Pictured: A new sample application demonstrates how to render depth data on the GPU and follow the user with the camera The concept of using the Kinect for creative application development has moved well beyond the novelty phase. Microsoft recently updated their SDK for desktop development and launched a new portal to showcase some groundbreaking work with the device. Third party developers have also stepped it up. Packages formerly thought of as "hacks" are now feature-rich, stable interfaces into the Kinect and similar devices. That includes my Cinder wrapper of the official SDK. KinectSdk 1.1.0 is a big leap up from the last version. This block has now gone through some pretty rigorous and real world testing. The sample projects and the block itself run faster, use less memory, do not leak, and exit cleanly. If the device goes offline, it tries to bring it back. Switching features of the device on and off, or switching between or combining devices, happens quickly without error. The old wrapper let you play with the Kinect, now you can actually use it. A big addition to this package are new sample projects. The "PointCloudGpu" sample application demonstrates how to represent depth data using your GPU. It also shows how to follow a user with the camera, a technique for which I've received many requests to share. "MeshApp" demonstrates how to create a solid mesh from the depth data and map color data to it. Pictured: The updated SDK provides access to multiple devices, camera tilt, and more GET KINECTSDK FOR CINDER ON GITHUB BLOCK + INSTALLATION Follow these easy steps to install: Download and install the official SDK and drivers here Clone the KinectSdk block from GitHub Unzip the contents into your main Cinder path, merging it with your "blocks" folder Go to "cinder/blocks/KinectSDK/samples/KinectApp/vc10" and open "KinectApp.sln" with Visual Studio C++ Express or Visual Studio 2010 Build and run IMPORTANT! Do NOT move any of the SDK's files into the sample projects. The projects rely on a properly installed Kinect SDK to work. To create your own project, I recommend starting with the KinectApp sample and then build out from there. This will save you the work of trying to set up linking, DLL copying, etc. This new block is a major upgrade from the 0.0.x versions, which you can read about here . The new version includes all the features of the previous releases, and the following: Works with the new Kinect SDK 1.0 beta 2 Support for up to eight connected devices Camera tilt Greyscale mode Improved performance and stability Added PointCloudGpu sample application Block arranged to meet new CinderBlock guidelines and improve portability Includes improved AudioInput class for Windows Block and samples exit with zero memory remaining Fixed bug with high resolution modes 1.1.0: Added support for stable SDK 1.0 1.1.0: Added static library, implemented in samples 1.1.0: Added "MeshApp" sample NOTE: I've found that the new driver from Microsoft can cause the Kinect device to fail more often than the old one. The infrared emitter will often turn off and not come back with a restart of the device or even your computer. I've found that removing all USB devices from the same hub as your Kinect greatly improves the devices the up time (to basically 100%). I've also found that multiple Kinects tend to run better when on the same hub than when on different ones.