add mcap dataset support

[abhichothani42]

TL;DR

Adds MCAP as a supported dataset output format.

What changed?

• Add script 07_generate_mcap_dataset.py writes one .mcap file per episode to a dataset_mcap/ directory. Each file contains time-aligned robot state messages and JPEG-compressed camera images using the foxglove.CompressedImage schema.
• The existing 07_generate_replay_buffer.py has been renamed to 07_generate_zarr_dataset.py to better reflect its purpose.
• dataset_generation_pipeline.py now accepts a --format / -f flag (mcap or zarr, defaulting to mcap) that selects which generation script to invoke in step 7.
• A new ## Dataset Formats section in the README documents both formats, their output structure, and the data they contain.
• mcap>=1.3.1 has been added as a dependency.

How to test?

Run the pipeline with each format and verify the outputs:

# MCAP (default)
uv run python scripts/dataset_generation_pipeline.py <session_dir>

# Zarr
uv run python scripts/dataset_generation_pipeline.py -f zarr <session_dir>

Open a generated .mcap file in Foxglove Studio to verify robot state topics and camera image streams are correctly populated and time-aligned.

[abhichothani42]

• add mcap dataset support #10 👈 (View in Graphite)
• Add timecode sync, update readme #9
• main

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[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Adds MCAP as an additional dataset export format to the SLAM dataset-generation pipeline, allowing datasets to be inspected as typed, time-aligned episode recordings (e.g., in Foxglove Studio), while retaining the existing Zarr replay-buffer export.

Changes:

• Added 07_generate_mcap_dataset.py to write one .mcap file per episode with robot state topics and JPEG-compressed camera images (foxglove.CompressedImage).
• Renamed/retitled step-7 Zarr generation script to 07_generate_zarr_dataset.py and updated usage docs accordingly.
• Updated dataset_generation_pipeline.py and README.md to support --format {mcap,zarr} and document both dataset formats; added mcap dependency.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 5 out of 5 changed files in this pull request and generated 4 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
scripts/scripts_slam_pipeline/07_generate_zarr_dataset.py	Updates usage text to match the renamed Zarr dataset generator entrypoint.
scripts/scripts_slam_pipeline/07_generate_mcap_dataset.py	New MCAP exporter producing per-episode MCAP files with JSON-encoded schemas and JPEG images.
scripts/dataset_generation_pipeline.py	Adds --format/-f flag and routes step 7 to MCAP (default) or Zarr generator.
pyproject.toml	Adds mcap as a runtime dependency.
README.md	Documents dataset format selection and output structure for MCAP vs Zarr.

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[lukeschmitt-tr]

Please provide us with an example mcap file

[lukeschmitt-tr]

will this crop the images before they are saved? we should include the native resolution and crop it during replay