Getting Started-Building PVA ISP

🚧 Documentation under development

The PVA ISP for NVIDIA Jetson guide is currently under active development. Some sections may be incomplete or change without notice.

Questions? Contact RidgeRun or email to support@ridgerun.com.

PVA ISP for
NVIDIA Jetson

Table of Contents [Sticky]

Before Starting

This wiki comprises two sections:

Quick Start: follow this guide if you already have the libpva_isp.so binary (provided by RidgeRun).
Advanced Building: follow this guide if you want to recompile the libpva_isp.so binary and know the different options that PVA ISP has to offer.

Quick Start

This guide assumes that you have purchased the professional version of PVA ISP and the ASIP-compiled binary has been provided by RidgeRun.

If you are willing to compile the PVA ISP library by yourself, please jump to the Advanced Building.

Dependencies

With the delivery of the professional version, RidgeRun has provided you with the PVA ISP library binary:

pva_isp-${VERSION}-aarch64.tar.gz

where VERSION may vary depending on the latest version available.

Installing PVA SDK

NVIDIA provides the PVA SDK for Jetson. For PVA ISP:

PVA SDK >= 2.7

To install PVA SDK:

sudo apt install ./pva-sdk-2.9-local-core_2.9.4_all.deb
sudo apt update
sudo apt install pva-sdk-2.9-l4t

Installing PVA ISP library

Once PVA SDK is installed, install the PVA ISP library:

export VERSION=1.0.0
tar -xvf pva_isp-${VERSION}-aarch64.tar.gz
chmod +x pva_isp_install.sh
sudo ./pva_isp_install.sh

Install GStreamer dependencies (only if GStreamer plug-in is needed)

The PVA ISP GStreamer plug-in depends on:

GstCUDA: acceleration framework for zero-copy support (mandatory)
Patched GstV4L2: to support bayer with bpp > 8. By default, only bpp == 8 is supported.
Install GstPVAISP: the plug-in.

GstCUDA

You need to have purchased GstCUDA (usually bought in a bundle with PVA ISP).

Patched GstV4L2

Please, follow this guide to get the GstV4L2 with Bayer 10, 12, 14 support.

Compiling GStreamer plug-in (optional)

With the purchase of the GstCUDA, you will have access to the GStreamer plug-in for rapid prototyping and deployment of multimedia pipelines.

1. First clone the repo:

CUSTOMER=test
git clone https://gitlab.ridgerun.com/ridgerun/orders/${CUSTOMER}/gst-pva-isp
cd gst-pva-isp

2. Compile and install the GStreamer plug-in

meson setup builddir --prefix=/usr
meson compile -C builddir
meson install -C builddir

3. Test if everything has been installed correctly

gst-inspect-1.0 pvaisp
gst-inspect-1.0 pvacudaupload

The elements should have a valid inspect, where the properties and metadata shall be printed.

Information

Up to this point, PVA ISP has been installed

Advanced Building

Dependencies

Please, install the dependencies as specified in Quick Start - Dependencies.

Building PVA ISP

Regardless of the build configuration, the build process generates at least one of the following three artifacts:

libpva_isp.so:is the project's main shared library. It contains the ISP implementation, the processing pipeline stages, and the C++ API that can be reused by other applications. The library is typically installed in a system library directory such as /usr/local/lib or /usr/lib, allowing applications to link against it and load it at runtime.
isp_minimal: is a lightweight example application that demonstrates the simplest use case of the library. It loads a RAW image, executes an ISP pipeline, and generates a processed output image. As an executable, it is typically installed in a binary directory such as /usr/local/bin or /usr/bin, making it directly accessible from the command line.
isp_app: isp_app is a more complex example application. In addition to executing the ISP pipeline, it exposes a broader set of configuration options, use cases, and utilities for evaluating and testing the ISP in scenarios that more closely resemble real-world applications. Like isp_minimal, it is typically installed in /usr/local/bin or /usr/bin.

Build Modes

PVA ISP supports two build modes.

