Our OpenNI Tracker plugin plugin allows you to use a depth cameras to do skeleton tracking of multiple bodies in 3D space.

The OpenNI tracker actor.

If you are experiencing issues with OpenNI Tracker, please follow the steps outlined below before contacting us. If these these steps don't help you resolve your issue, then please open a ticket with us so our tech team can ask you specific questions about your computer setup and the tracking cameras you are using.

Also please check the Known Issues and Unconfirmed Issues at the end of this article to see if your problem matches an issue described there. We will update these two sections as issues arise.

1) Make Sure You Are Running on a Supported Operating System

We have successfully tested OpenNI Tracker on macOS Mojave (v10.14) through Monterey (macOS 12.0) with both Intel and Apple Silicon (ARM/M1) processors, and with Windows 10 and 11 with an Intel processor. (In the case of Apple silicon, we were running in Rosetta mode – see step #4 for more on that.)

If you are not using one of those operating system versions, we cannot guarantee that OpenNI Tracker will work.

2) Make Sure You Are Running the Latest Version of Isadora

At the time of this writing, Isadora 3.2.1 is the most recent version. If you are running a version older than that, please visit our Get It page to download the most recent version.

3) Make Sure You Have The Latest Version of OpenNI Tracker

The latest version of OpenNI Tracker is always available for download from the Add-Ons section of our website. You can check the version number of any TroikaTronix Add-On by simply pointing your mouse cursor at the center of the actor. The version number is displayed after the name of the actor in the Information view at the bottom right.

4) Make Sure You Are Using a Compatible Camera

OpenNI Tracker supports these four depth cameras:

  • Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360 (aka the Kinect v1, models 1414 and 1473 only)
  • Microsoft Kinect for Xbox One (aka Kinect v2)
  • Orbbec Astra
  • Intel Realsense D435

5) If You're On an Apple silicon (ARM/M1) Mac, Enable Rosetta Mode

OpenNI Tracker relies on third-party libraries that are compiled for Intel processors only; these libraries will never be updated to an Apple silicon native version. For this reason, if you want to use OpenNI Tracker on an Apple silicon machine, you must run Isadora in "Rosetta" Intel emulation mode.

To enable Rosetta mode for Isadora:

  1. Quit Isadora if it is running.
  2. In the Applications folder, go into the folder Isadora 3
  3. Right click the Isadora application and choose Get Info from the right-click menu.
  4. In the window that appears, check the box that says "Open using Rosetta"
  5. Close the Window.
  6. Open Isadora and start using OpenNI Tracker.

IMPORTANT: Don't forget to disable Rosetta when you don't need to use OpenNI Tracker! Otherwise, you won't be taking advantage of the native ARM/M1 performance offered by the most recent versions of Isadora.

6) If You’re Installing on Windows, Make Sure You Installed the Necessary Drivers

If you are using a Kinect v1, Kinect v2 or Orbbec Astra camera, you need to install additional drivers to use OpenNI Tracker on Windows. Please refer to the "read me" file included in the distribution for instructions.

To determine if you have a model 1414 or 1473 of the Kinect for Xbox 360, you need to look at the label on the bottom of the camera.

7) When Using the Kinect v2 or the Orbbec Astra, Add the Masquerade File

Normally OpenNI will not recognize the Orbbec Astra or the Kinect v2 for skeleton tracking. You can override this behavior by placing the file called "masquerade.txt" into a location where the plugin can find it. The settings in this file cause OpenNI to believe that the Astra or Kinect v2 is a Kinect v1, and thus enables body tracking. Because this is not normally supported by OpenNI, we require that you, the end user, place this file in the proper location manually.

To install the file:

  1. Quit Isadora if it is running.
  2. If you don't already have it, get OpenNI Tracker distribution from our Add-Ons section of our website.
  3. Open installer file "openni-tracker-mac-vX.X.X.dmg" (macOS) or "openni-tracker-win-vX.X.X.zip" (Windows) and find the file called "masquerade.txt"
  4. Open Isadora and choose Help > Open Plugins Folder > TroikaTronix Actor Plugins
  5. Drag the masquerade.txt to the plugin folder you opened the step above.
  6. Restart Isadora

Known Issues

macOS Monterey + Intel Realsense D435: The Intel Realsense D435 is not recognized by OpenNI Tracker on macOS Monterey (v12.x) when running on an ARM/M1 processor. We have not confirmed this issue on Monterey and an Intel processor. The issue seems to be specific to Monterey; the D435 camera works well an M1/ARM Mac running macOS Big Sur (v11.x).

Unconfirmed Issues

We have no unconfirmed issues at this time.