Importing custom messages from other packages in Python

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Hi all, I've been on this for hours now and I can't figure it out. It seems as if not this forum or the tutorials have a solution for this simple question. I have downloaded the Vesc stack here, without the vesc_ackerman package. It all builds nicely with the addition of the serial library, and even connects to the device and publishes topics stated in vesc_msgs. You can rostopic echo them, you can rosmsg list them (VescState and VescStateStamped). Now, what I am trying to do is to use these messages in another package, so that I can manipulate it.

I have a standard python node code, but it starts with: #import rospy, then #import VescState.msg (or from VescState import XXX) , and continues on (If any1 can point me on how to paste the code here without having only the first line as code format and everything else outside, plus hash-tags making the font huge, i'de love that...). I could go on but it doesnt really matter, because all I get when I try to run the code is:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/home/tim/catkin_ws/src/vesc_comm/src/vesc_comm.py", line 5, in <module>
    from VescState.msg import *
ImportError: No module named VescState.msg

I have tried every conceivable way of doing this. i have tried to rename the message files, adding them as native messages to my package, including all the package.xml and cmakelists.txt additions just to make a sanity check. tried catkin_make install. none of it worked.

I actually do not want to make these messages native anyway. what I do want is to get my vesc_comm.py script to recognize the VescState.msg file from the other package (again - the messages work with the vesc_driver node and are listed in rosmsg!).

Why can I use every single message offered by ROS (std, geometry, pointcloud2...) but get the error stated above when I try and use a custom message?? my ROS is just not recognizing it. what am I doing wrong?

Thanks in advance, Steve