Build Modes
Build Mode	Description
NATIVE	Builds and executes the ISP pipeline using x86 emulation.
L4T	Builds binaries intended to run on NVIDIA Jetson platforms.

Building for x86 Emulation

The NATIVE build mode allows development and validation on x86 systems.

mkdir -p builddir

cmake -S . -B builddir \
  -DPVA_BUILD_MODE=NATIVE \
  -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=-O3

cmake --build builddir

By default, NATIVE builds generate:

libpva_isp.so
isp_minimal
isp_app

It can be used for x86 prototyping before going to the device. It enables faster compile times, faster debugging and shorter development cycles.

Building for Jetson (L4T)

The L4T build mode generates binaries intended to run on PVA-enabled NVIDIA Jetson platforms.

Requirements

Notice

The source code is provided after the purchase of the license. To compile the PVA code, it is needed to have the Synopsys ASIP Programmer or the NVIDIA NVVPU Compiler

The shared library (libpva_isp.so) is intended to be cross-compiled for Jetson targets from an x86 host. Examples and the GStreamer element can be compiled natively on the target. It also requires the Synopsys ASIP Programmer to generate the binary code for the NVIDIA PVA. See Additional Considerations for more information.

Notice

The shared libraries can be compiled by RidgeRun using the ASIP Programmer compiler and provided as binaries

The host dependencies are:

CMake 3.20 or newer
Standard C/C++ build tools
AArch64 cross-compilers when cross-compiling for Jetson
NVIDIA PVA SDK development packages for the required target generation
CUPVA host libraries provided by the PVA SDK
Synopsys ASIP Programmer, when building PVA device code with the Synopsys toolchain
A valid Synopsys license setup, when using the ASIP Programmer
yaml-cpp for building the example applications
CUDA and NvSci development packages, if CUDA or NvSci interoperability features are enabled

To install the runtime, these are the target dependencies:

NVIDIA Jetson Linux (L4T) 36.4.x or another compatible Jetson BSP
NVIDIA runtime libraries required by CUPVA-backed binaries
CUDA and NvSci runtime libraries, if the selected build enables those interoperability features
yaml-cpp on target, if running the example applications
libpva_isp.so and the desired application binaries

To install the dependencies follow this command lines:

# Install cmake and build tools:
sudo apt install cmake ccache gcc g++ make gcc-aarch64-linux-gnu g++-aarch64-linux-gnu

# Install Synopsys ASIP programmer in order to build for a target PVA. Note: If you are building for native model, this step can be skipped.
sudo apt install ./asip-programmer-2022.12-sp1-1_2022.12-sp1-1.0_amd64.deb # For development targeting Orin

‎

Additional Considerations

To compile the code for the PVA, it is required to either:

Purchase the ASIP Programmer from Synopsys
Use the NVVPU compiler (upon request to NVIDIA).

All the information from this wiki is based on the ASIP Programmer from Synopsys. Performance may vary if NVVPU compiler is used.

Compilation

mkdir -p builddir

cmake -S . -B builddir  \
  -DPVA_BUILD_MODE=L4T  \
  -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=-O3 \
  -PVA_ISP_BUILD_LIBRARY=ON

cmake --build builddir

Build Configuration

Optional CMake Switches

Optional CMake Switches
Option	Description
PVA_ISP_BUILD_LIBRARY	Build libpva_isp.so
PVA_ISP_BUILD_EXAMPLES	Build example applications
PVA_ISP_STRUCTURED_OUTPUT	Place artifacts under out/bin and out/lib

Structured Output

When:

PVA_ISP_STRUCTURED_OUTPUT=ON

artifacts are generated under:

builddir/out/bin
builddir/out/lib

Default Behavior

Default Build Behavior
Build Mode	Library	Examples
PVA_BUILD_MODE=NATIVE	ON	ON
PVA_BUILD_MODE=L4T	OFF	OFF

For L4T builds, at least one of the following options must be enabled:

PVA_ISP_BUILD_LIBRARY=ON
PVA_ISP_BUILD_EXAMPLES=ON

Building the PVA ISP Library

This mode builds only the libpva_isp.so shared library. It is intended for integration scenarios where the ISP pipeline is consumed by another application and the example binaries are not required.

cmake -S . -B builddir \
  -DPVA_BUILD_MODE=L4T \
  -DPVA_ISP_BUILD_LIBRARY=ON \
  -DPVA_ISP_BUILD_EXAMPLES=OFF

cmake --build builddir

Generated artifact:

libpva_isp.so

Building the Example Applications

Notice

This can be performed on the host.

