Orbbec Astra NB ROS

axelartes

Hello, does anyone know if the Orbbec Astra NB ROS works with Mac M1? Looking for another option than kinect v2. isadora keeps crashing every time with the OpenNi Beta actor. this depth camera is 25usd. any recommendations? does it actually function? thanks

bonemap

@axelartes

I have two Orbbec Astra Pro cameras that work with the OpenNi Tracker Beta on Arm Macs. What MacOS are you working with? Be cautious tho I have purchased newer generations of Astra cameras from Orbbec that are not compatible with the Isadora plug-in. This Astra Pro I picked up second hand works without issue.

Best Wishes,

Russell

axelartes

@bonemap

Thanks I'm running Ventura 13.4 with kinect v2. what model is that and what is the depth camera resolution you get? and Yes, beware of any Astra cameras. last year we purchased this Astra that never worked with the OpenNI beta actor.

RIL

Perhaps it would be interesting to do an update on depth cameras: which ones work and which ones don't. Especially the Orbbec Astra models. Taking into account the most current operating systems (Mac)
This way this information is available on the forum and will surely be needed constantly.
Kind regards,
MAxi ril

bonemap

@axelartes

Hi the model I have is “Astra Pro” it has a 720p RGB camera and 640 x 480 depth camera. It is a discontinued model - the current “Astra Pro Plus” is, at this time, not compatible with Isadora Open Ni. The other camera that I use is the “Astra Mini” it has a 640 x 480 RGB camera and a 640 x 480 depth camera - it is also a discontinued device. The current equivalent from Orbbec is the “Astra Mini Pro” but this is, at the moment, not compatible with the Isadora OpenNi module plugin.

I have tried using the “Astra Mini Pro” with Isadora Open Ni plugin but it did not work - Orbbec support verified that it was a different camera to the previous “Astra Mini” model and incompatible. The “Astra Mini Pro”, although incompatible with Isadora, was fully functional in TouchDesigner who have introduced dedicated Orbbec modules this year.

best wishes

Russell

axelartes

Thanks for the above information. I agree, an updated list of working vs not working cameras would be helpful for everyone.

does anyone know which depth camera that works with the OpenNi actor has a higher resolution than 640x480? I'm looking for sharper definition and it seems all depth cameras are 640x480. any leads? Thanks

mark_m

@axelartes

Can I ask what you need sharper definition for? Are you using the camera as a camera, or for tracking something? If the latter, then I would suggest you probably don't need higher definition.

axelartes

@mark_m

Hi, I am using the depth camera for skeleton tracking. the silhouettes output have a very low res outline.

I've applied a Blur effect to avoid the pixelation but then the body shapes start to get lost.

what do you suggest to make their outline look sharper? thanks in advance

axelartes

Hello, any suggestions on how to make the outline of a tracked image look sharper? it always looks low res and low quality.

thanks in advance

dbini

@axelartes

it is always going to start out low res and low quality, but you can smooth out the image slightly if you are OK with losing some definition. I use Scaler to increase the resolution of the image, that gives me more pixels to work with, even if the source image is still low res. A combination of Gaussian Blur and Threshold will produce smoother outlines that match your scaled image.