Depth Sensors Comparison
Depth Sensors Support
iPi Recorder supports the following depth sensors:
- Modern depth sensors:
- MS Kinect 2 (XBOX One Kinect sensor plus Kinect Adapter for Windows)
- Orbbec Astra (PRO)
- Intel RealSense D435 and D415
- ASUS Xtion 2
 |
 |
 |
 |
- First generation depth sensors:
- MS Kinect v1 (Kinect for Windows sensor or [1] sensor plus adapter)
- ASUS Xtion and ASUS Xtion Live devices (and also PRO modifications for developers)
- PrimeSense Carmine 1.08
 |
 |
 |
 |
First generation depth sensors are almost outdated but still usable. For example, Orbbec Astra (PRO) has totally the same depth quality and resolution as these outdated sensors. For this reason you can use for example MS Kinect v1 sensor(s) and get exactly the same results as with Orbbec Astra sensor(s). If needed you can find more information about these sensors in documentation for previous version of iPi Motion Capture.
As to modern depth sensors, MS Kinect 2 (Kinect for XBOX One) sensor remains the best choice for full body motion capture. The quality and accuracy of depth map from MS Kinect 2 are the best on the market.
Comparison
Main features of depth sensors:
| Place | Sensor | Price (approx) | Technology | Depth FOV (vertical) | Depth Resolution | Depth FPS | Interface | Multiple Sensors on One PC | External Power Supply | Tripod Mount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kinect 2 (Kinect for XBOX One) | $160 | Time-of-Flight | 60° | 512x424 (very good quality!) | 30 | USB 3.0 | no | required | has (1/4″) |
| 2 | First-gen depth sensors | from $30 | Infrared Coded Structured Light | 45° | 640x480 (interpolated, actual: 320x240 or even less) | 30 | USB 2.0 | yes | not required (except Kinect v1) | no |
| 2 | Orbbec Astra (PRO) | $160 | Infrared Coded Structured Light | 45° | 640x480 (interpolated, actual: 320x240 or even less) | 30 | USB 2.0 | yes | not required | has but M6 (not 1/4″) |
| 3 | Intel RealSense D435 | $180 | Infrared Coded Structured Light combined with stereo RGB matching | 65.5° (but only 42° for RGB | up to 1280x720 (but very noisy and inaccurate!) | up to 90 | USB 3.0 | yes | not required | has (1/4″) |
| 4 | ASUS Xtion 2 | $270 | Time-of-Flight | 52° (but can be mounted in vertical position, then - 74°) | 640x480 (interpolated: actual is less than 320x240) | 30 | USB 3.0 | no | not required | has on bottom and right sides (1/4″) |
Major Pros and Cons of depth sensors:
| Place | Sensor | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kinect 2 (Kinect for XBOX One) |
|
|
| 2 | First-generation Depth Sensors |
|
|
| 2 | Orbbec Astra (PRO) |
|
|
The winner is Kinect 2 (Kinect for XBOX One).
First-generation depth sensors and Orbbec Astra (PRO) share the second place.
Drivers
To use the sensors, you may need to download and install device drivers and software libraries for ASUS Xtion / ASUS Xtion Live / PrimeSense Carmine.