OpenNI Install on Ubuntu

STEP 1 - Download the OpenNI modules appropriate for your operating system from http://www.openni.org/Downloads/OpenNIModules.aspx 

You should download these three:

• OpenNI binaries

• OpenNI compliant middleware binaries

• OpenNI compliant hardware binaries

The downloaded files should like these:

->OpenNI-Bin-Linux32-v1.1.0.41.tar.bz2

->Nite-1.3.1.5.tar.bz2

->Sensor-Bin-Linux32-v5.0.1.32.tar.bz2

STEP 2 - Update your linux

$ sudo apt-get update

Install these files which are necessary for proper installation of drivers

$ sudo apt-get install mono-complete

$ sudo apt-get install libusb-1.0-0-dev

$ sudo apt-get install freeglut3-dev

STEP 3 - The extracted folders in step 1 will be

->OpenNI-Bin-Linux32-v1.1.0.41

->Sensor-Bin-Linux32-v5.0.1.32

->Nite-1.3.1.5 rename it to OpenNI, Sensor, Nite respectively

STEP 4 - Go to the folder OpenNI, Sensor, Nite and run

$ cd OpenNI

$ sudo ./install.sh

$ cd ../Sensor

$ sudo ./install.sh

$ cd ../Nite

$ sudo ./install.sh

STEP 5 - Prepare to download the sources:

(1) mkdir ~/kinect && cd ~/kinect

(2) git clone https://github.com/OpenNI/OpenNI.git

(3) cd OpenNI/Platform/Linux/Build

(4) make && sudo make install

STEP 6 - Add the license to the file ~/kinect/OpenNI/Data/SamplesConfig.xml like this:

<OpenNI>

<Licenses>

<License vendor="PrimeSense" key="0KOIk2JeIBYClPWVnMoRKn5cdY4"/>

</Licenses>

STEP 7 - Test if everything is working fine by running the samples from the OpenNI folder:

$ cd ~/kinect/OpenNI/Samples/Bin/Release/

Figure [OpenNI] depicts the sample program User Tracker:

$cd ~/kinect/OpenNI/Platform/Linux/Bin/x86-Release

$ ./Sample-NiUserTracker

The official documentation for the OpenNI installation is inexistent - the steps were adapted from the forum articles [OpenNI01, OpenNI02].

[OpenNI01] http://openni-discussions.979934.n3.nabble.com/OpenNI-dev-Kinect-on-Debian-The-device-is-not-connected-td3446024.html
[OpenNI02] http://www.keyboardmods.com/2010/12/howto-kinect-openninite-skeleton.htm