14 DAY TRIAL // A new version of the Kinect for Windows software development kit is now available for download from Microsoft.
The Kinect for Windows SDK Beta Refresh comes to enhance the original release of the SDK, which shipped to early adopters on June 16, 2011.
According to Tony Hey, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Research Connections, demand for the initial release of the Kinect for Windows SDK Beta has been quite strong.
The collection of developer resources is designed to support building natural user interface (NUI) applications that leverage the innovative Kinect sensor on Windows.
Hey underlines that it was feedback from the early adopters that jumped at the chance to test drive Kinect for Windows SDK Beta that catalyzed the release of the Refresh.
In this regard, Kinect for Windows SDK Beta Refresh brings to the table a range of driver enhancements, “Stability fixes to prevent crashes, including those that appear when a PC goes into sleep mode,” Hey said.
The software giant also focused on improving runtime, by introducing “refinements to a number of APIs, improvements in time-stamping, and the removal of non-functional APIs to alleviate confusion (they will be reinserted if and when the functionality becomes available in future releases),” Hey stated.
At the same time, there are additional enhancements, with Hey highlighting “improvements to the documentation, including clarifications and the deletion of information pertaining to non-functional components. Also, the SDK samples have been enhanced.”
It’s important to note that the evolution of the Kinect for Windows SDK is far from over. In fact, the Redmond company plans to ship at least another Kinect for Windows SDK Beta Refresh by the end of 2011 alone. According to Microsoft, Kinect for Windows SDK will continue to be provided under a non-commercial license only for the duration of this year.
“This non-commercial SDK beta enables human motion tracking, voice recognition, and depth sensing on PCs, enabling developers to create innovative natural user interface applications. The SDK includes drivers and rich APIs for raw sensor streams and natural user interfaces, as well as installation documents and resource materials,” hey said.
Kinect for Windows SDK Beta Refresh is available for download here.