Faro Scenect and dynamic point cloud extraction using Kinect
My personal review
These days I'm testing my brand new Microsoft Kinect with this amazing free software by Faro. Scenect in fact is a Scene LT clone which embeds some Kinect drivers by PrimeSense and OpenNI. Even if my lab at University is waiting for Kinect for Windows supply from Microsoft, I bought myself a Kinect sensor in its XBOX360 version. Differences are not so massive (Kinect for Windows is intended for PC usage, so lenses can focus beginning from 40cm. while the XBOX release needs at least 80cm.) and Scenect supports both hardware devices.
The purpose of my post is to spare some comments an a promising real time technology, aimed at dynamic indoor 3D capturing with not GPS driven and very low-cost hardware.
Some days ago Microsoft released Kinect for Windows SDK 1.7 including the amazing Kinect Fusion module, meant for point cloud extraction. This SDK is very much interesting, I'll give it a try in the very next future with my humble C# skills. However, real time point extraction is resource-demanding, and new classes and libraries are in need of powerful machines.
Scenect still does not rely on these new drivers, however GPU power is paramount the same way. I tested Scenect version 5.2.100.32597 64bits on different machines (trial period is restricted to 29 days, but a free licence, bound to the ethernet address can be requested to Faro). All tested PCs run Windows 7 64bits Enterprise Edition and they have these specs:
| Machine brand | CPU type | GPU type | Available RAM |
| Apple iMac (early 2009) | Intel Core 2 Duo @2.66GHz | NVIDIA GeForce 9400M | 8.0 GB |
| Apple MacBookPro (late 2011) | Intel core i7 @2.20GHz | AMD Radeon HD 6750M | 4.0 GB |
| Dell Precision T3500 | Intel dual Xeon @2.40GHz | Nvidia Quadro FX3800 | 24.0 GB |
| Dell Precision T1650 | Intel core i7 @3.40GHz | Nvidia Quadro 2000 | 16.0 GB |
The installation process was flawless on every PC, even if I recommend to copy installation files straight on an NTFS partition on Apple hardware running Windows in BootCamp mode. Scenect installs Kinect drivers for both existing versions together with ASUS Xtion specific drivers.
But be careful! New SDK 1.7 from Microsoft installs newer drivers making OpenNi and PrimeSense conduits pretty useless. So a working machine has to be imagined either as a developer's bench or as a user's one: in other words, no third party application software if you plan to code yourself for your device using the latest framework.
Scenect has the graphic user interface identical to Scene and it is able to capture in real time point cloud taking advantage of Kinect sensors. The magic is a combination of digital photogrammetry through a simple CMOS sensor and depth mapping produced by an IR emitter/receiver. Data are merged through GPU into a single stream (I will be much more specific in a scientific paper that I'm going to prepare soon).
In fact, the GPU is the core element of the tracking system: Nvidia Quadro boards had remarkable performance during live capture, while "more human" hardware led to frequent loss of tracking. Kinect compares different pictures taken at a frequency of 30Hz. with 640x480 resolution. Even the CPU is important: best results were obtained using high frequency i7 processors.
Nevertheless Scenect is still not mature, or I was not so talented in using it. Plain surfaces are not correctly recognized, neon lights indoor affect good results, tracking can be easily lost and closed captions without inertial measurement units are nearly impossible. Point clouds are noisy and edges are not clearly defined, but I come from laser scanning using active technology, so I'm pretty much hard to please!
Anyway there is a brilliant aspect: Kinect SDK could lead to a widespread programming activity, implying better results even in next Scenect release. For now, Scenect is very good at capturing point clouds dynamically with decent measurement capabilities, but the method is tricky and not so robust.
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Hai mai cercato un posto dove architettura, cultura geek e hardware vintage si incontrano davvero? Dal 2004 questo spazio è il laboratorio digitale di Simone Garagnani: qui si sperimentano idee, si collezionano storie nerd, si parla da tempo immemore di soluzioni BIM, rilievi digitali, computer graphics e retrocomputing. Ma non è nato tutto da solo: alle origini, fra i banchi universitari, c’erano anche Pasquale Squillace e Giuseppe Pernigotti. Da quei giorni, il blog è diventato una calamita per chi vuole sporcarsi le mani tra tecnologie d’epoca, cultura underground, digitalizzazione avanzata e creatività architettonica. Se ami la contaminazione tra passato, innovazione e un pizzico di ironia nerd, sei nel posto giusto.
Since 2004, this blog has been Simone Garagnani's digital playground - where geek culture, science, architecture, engineering ITs and vintage hardware come together. Here you can find hands-on experiments with retrocomputing, stories about underground nerd culture, and in-depth explorations of BIM, high-resolution digital surveying, and computer graphics for architecture, engineering, and construction. The blog was originally launched during my university years together with Pasquale Squillace and Giuseppe Pernigotti. Over time, it has grown into a hub for anyone interested in crossing wires between technology, creative design, and the hidden treasures of digital heritage. If you're passionate about mixing past innovations with new digital adventures, and enjoy a good dose of nerd irony, welcome, you'll feel right at home!
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SiliconSimon (VIC-20 The friend…): Thanks for the feedback Trevor, even though my reply comes so late! :)Petr (Faro Scenect and …): Hello. I have a Kinect XBOX360. I installed Scenect (scenect_5.2.100.32597_wma nual_x64_setup) on my c…
Ray Randolph (Cray-1 - The home…): One of two machines on my bucket list to make on my laser cutter. The second is an Enigma machine. C…
Trevor Dwyer (VIC-20 The friend…): Hi there, I feel your pain on updates and the internet not being the same these days – well since 199…
SiliconSimon (Cray-1 - The home…): If someone is interested in my little Cray’s files, please PM me since I do not often read comments o…
Robert (Cray-1 - The home…): If it’s possible, I would love to get the files from you for this project. I have a Cray-1 chip sitti…
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Hello. I have a Kinect XBOX360. I installed Scenect (scenect_5.2.100.32597_wmanual_x64_setup) on my computer. I downloaded Scene from another source. Faro did not find it on the website. Kinect drivers are automatically installed. Scenect starts running. Kinect XBOX360 healthy, working. But Scenect does not detect or connect Kinect XBOX360. Can you tell me why this is happening?
Petr - 29-04-’25 20:20My computer
-Windows 10 Pro
- intel® Core™ i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz
- 32.0 GB – DDR3 SDRAM PC12800 1600 MHz
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 6ГБ