This configuration builds only the example applications and skips rebuilding the shared library from source. It is useful when libpva_isp.so is already available and only the application binaries are needed for testing, demonstration, or deployment.

cmake -S . -B builddir \
  -DPVA_BUILD_MODE=L4T \
  -DPVA_ISP_BUILD_LIBRARY=OFF \
  -DPVA_ISP_BUILD_EXAMPLES=ON

cmake --build builddir

Generated artifacts:

isp_minimal
isp_app

Example Applications

isp_minimal

isp_minimal is the smallest image-in, NV12-out example application.

It executes the main ISP pipeline and generates a processed NV12 output image.

Usage:

./builddir/out/bin/isp_minimal \
  --image IMAGE_PATH \
  --resolution WIDTHxHEIGHT \
  --parameters PARAMETERS_FILE \
  [--output OUTPUT_PATH] \
  [--dump-graph GRAPH_FILE]

Notes:

--output defaults to IMAGE_PATH.nv12
--dump-graph exports the pipeline graph as a Graphviz DOT file

isp_app

isp_app is the complete validation application.

Features include:

Single-image processing
V4L2 streaming mode
Graph export
Execution statistics
Histogram generation

Single Image Mode

./builddir/out/bin/isp_app \
  -i IMAGE_PATH \
  -r WIDTHxHEIGHT \
  -p PARAMETERS_FILE \
  [-g GRAPH_FILE] \
  [-s]

Streaming Mode

./builddir/out/bin/isp_app \
  -d DEVICE \
  -r WIDTHxHEIGHT \
  -f FORMAT \
  -n NUM_FRAMES \
  -p PARAMETERS_FILE \
  [-g GRAPH_FILE] \
  [-s]

Supported Input Formats

0 = BG12
1 = RG10
2 = BYR2

Application Options

-i, --image

Input Bayer image path. Required unless streaming mode is used.

-r, --resolution

Image resolution specified as WIDTHxHEIGHT.

-d, --device

V4L2 capture device. Required in streaming mode.

-n, --num-frames

Number of frames to process in streaming mode. Default: 100.

-f, --format

Capture format.

- 0 = BG12
- 1 = RG10
- 2 = BYR2

-p, --parameters

YAML file containing ISP configuration parameters.

-g, --dump-graph

Export the pipeline graph as a Graphviz DOT file.

-s, --stats

Print PVA execution statistics.

Deploying to Jetson

After compiling the project, the generated artifacts can be installed on the target Jetson using the provided:

deployment script


#!/usr/bin/env bash

set -euo pipefail

if [ "$#" -ne 2 ]; then
    echo "Usage:"
    echo "  $0 USER@JETSON_IP BUILD_OUTPUT_DIR"
    echo
    echo "Example:"
    echo "  $0 nvidia@192.168.1.100 builddir/out"
    exit 1
fi

TARGET="$1"
OUT_DIR="$2"

echo "Creating temporary deployment directory..."
ssh "$TARGET" "mkdir -p /tmp/pva_isp_install"

echo "Copying artifacts..."
scp \
    "$OUT_DIR/lib/libpva_isp.so" \
    "$OUT_DIR/bin/isp_app" \
    "$OUT_DIR/bin/isp_minimal" \
    "$TARGET:/tmp/pva_isp_install/"

echo "Installing artifacts..."
ssh "$TARGET" <<'EOF'
sudo install -Dm755 /tmp/pva_isp_install/libpva_isp.so /usr/local/lib/libpva_isp.so
sudo install -Dm755 /tmp/pva_isp_install/isp_app /usr/local/bin/isp_app
sudo install -Dm755 /tmp/pva_isp_install/isp_minimal /usr/local/bin/isp_minimal

sudo ldconfig

rm -rf /tmp/pva_isp_install
EOF

echo
echo "Installation completed successfully."

by running:

 ./deploy_jetson.sh nvidia@<IP> builddir/out

The scripts copies the generated artifacts to the jetson, install libpva_isp.so into /usr/local/lib also installs isp_app and isp_minimal into /usr/local/bin and runs ldconfig to update the shared library cache.

