PCL/OpenNI tutorial 1: Installing and testing - Revision history

Victorm at 16:53, 5 November 2015

2015-11-05T16:53:34Z

Victorm at 19:10, 4 November 2015

2015-11-04T19:10:34Z

Victorm at 22:59, 1 November 2015

2015-11-01T22:59:22Z

Victorm at 22:57, 1 November 2015

2015-11-01T22:57:28Z

Victorm at 22:55, 1 November 2015

2015-11-01T22:55:47Z

Victorm at 22:53, 1 November 2015

2015-11-01T22:53:30Z

Victorm at 22:42, 1 November 2015

2015-11-01T22:42:25Z

Victorm at 22:37, 1 November 2015

2015-11-01T22:37:41Z

Victorm at 20:45, 1 November 2015

2015-11-01T20:45:17Z

Victorm at 20:43, 1 November 2015

2015-11-01T20:43:48Z

@@ Line 86: / Line 86: @@
 <syntaxhighlight lang=Bash enclose="div">sudo apt-get install build-essential cmake cmake-curses-gui libboost-all-dev libeigen3-dev libflann-dev libvtk5-dev libvtk5-qt4-dev libglew-dev libxmu-dev libsuitesparse-dev libqhull-dev libpcap-dev libxmu-dev libxi-dev libgtest-dev libqt4-opengl-dev</syntaxhighlight>
-The trunk (1.8) version of PCL uses [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VTK VTK] 6 and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qt_%28software%29 Qt] 5, so if you intend to compile it, you must install the following packages (say yes if you are asked to remove VTK 5 and Qt 4 packages):
+The trunk (1.8) version of PCL adds support for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VTK VTK] 6 and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qt_%28software%29 Qt] 5, so if you want to use them, you must install the following packages (say yes if you are asked to remove VTK 5 and Qt 4 packages):
 <syntaxhighlight lang=Bash enclose="div">sudo apt-get install libvtk6-dev libqt5opengl5-dev</syntaxhighlight>
 ====JDK====

@@ Line 86: / Line 86: @@
 <syntaxhighlight lang=Bash enclose="div">sudo apt-get install build-essential cmake cmake-curses-gui libboost-all-dev libeigen3-dev libflann-dev libvtk5-dev libvtk5-qt4-dev libglew-dev libxmu-dev libsuitesparse-dev libqhull-dev libpcap-dev libxmu-dev libxi-dev libgtest-dev libqt4-opengl-dev</syntaxhighlight>
-The trunk version of PCL uses [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VTK VTK] 6 and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qt_%28software%29 Qt] 5, so if you intend to compile it, you must install the following packages (say yes if you are asked to remove VTK 5 and Qt 4 packages):
+The trunk (1.8) version of PCL uses [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VTK VTK] 6 and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qt_%28software%29 Qt] 5, so if you intend to compile it, you must install the following packages (say yes if you are asked to remove VTK 5 and Qt 4 packages):
 <syntaxhighlight lang=Bash enclose="div">sudo apt-get install libvtk6-dev libqt5opengl5-dev</syntaxhighlight>

@@ Line 268: / Line 268: @@
 Finally, we create a variable, <span style="color:#FF1493">"opennipclviewer_SRC"</span>, that will store a list of files to be compiled (though we will only have one). We create a new binary to be compiled from these source files, and we link it with the PCL library.
-Check the [http://www.cmake.org/Wiki/CMake_Useful_Variables CMake help] for more interesting options.
+Check the [https://cmake.org/Wiki/CMake_Useful_Variables CMake help] for more interesting options.
 ==main.cpp==

@@ Line 62: / Line 62: @@
 ==Precompiled PCL for Ubuntu==
-If you have a valid installation of [http://wiki.ros.org/indigo/Installation/Ubuntu ROS] (through their repository), you do not have to install anything. Both OpenNI and PrimeSense drivers, as well as PCL, should be already installed. You can check it with:
+If you have a valid [http://wiki.ros.org/ROS/Installation installation of ROS] (through their repository), you do not have to install anything. Both OpenNI and PrimeSense drivers, as well as PCL, should be already installed. You can check it with:
 <syntaxhighlight lang=Bash>sudo apt-get install libpcl-1.7-all libpcl-1.7-all-dev libopenni-dev libopenni-sensor-primesense-dev</syntaxhighlight>

