Set the Fixed Frame in RViz to a frame that is really being published, such as map, odom or base_link.
What the message means
RViz draws everything relative to the Fixed Frame. If no transform links a displayed item to it, the display shows an error or stays empty.
Fix it in this order
- Open the Global Options in RViz and pick a Fixed Frame from the list of frames it knows.
- Run ros2 run tf2_tools view_frames to see the transform tree.
- Check that the node publishing the transforms is running.
- If you run a simulation, set the use_sim_time parameter the same way for all nodes.
- Add the display for the topic and check its frame name matches a frame in the tree.
If you see this, do this
| You see | Do this |
|---|---|
| Frame does not exist | No transform published for it. |
| Display shows but is empty | Check the topic and frame. |
Related
topics not visible, Gazebo and ROS 2.
Last reviewed: November 2026. These are the usual causes and the order that finds them fastest. Test on your own board; clones and cables differ.