OpenNI is an open source program for Windows focused on certifying and improving interoperability of organic user interfaces for Natural Interaction devices and corresponding apps. The software distribution offers a set of free APIs to serve as a standard for developing new projects. More specifically, it provides support for voice recognition, hand gestures, and body motion tracking.

Principle of operation

The multilanguage, cross-platform framework defines APIs in order to write applications using NI systems. Natural Interaction refers to the way in which people ordinarily communicate through gestures, expressions, and movements. This means you have the ability to discover the VR world by looking around and manipulating various physical objects and materials. If you want to develop projects for Kinect, you may try another software package called Kinect for Windows SDK.

Main capabilities

The OpenNI API gives you access to PrimeSense compatible sensors. It enables an app to activate triggers and receive depth, RGB and IR video streams from the device. Moreover, there is a single unified interface for sensors and ONI recordings.

The toolset also comes with another uniform UI that middleware developers may utilize to interact with depth sensors. Apps are then able to make use of both the third-party projects, as well as basic depth and video data provided directly by OpenNI.

Features

free to download and use;
compatible with modern Windows versions;
gives you the ability to develop apps for NI devices;
the program package offers a collection of APIs;
it is possible to utilize third-party middleware.