@@ Line 53: / Line 53: @@
 There is more than one way to get your Kinect working on your PC, and start developing applications for it:
-* [http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40278 Kinect for Windows SDK] and [http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40276 Developer Toolkit]: released on June 16, 2011 as a non-commercial SDK intended for application development. Version 1.8, the last there will ever be now that Kinect v2 is out, was released on September 2013. Because it comes from Microsoft, it is obviously the easiest way to get everything working. Sadly, there is no Linux version.
+* [https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40278 Kinect for Windows SDK] and [https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40276 Developer Toolkit]: released on June 16, 2011 as a non-commercial SDK intended for application development. Version 1.8, the last there will ever be now that Kinect v2 is out, was released on September 2013. Because it comes from Microsoft, it is obviously the easiest way to get everything working. Sadly, there is no Linux version.
 * [https://github.com/OpenKinect/libfreenect libfreenect] library: from the [http://openkinect.org/wiki/Main_Page OpenKinect] project, it is intended to be a free and open source alternative to the official drivers. libfreenect is used by projects like [https://github.com/ofTheo/ofxKinect ofxKinect], an addon for the [http://www.openframeworks.cc/ openFrameworks] toolkit (and as of version 0.8, included in the core package) that runs on Linux and OS X. ofxKinect packs a nice example application to show the RGB and point cloud taken from Kinect.
-* [https://github.com/PrimeSense/Sensor PrimeSense drivers]: they were released as open source after the the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenNI OpenNI] project was created, along with the motion tracking middleware, ''NITE'', and the SDK. NI stands for Natural Interaction, and the project tried to enforce a common standard for human input using Kinect-like sensors. These official drivers are used by [http://wiki.ros.org/openni_kinect ROS] (the Robot Operating System, a massive collection of libraries and tools for robotic researchers) and [http://pointclouds.org/ PCL] (the Point Cloud Library, with everything needed for 3D point cloud processing). Sadly, version 2.0 of the OpenNI SDK dropped support for Kinect on Linux due to licensing issues, so for now PCL relies on legacy 1.x versions. Also, Apple bought PrimeSense on November 2013, and on April 2014 OpenNI's webpage was closed. The source is now being maintained by [http://structure.io/openni a third party].
+* [https://github.com/PrimeSense/Sensor PrimeSense drivers]: they were released as open source after the the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenNI OpenNI] project was created, along with the motion tracking middleware, ''NITE'', and the SDK. NI stands for Natural Interaction, and the project tried to enforce a common standard for human input using Kinect-like sensors. These official drivers are used by [http://wiki.ros.org/openni_kinect ROS] (the Robot Operating System, a massive collection of libraries and tools for robotic researchers) and [http://pointclouds.org/ PCL] (the Point Cloud Library, with everything needed for 3D point cloud processing). Sadly, version 2.0 of the OpenNI SDK dropped support for Kinect on Linux due to licensing issues, so for now PCL relies on legacy 1.x versions. Also, Apple bought PrimeSense on November 2013, and on April 2014 OpenNI's webpage was closed. The source is now being maintained by [http://structure.io/openni a third party].
 * [https://github.com/avin2/SensorKinect SensorKinect]: a modified version of the official PrimeSense drivers, used for example by [https://github.com/gameoverhack/ofxOpenNI ofxOpenNI] (another openFrameworks addon). Last updated on 2012.
@@ Line 86: / Line 86: @@
 <syntaxhighlight lang=Bash enclose="div">sudo apt-get install build-essential cmake cmake-curses-gui libboost-all-dev libeigen3-dev libflann-dev libvtk5-dev libvtk5-qt4-dev libglew-dev libxmu-dev libsuitesparse-dev libqhull-dev libpcap-dev libxmu-dev libxi-dev libgtest-dev libqt4-opengl-dev</syntaxhighlight>
-The trunk version of PCL uses [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VTK VTK] 6 and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qt_%28software%29 Qt] 5, so if you intend to compile it, you must install the following packages (say yes if you are asked to remove VTK 5 and Qt 4 packages):
+The trunk version of PCL uses [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VTK VTK] 6 and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qt_%28software%29 Qt] 5, so if you intend to compile it, you must install the following packages (say yes if you are asked to remove VTK 5 and Qt 4 packages):
 <syntaxhighlight lang=Bash enclose="div">sudo apt-get install libvtk6-dev libqt5opengl5-dev</syntaxhighlight>
@@ Line 134: / Line 134: @@
 ====CUDA====
-Like OpenNI, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CUDA nVidia CUDA] is an optional dependency, that will allow PCL to use your GPU (Graphics Processing Unit, that is, your graphics card) for certain computations. This is mandatory for tools like KinFu (do not bother unless you have at least a series 400 card with 1.5 GB of VRAM).
+Like OpenNI, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CUDA nVidia CUDA] is an optional dependency, that will allow PCL to use your GPU (Graphics Processing Unit, that is, your graphics card) for certain computations. This is mandatory for tools like KinFu (do not bother unless you have at least a series 400 card with 1.5 GB of VRAM).
 Some distributions provide packages for CUDA in the repositories. For example, in Ubuntu:

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 [[Image:Kinect.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Microsoft Kinect device.]]
-This series of tutorials will explain the usage of a depth camera like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinect Kinect] for "serious" researching purposes. As you may know, Kinect is in fact an affordable depth sensor, developed with technology from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PrimeSense PrimeSense], based on infrarred structured light method. It also has a common camera (which makes it a RGB-D device), a microphone and a motorized pivot. Its use is not limited to playing with a Xbox360 console, you can plug it to a computer and use it like any other sensor. Many open-source drivers and frameworks are available.
+This series of tutorials will explain the usage of a depth camera like [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinect Kinect] for "serious" researching purposes. As you may know, Kinect is in fact an affordable depth sensor, developed with technology from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PrimeSense PrimeSense], based on infrarred structured light method. It also has a common camera (which makes it a RGB-D device), a microphone and a motorized pivot. Its use is not limited to playing with a Xbox360 console, you can plug it to a computer and use it like any other sensor. Many open-source drivers and frameworks are available.
 Since its release on November 2010, it has gained a lot of popularity, specially among the scientific community. Many researches have procured themselves one because, despite the low cost (about 100 $), it has proven to be a powerful solution for depth sensing projects. Current investigations focus on real-time surface mapping, object recognition and tracking, and localization. Impressive results (like the [http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/surfacerecon/ KinectFusion] project from Microsoft) are already possible.
-The new [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_One Xbox One] ships with an upgraded version, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinect_for_Xbox_One Kinect v2], with enhanced resolution, that is able to detect your facial expression, measure your heart rate, and track every one of your fingers. A PC development-ready version ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinect_for_Xbox_One#Kinect_for_Windows Kinect for Windows v2]) was released in July 2014, but it could only be used with the official Windows SDK (open source support [https://github.com/OpenKinect/libfreenect2 exists] but is still young). In October 2014 an adapter that allows to plug the standard Kinect v2 to a PC was released, so the development version of the sensor was discontinued in April 2015. Now you can just buy the [http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Kinect-for-Xbox-One/productID.307499400 standard one] for the console plus the [http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Kinect-Adapter-for-Windows/productID.308803600 adapter].
+The new [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_One Xbox One] ships with an upgraded version, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinect_for_Xbox_One Kinect v2], with enhanced resolution, that is able to detect your facial expression, measure your heart rate, and track every one of your fingers. A PC development-ready version ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinect_for_Xbox_One#Kinect_for_Windows Kinect for Windows v2]) was released in July 2014, but it could only be used with the official Windows SDK (open source support [https://github.com/OpenKinect/libfreenect2 exists] but is still young). In October 2014 an adapter that allows to plug the standard Kinect v2 to a PC was released, so the development version of the sensor was discontinued in April 2015. Now you can just buy the [http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Kinect-for-Xbox-One/productID.307499400 standard one] for the console plus the [http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Kinect-Adapter-for-Windows/productID.308803600 adapter].
 I will explain the installation and usage of one of the "legacy" Kinect 1.0 devices with a common PC, and the possibilities it offers. I will do it in an easy to understand way, intended for students that have just acquired it and want to start from scratch.