After installation, the applications can be executed directly:

 isp_app \
    -i IMAGE_PATH \
    -r WIDTHxHEIGHT \
    -p PARAMETERS_FILE \
    -s

PARAMETERS_FILE EXAMPLE (params.yaml)

# yaml-language-server: $schema=./params.schema.yaml
# Copyright (C) 2026 RidgeRun, LLC (http://www.ridgerun.com)
# All Rights Reserved.
#
# The contents of this software are proprietary and confidential to RidgeRun,
# LLC.  No part of this program may be photocopied, reproduced or translated
# into another programming language without prior written consent of
# RidgeRun, LLC.  The user is free to modify the source code after obtaining
# a software license from RidgeRun.  All source code changes must be provided
# back to RidgeRun without any encumbrance.

# Reference parameter file for the ISP examples.
# This sample matches `params.schema.yaml` and the runtime loader used by:
# - isp_minimal
# - isp_minimal_cuda
# - isp_app

decompand:
  input_shift: 4
  x_pts: [0, 1107, 3325, 7766, 16652, 34430, 52207, 56648, 65535]
  y_pts: [0, 1098, 1885, 2501, 3062, 3602, 3914, 3975, 4095]

convolution:
  kernel: [1, 2, 1, 2, 4, 2, 1, 2, 1]
  shift: 4

black_level:
  channel00: 16
  channel01: 16
  channel10: 16
  channel11: 16

digital_gain:
  gain: 1.5

white_balance:
  u_ref: [0.982, 0.789, 0.668, 0.558, 0.426]
  v_ref: [0.308, 0.382, 0.445, 0.428, 0.678]
  use_calibration: false
  manual_wb: false
  manual_wb_gains: [1.0, 1.0, 1.0]

demosaic:
  bayer_pattern: 0

histogram:
  bit_depth: 16
  use_mask: false

auto_exposure:
  kp_exposure: 40.0
  ki_exposure: 1.0
  kd_exposure: 8.0
  kp_gain: 5000000.0
  ki_gain: 10.0
  kd_gain: 500.0
  reference_mean: 120.0
  dynamic_range: 255.0
  min_exposure: 5000
  max_exposure: 20000
  min_gain: 2000000
  max_gain: 100000000
  camera_index: 0
  enable_v4l2: false

gamma_tone_mapping:
  gamma: 2.2

global_tone_mapping:
  brightness: 0.18
  gtm_scale_min: 0.0001
  gtm_scale_max: 0.01
  gtm_temporal_alpha: 1.0
  saturation: 1.0

debug:
  export_scene_key: false
  export_debug_csv: false
  debug_export_frame_index: 0

Building the GStreamer Plug-in

Go to the Quick Start to install it.

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Before Starting

Quick Start

Dependencies

Installing PVA SDK

Installing PVA ISP library

Install GStreamer dependencies (only if GStreamer plug-in is needed)

GstCUDA

Patched GstV4L2

Compiling GStreamer plug-in (optional)

Advanced Building

Dependencies

Building PVA ISP

Build Modes

Building for x86 Emulation

Building for Jetson (L4T)

Requirements

Additional Considerations

Compilation

Build Configuration

Optional CMake Switches

Structured Output

Default Behavior

Building the PVA ISP Library

Building the Example Applications

Example Applications

isp_minimal

isp_app

Single Image Mode

Streaming Mode

Supported Input Formats

Application Options

Deploying to Jetson

Building the GStreamer Plug-in