Kinect for Windows SDK March 18 Update To Bring Kinect Fusion With It
Microsoft is expected to release Kinect for Windows SDK 1.7 this Monday, March 18th, and the SDK brings with it the long awaited Kinect Fusion.
Microsoft announced two new gestures for Kinect for Windows, the PC-specific version of its Kinect interface. Within the new Windows for Kinect 1.7 SDK are two new gestures: the “push” or “click” gesture, and a closed-fist gesture for scrolling and panning a screen.
Bob Heddle, Director of Kinect for Windows at Microsoft states users can expect “push-to-press buttons, grip-to-pan capabilities, and support for smart ways to accomodate multiple users and two-person interactions,” Engadget reports.
Perhaps most importantly, SDK version 1.7 will include “Kinect Fusion,” Microsoft’s at-home 3D modeling solution that allows the Kinect to capture and fabricate real-time 3D models of people and objects. We first saw Kinect Fusion in action way back in August of 2011, when the concept surfaced as a Microsoft Research project.
“Kinect for Windows SDK 1.7 will be made available this coming Monday, March 18. This is our most significant update to the SDK since we released the first version a little over a year ago, and I can’t wait to see what businesses and developers do with the new features and enhancements. On Monday, developers will be able to download the SDK, developer toolkit, and the new and improved Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) from our website,” Microsoft stated in an official blog post.
Bob Heddle, Director, Kinect for Windows at Microsoft, said that these “Kinect Interactions” (as the gestures are called) came about because Microsoft notices that many developers were using the Kinect for core UI functions much more than Microsoft originally expected. Microsoft wanted to standardize those gestures so developers could focus on the unique parts of their apps.
The company will also make code samples for its open-source channel, the Kinect for Windows development site (CodePlex)
[Engadget]