@@ Line 92: / Line 92: @@
 ====JDK====
-OpenNI requires Sun's official JDK (Java Development Kit), which is no longer available on official apt repositories. You can use [http://www.webupd8.org/2012/09/install-oracle-java-8-in-ubuntu-via-ppa.html unofficial ones], or do it manually. For the last method, go to the [http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html Java SE downloads] page (SE means Standard Edition) and download the latest version (e.g., <span style="color:#1E90FF">''jdk-8u45-linux-x64.tar.gz''</span>). Extract it, then move the contents to <span style="color:#FF8C00">''/usr/lib/jvm/''</span> so it is available system-wide:
+OpenNI requires Sun's official JDK (Java Development Kit), which is no longer available on official apt repositories. You can use [http://www.webupd8.org/2012/09/install-oracle-java-8-in-ubuntu-via-ppa.html unofficial ones], or do it manually. For the last method, go to the [http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html Java SE downloads] page (SE means Standard Edition) and download the latest version (e.g., <span style="color:#1E90FF">''jdk-8u66-linux-x64.tar.gz''</span>). Extract it, then move the contents to <span style="color:#FF8C00">''/usr/lib/jvm/''</span> so it is available system-wide:
 <syntaxhighlight lang=Bash>sudo mkdir -p /usr/lib/jvm/
-sudo cp -r jdk1.8.0_45/ /usr/lib/jvm/</syntaxhighlight>
+sudo cp -r jdk1.8.0_66/ /usr/lib/jvm/</syntaxhighlight>
 Then, make it the default choice to compile and run Java programs. Remember to change the version number as needed!
-<syntaxhighlight lang=Bash>sudo update-alternatives --install "/usr/bin/java" "java" "/usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_45/bin/java" 1
+<syntaxhighlight lang=Bash>sudo update-alternatives --install "/usr/bin/java" "java" "/usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_66/bin/java" 1
-sudo update-alternatives --install "/usr/bin/javac" "javac" "/usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_45/bin/javac" 1
+sudo update-alternatives --install "/usr/bin/javac" "javac" "/usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_66/bin/javac" 1
-sudo update-alternatives --install "/usr/bin/jar" "jar" "/usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_45/bin/jar" 1</syntaxhighlight>
+sudo update-alternatives --install "/usr/bin/jar" "jar" "/usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_66/bin/jar" 1</syntaxhighlight>
 To be sure, use the following commands to manually select the correct option, in case there is more than one choice:

@@ Line 78: / Line 78: @@
 ==Compiling PCL from source==
-For Linuxes without a precompiled version of PCL, you will need to compile it yourself. This has an advantage, actually: you can customize the build options and choose what you want. Also, the resulting binaries and libraries should be a bit faster. And you always get the latest version! The instructions are [http://pointclouds.org/downloads/source.html here], but the steps are easy so I will show them to you.
+For Linuxes without a precompiled version of PCL, you will need to compile it yourself. This has an advantage, actually: you can customize the build options and choose what you want. Also, the resulting binaries and libraries should be a bit faster. And you always get the latest version! The instructions are [http://pointclouds.org/documentation/tutorials/compiling_pcl_posix.php here], but the steps are easy so I will show them to you.
 ===Installing the dependencies===

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 You will need the following:
-* A common Kinect device, out of the box. You can buy it in your local electronics shop, or [http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Kinect-for-Xbox-360/productID.253169000 online]. It also includes a free copy of ''[http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Kinect-Adventures/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d8024d5308ed Kinect Adventures]'', which is useless if you do not own the console. Microsoft has released a ''Kinect for Windows'' device, which is a normal looking Kinect no longer compatible with Xbox360, that will only work with their official SDK, intended for developers only. Also, like I stated earlier, you can use an ASUS Xtion indistinctly.
+* A common Kinect device, out of the box. You can buy it in your local electronics shop, or online. It also includes a free copy of ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinect_Adventures! Kinect Adventures!]'', which is useless if you do not own the console. Microsoft has released a ''Kinect for Windows'' device, which is a normal looking Kinect no longer compatible with Xbox360, that will only work with their official SDK, intended for developers only. Also, like I stated earlier, you can use an ASUS Xtion indistinctly.
 * A computer running Linux (Debian or Ubuntu preferably).
 * A medium-sized room. Kinect has some limitations for depth measurement: 40cm minimum, 8m maximum (make it 6).

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 I will explain the installation and usage of one of the "legacy" Kinect 1.0 devices with a common PC, and the possibilities it offers. I will do it in an easy to understand way, intended for students that have just acquired it and want to start from scratch.
-Keep in mind that the software that we are going to use (Point Cloud Library and OpenNI drivers) will also let you use any other device like the [http://www.asus.com/Multimedia/Xtion_PRO/ Xtion PRO] or [http://www.asus.com/Multimedia/Xtion_PRO_LIVE/ Xtion PRO LIVE] from ASUS (the PRO only has a depth sensor, the PRO LIVE is a RGB-D camera) without changing a line of code.
+Keep in mind that the software that we are going to use (Point Cloud Library and OpenNI drivers) will also let you use any other device like the [https://www.asus.com/3D-Sensor/Xtion_PRO/ Xtion PRO] or [https://www.asus.com/3D-Sensor/Xtion_PRO_LIVE/ Xtion PRO LIVE] from ASUS (the PRO only has a depth sensor, the PRO LIVE is a RGB-D camera) without changing a line of code.
 <span style="color:#606060">'''''NOTE: The tutorials are written for Linux platforms. Also, 64-bit versions seem to work better than 32-bit.'''''</span>