🎞️Depth Recorder
(last updated December 2022, v0.2.1)
Please note that this is legacy software and is not being actively maintained.
This app requires HoloPlay Service and is incompatible with Looking Glass Bridge. Download HoloPlay Service for Windows here.
Depth Recorder streams and records content from an Azure Kinect depth camera with fun features like particle effects and backgrounds.
Depth recorder particle effects are based off a project by Keijiro Takahashi that you can find here.
Getting Started
Download Depth Recorder here. Depth Recorder is Windows only.
Requirements
Windows 10
An Azure Kinect camera
A discrete graphics card (we recommend a GTX 1650 or better)
A Looking Glass Portrait device (16" and 32" support is experimental - you may hit issues!)
If you'd like to convert your Depth Recorder creations into a Standalone playlist, please use Looking Glass Studio.
For best results, plug in the Azure Kinect camera before launching the app. Note that it's power cable needs to be connected either to an outlet or to a USB 3.0 port. See the Azure Kinect hardware setup guide for more information.
Once your setup is correctly configured, run the installer, and complete all the steps. Then run the app.
On certain computers, the application must be run as an administrator the first time it is launched or the point cloud data will not be visible — subsequent sessions won't require these privileges. Additionally, depending on your configuration, it may trigger your firewall — you'll have to allow access the first time you use the application when prompted.
Running the App
The app will now open with a window on your Looking Glass showing a 3D scene and a 2D UI on your main monitor.
You should see yourself now in your Looking Glass! If you don't, please ensure your Azure Kinect is running — if it is, you should only see "Azure Kinect" under the "Configure" tab on the Depth Recorder UI, and the camera should have a white and red light on the front. If it is not connected, you'll see a button saying "Open Device" — connect your Azure Kinect and press this button to begin the stream.
Configure
In the left column of the 2D UI, you'll see a variety of settings to configure your setup.
Depth Sensor
At the very top, you'll see the connected depth sensor or an option to attempt to open your device.
Microphone
This is a drop down to select what microphone will be used to record audio. This queries active and inactive microphones -- if your microphone is disabled and you select it, red warning text will appear informing you of the issue.
The microphone for the Azure Kinect unfortunately cannot be used for recordings at this time.
Recording Length
The maximum length of your recordings. The number here is saved for the next time you open the app, and you can adjust it to whatever you like. Note that the temporary files for the recording are very large, and so you will require significant storage on your drive to contain the temp files -- an estimate of the necessary space required is provided. Temp files will be cleared between recordings and when you exit the app. They are stored in the selected drive under LookingGlassFactoryTemp\DepthRecorderTemp
Temp File Drive
This allows you to set the drive for your temp files, as you will need significant storage to accomodate them depending on the length of your recording. Temp files are stored in the selected drive under LookingGlassFactoryTemp\DepthRecorderTemp
The Looking Glass Portrait's drive will not be accessible under this drop down as that could cause issues with your device.
Apply Effects
There are a number of controls and options to change the visualization of the stream in the "Apply Effects" column of the 2D UI.
Show Base Video Feed
This turns on or off the base color of what the camera is seeing — this can be useful depending on what effects you're going for!
Effect
This is a drop down list that allows you to select a cool effect to layer over or replace the base feed.
Background
Lets you select a backdrop for your scene, or allows you to enable the background of whatever the Azure Kinect is picking up — this is the "Real World Background" option. Note, however, that our camera's far clipping plane will result in only objects relatively close to you are visible unless the camera is substantially zoomed out.
Focus
This slider shifts your capture forward or backward so you can sit or stand comfortably and still be in focus!
Exposure
This slider will brighten or darken your scene, allowing you to tailor the visuals depending on your room's lighting.
Reset
Sets all of the above to their defaults.
Additional Controls
These are instructions for how to use the orbit controls in the Looking Glass. To use these, make sure your mouse is on your Looking Glass display rather than your main monitor!
Left click and drag to rotate video
Right click and drag to move video (pan)
Scroll wheel to zoom in and out
Double click to reset position
Recording Content
Once you have your scene set up with the background and effects you want, you can record a video by pressing the "Start Recording" in the "Record Video" column. There will be a three second countdown before the recording starts, giving you time to prepare.
Once it starts, you won't be able to change any of the effects, but you will be able to use the orbit controls in the Looking Glass.
When the recording stops, either because you've hit your max recording length or because you press "Stop Recording", the video will begin processing. Note that this can take several minutes! You won't be able to use the app for this time, and there will be a status bar showing progress. If you're unhappy with your capture and don't want to wait for it to process, you can press the "Cancel" button. This will create a quilt video of a length proportional to the progress bar at the time of cancelling.
When the video finishes processing, you will get a pop-up that shows you the path to your new quilt video. You can now load this into Looking Glass Studio to view it and to add it to your Looking Glass Portrait Standalone mode playlist!
Viewing on Looking Glass Studio
Once you've exported your video message, open Looking Glass Studio and follow instructions to import a quilt video. Note that the end of the file name of your recorded clip provides important quilt setting ("qs") and aspect ratio ("a") information for Looking Glass Studio - altering this text may cause issues when importing your clip.
With your clip added to your playlist, you'll be able to view, edit, and sync your capture for playback in Standalone mode!
File Locations
Your recordings will be saved to C:\Users\[username]\Documents\DepthRecorder
Temp files will be stored in the selected drive (typically C or D) under LookingGlassFactoryTemp\DepthRecorderTemp and will be automatically cleared every time the app closes.
Your log files can be found at C:\Users[username]\AppData\LocalLow\Looking Glass Factory\DepthRecorder\Player.log
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