Kinect for Windows Programming Guide
Kinect for Windows 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8
Welcome to the Kinect for Windows Software Development Kit (SDK). The SDK provides the tools and APIs, both native and managed, that you need to develop Kinect-enabled applications for Microsoft Windows. Developing Kinect-enabled applications is essentially the same as developing other Windows applications, except that the Kinect SDK provides support for the features of the Kinect, including color images, depth images, audio input, and skeletal data.
Here are some examples of the types of Windows applications you can build using the functionality supported in this SDK:
- Recognize and track moving people using skeletal tracking.
- Determine the distance between an object and the sensor camera using depth data.
- Capture audio using noise and echo cancellation or find the location of the audio source.
- Enable voice-activated applications by programming a grammar for use with a speech recognition engine.
Contents of the Kinect for Windows SDK
The SDK includes:
- Drivers and technical documentation for implementing Kinect-enabled applications using a Kinect for Windows sensor.
- Reference APIs and documentation for programming in managed and unmanaged code. The APIs deliver multiple media streams with minimal software latency across various video, CPU, and device variables.
- Samples that demonstrate good practices for using a Kinect sensor.
- Example code that breaks down the samples into user tasks.
Launch the SDK documentation from the Start menu by clicking on a path similar to: Start > All Programs > Kinect for Windows SDK version number > SDK Documentation (Kinect for Windows). You can also launch a read-me file, where you'll find installation hints and last-minute additions to known bugs.