KDL and the Python KDL bindings can either be built normally with CMake, or they can be built in an isolated catkin workspace.
The following can be used to link against KDL in a CMake-based project:
# Find the KDL Package
find_package(Orocos-KDL)
include_directories(${Orocos-KDL_INCLUDE_DIRS})
link_directories(${Orocos-KDL_LIBRARY_DIRS})
# add your target ...
# Link against KDL
target_link_libraries(my_target ${Orocos-KDL_LIBRARIES})
Up until ROS Hydromedusa, the KDL packages were named orocos_kdl
and
python_orocos_kdl
, which resulted from their early incorporation into the ROS
ecosystem. This naming convention was different from the naming convention used
by other package in the Orocos toolchain, and created inconsistencies in how
users referred to the packages when building code.
kdl
(stack) -->orocos_kinematics_dynamics
orocos_kdl
-->kdl
python_orocos_kdl
-->pykdl
The old names will still be supported through ROS Hydromedusa through deprecated wrapper packages.