────────┐ │ Output Backends │ │ (json, osmo, omniperf) │ └───────────────────────────┘ Key Components ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. **Mock Views** (``isaaclab_physx/test/mock_interfaces/``) - ``MockArticulationView`` - Mimics PhysX ArticulationView - ``MockRigidBodyView`` - Mimics PhysX RigidBodyView 2. **Benchmark Framework** (``isaaclab/test/benchmark/``) - :class:`~isaaclab.test.benchmark.MethodBenchmarkRunner` - Runner extending :class:`~isaaclab.test.benchmark.BaseIsaacLabBenchmark` for method-level benchmarks - :class:`~isaaclab.test.benchmark.MethodBenchmarkRunnerConfig` - Configuration dataclass - :class:`~isaaclab.test.benchmark.MethodBenchmarkDefinition` - Benchmark definition - Multiple output backends (JSON, Osmo, OmniPerf) 3. **Module Mocking** Each benchmark file mocks Isaac Sim dependencies (``isaacsim``, ``omni``, ``pxr``) to allow the asset classes to be instantiated without simulation. Adding New Benchmarks --------------------- Adding a Method Benchmark ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Create input generator functions: .. code-block:: python from isaaclab.test.benchmark import MethodBenchmarkRunnerConfig def gen_my_method_torch_list(config: MethodBenchmarkRunnerConfig) -> dict: return { "param1": torch.rand(config.num_instances, 3, device=config.device), "env_ids": list(range(config.num_instances)), } def gen_my_method_torch_tensor(config: MethodBenchmarkRunnerConfig) -> dict: return { "param1": torch.rand(config.num_instances, 3, device=config.device), "env_ids": torch.arange(config.num_instances, device=config.device), } 2. Add to the ``BENCHMARKS`` list: .. code-block:: python from isaaclab.test.benchmark import MethodBenchmarkDefinition MethodBenchmarkDefinition( name="my_method", method_name="my_method", input_generators={ "torch_list": gen_my_method_torch_list, "torch_tensor": gen_my_method_torch_tensor, }, category="my_category", ), Adding a Property Benchmark ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For data class properties, add to the ``PROPERTIES`` list: .. code-block:: python ("my_property", {"derived_from": ["dependency1", "dependency2"]}), The ``derived_from`` key indicates dependencies that should be pre-computed before timing the property access. Performance Tips ---------------- Based on benchmark results: 1. **Use tensor indices** instead of lists for 30-50% speedup 2. **Pre-allocate index tensors** and reuse them across calls 3. **Batch operations** where possible (e.g., set all joint positions at once) 4. **Mass properties are CPU-bound** - PhysX requires CPU tensors for these Example optimization: .. code-block:: python # Slow: Create new list each call for _ in range(1000): robot.write_joint_state_to_sim(state, env_ids=list(range(64))) # Fast: Pre-allocate tensor and reuse env_ids = torch.arange(64, device="cuda:0") for _ in range(1000): robot.write_joint_state_to_sim(state, env_ids=env_ids) Troubleshooting --------------- Import Errors ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ensure you're running through ``isaaclab.sh``: .. code-block:: bash ./isaaclab.sh -p source/isaaclab_physx/benchmark/assets/benchmark_articulation.py CUDA Out of Memory ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Reduce ``--num_instances``: .. code-block:: bash ./isaaclab.sh -p ... --num_instances 1024 Slow First Run ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The first run compiles Warp kernels. Subsequent runs will be faster.