The Microsoft Kinect sensor — the first consumer depth-camera — has radically altered the landscape of possibilities for the use of machine vision in interactive art and computational design. This workshop — presented by Zachary Lieberman with the assistance of Dan Wilcox — introduces libraries and techniques for Kinect programming in OpenFrameworks, a popular arts-engineering toolkit for creative coding in C++. You’ll learn how to access the depth buffer and export a 3D point cloud using Libfreenect via ofxKinect; how to obtain the skeleton approximation of a person using OpenNI; and some helpful computation techniques for working with these data.

OpenFrameworks (OF) is a free, open-source, C++ library designed to assist the creative process by providing a simple and intuitive framework for experimentation. It provides tools for accessing and playing with a diverse range of open-source libraries, such as OpenGL, OpenCV, and many others. Its aim is to lower the entry barrier for software development, so that anyone – especially artists, designers, tinkerers, and young people – can create high quality software projects.

Recommended levels: Intermediate and Advanced. Participants should have some experience developing in OpenFrameworks and/or C++.
Recommended hardware/software: Bring a Mac laptop running OSX 10.6.8 or 10.7, with XCode 3.x or 4.x installed. A limited number of Kinect sensors will be available to borrow, but please bring your own if possible.

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