RL + IsaacLab Workflow (moleworks_ext)

Single-skill workflow for IsaacLab-based RL: local smoke test → cluster submit → monitor/debug → sync → playback.

1) Always Run IsaacLab Scripts via Wrapper

IMPORTANT: Any script that touches Isaac Sim/Lab must use:

bash

/workspace/isaaclab/isaaclab.sh -p <script.py> [args]

Use this for:

•Isaac Sim/Lab imports
•USD/PhysX
•GPU/RTX
•training/testing scripts

pxr Import Errors

If you hit ImportError: No module named 'pxr', load the app launcher inside the file:

python

from isaacsim import SimulationApp
simulation_app = SimulationApp({"headless": True})

from pxr import Usd, UsdGeom

2) Local Smoke Test (ALWAYS first)

Disable W&B for local smoke tests to avoid junk runs.

bash

export WANDB_MODE=disabled

/workspace/isaaclab/isaaclab.sh -p scripts/rsl_rl/train.py \
  --task <TASK> --num_envs 4 --max_iterations 3 --headless

unset WANDB_MODE

Example (excavation3d_w_cabin):

bash

export WANDB_MODE=disabled
/workspace/isaaclab/isaaclab.sh -p scripts/rsl_rl/train.py \
  --task Moleworks-Isaac-m445-digging-3D-w-cabin --num_envs 4 --max_iterations 3 --headless
unset WANDB_MODE

3) Submit to Euler Cluster

bash

JOB_TIME=30m NUM_GPUS=2 GPU_TYPE=rtx_3090 ./docker/cluster/cluster_interface.sh job \
  --task <TASK> --num_envs 64000 --max_iterations 10000

Example (excavation3d_w_cabin, 24h, 1 GPU):

bash

JOB_TIME=24h NUM_GPUS=1 GPU_TYPE=rtx_3090 ./docker/cluster/cluster_interface.sh job \
  --task Moleworks-Isaac-m445-digging-3D-w-cabin --num_envs 64000 --max_iterations 10000

Custom entrypoint (optional):

bash

CLUSTER_EXECUTABLE=scripts/mole_environments/grading/train_grading.py \
  JOB_TIME=2h NUM_GPUS=2 GPU_TYPE=rtx_3090 ./docker/cluster/cluster_interface.sh job \
  --task Moleworks-Isaac-m445-grading --num_envs 64000 --max_iterations 10000

4) Monitor Jobs (Euler)

bash

ssh euler 'squeue -u $USER'

Job states:

•RUNNING: executing
•PENDING: waiting on resources
•FAILED/NODE_FAIL: crashed

5) Debug Failed Jobs

bash

ssh euler 'find /cluster/scratch/$USER -name "slurm-*.out" -mmin -60'
ssh euler 'tail -100 /cluster/scratch/<user>/moleworks_ext_<timestamp>/slurm-<jobid>.out'
ssh euler 'cat /cluster/scratch/<user>/moleworks_ext_<timestamp>/slurm-<jobid>.err'
ssh euler 'tail -50 /cluster/scratch/<user>/moleworks_ext_<timestamp>/slurm-<jobid>.err'
ssh euler 'grep -n "bind mount detected" /cluster/scratch/<user>/moleworks_ext_<timestamp>/slurm-<jobid>.out | head'

Note: .err is where Python tracebacks are.

6) Sync Results

bash

./docker/cluster/sync_experiments.sh
# or to save space
./docker/cluster/sync_experiments.sh --remove

7) Play Policy Locally

bash

/workspace/isaaclab/isaaclab.sh -p scripts/rsl_rl/play.py \
  --task <TASK> \
  --checkpoint logs/rsl_rl/<exp>/<run_dir>/model_150.pt \
  --num_envs 1

RL Debugging Tips

•Init order matters: buffers must exist before ObservationManager uses them.
•CurriculumManager uses compute() (EventManager uses apply()).
•Keep rewards bounded: exp(-penalty) keeps in (0,1].
•Reference excavation3d_w_cabin for established API patterns.
•If behavior is odd: check reward farming, velocity distribution, and speed penalties.

tmux Requirement

When running IsaacLab scripts or ROS commands, open a new tmux window so output persists:

bash

tmux new-window -n rl-isaaclab
/workspace/isaaclab/isaaclab.sh -p scripts/rsl_rl/train.py --task <TASK> --num_envs 4

tmux capture-pane -p