Real-time 3D scanning stuns the gnome world

Garden gnomes: they decorate our yards, take bizarre trips, and now can be scanned in 3D in real time by using readily available computer hardware, as can be seen in this video from ReconstructMe. The developers employed the preview version of the Kinect for Windows v2 sensor and SDK, taking advantage of the sensor’s enhanced color and depth streams. Instead of directly linking the input of the Kinect with ReconstructMe, they streamed the data over a network, which allowed them to decouple the reconstruction from the data acquisition.

[View:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxQxAer-GPk]

Real-time 3D scan of garden gnome created by using Kinect for Windows v2

Developer Christoph Heindl (he’s the one holding the gnome in the video) notes that the ReconstructMe team plans to update this 3D scanning technology when the Kinect for Windows v2 is officially released this summer, saying, “We’re eager to make this technology widely available upon the release of Kinect for Windows v2.”

Heindl adds that this real-time process has potential applications in 3D scanning, 3D modelling through gestures, and animation. Not to mention the ability to document gnomic travels in 3D!

The Kinect for Windows Team

Key links