Abstract
We introduced the amazing Kinect hardware in Chapter 1. As a next step, we are going to explore how you, the developer, can utilize this hardware into your software. The Kinect device includes different hardware modules for accomplishing various tasks. In this chapter, we are going to set up the development environment and get our hands dirty. But most importantly, you will learn how to make the right decisions and balance between exceptional quality and maximum performance.
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Notes
- 1.
Sensor SDK source code: https://github.com/Microsoft/Azure-Kinect-Sensor-SDK
- 2.
Sensor SDK documentation: https://microsoft.github.io/Azure-Kinect-Sensor-SDK/
- 3.
Sensor SDK binaries: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/kinect-dk/sensor-sdk-download
- 4.
Along with the live camera feed, the Azure Kinect Viewer supports video playback from Matroska video files (MKV). There is a different utility, called k4arecorder.exe, which allows you to record the streams. This is out of the scope of the book but may be handy if you need to process Kinect data without accessing a physical Kinect device. The recorder tool is located in the same folder to the Azure Kinect Viewer.
- 5.
If you are not using the Metric system, the Appendix of this book provides some handful conversion formulas. The Kinect SDK is using meters, millimeters, and degrees Celsius instead of feet, inches, and degrees Fahrenheit.
- 6.
The first versions of the Azure Kinect neural engine required the CUDA toolkit, which is only available on NVIDIA graphics cards. Newer versions are using DirectML, instead, which is compatible with most vendors.
- 7.
Fun fact: When I was showcasing Kinect’s overhead view, people could not understand how a front-facing sensor could track the joints in three dimensions. Some of them unconsciously looked at the ceiling to ensure I had not placed a second Kinect device there!
- 8.
Additionally, if you are a fan of portable ARM boards, Jetson Nano and Jetson TX2 are supported.
- 9.
Download Visual Studio Community 2022 or 2019: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/
- 10.
Download Unity3D with Visual Studio Community: https://store.unity.com/
- 11.
Unity3D tutorials and getting-started guides: https://unity.com/learn
- 12.
LTS stands for “long-term support.” LTS versions of Unity3D are receiving official updates for three years. They are much more stable and, thus, strongly recommended for commercial products.
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© 2022 Vangos Pterneas
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Pterneas, V. (2022). The Developer Toolbox. In: Mastering the Microsoft Kinect . Apress, Berkeley, CA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-8070-6_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-8070-6_2
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