PointCloud v1 FAQ

Brekel PointCloud v1 is a Windows application that enables 3D animators to record 3D pointclouds using a Microsoft Kinect v1 sensor, and export them to popular mesh-cache and particle-cache formats for use in most 3D packages. One thing people have used it for is recreating the holographic effect seen in the Prometheus movie.

Yes. The app was originally released under the name Brekel Kinect Pro PointCloud and was later renamed to Brekel PointCloud v1. The installer files and download folder still carry the old name.

It’s not meant for scanning static objects. Its main focus is capturing moving subjects at 30 frames per second.

Brekel PointCloud v1 uses the official Microsoft Kinect drivers (SDK v1.8). The installer will automatically download and install these for you, or you can get them yourself from Microsoft.

Both the Kinect for Xbox 360 and Kinect for Windows v1 sensors are fully supported. Note that both need their power supply, not just the USB cable. The Asus Xtion and PrimeSense Carmine sensors are not supported. Specs, and how this sensor compares to newer hardware: depth sensor comparison.

• Microsoft officially licensed the ‘for Xbox’ sensor for development purposes only and the ‘for Windows’ sensor for commercial and consumer use; technically the software happily works with both
• ‘for Windows’ supports near mode, which senses between 40cm and 3m distance; regular mode senses between 80cm and 4m
• ‘for Windows’ adds control over the video camera’s exposure and white balance settings
• The app’s Extended Depth mode stretches the usable range to roughly 40cm through 10m on both sensor types

The sensor dates from 2010 and has long been out of production, so it is second-hand only. It sold in enormous numbers though, so they turn up regularly on eBay and similar marketplaces, usually for very little. Make sure the power supply is included: the sensor needs it and cannot run on USB alone.

A single instance of the app uses one sensor at a time. You can however run the software more than once and choose which sensor each instance uses if you have several connected, and sync their recordings with the Record Triggering feature. There is no alignment or fusion between sensors; that is a PointCloud v3 feature.

• Kinect for Xbox 360 or Kinect for Windows v1 sensor, including its power supply
• Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit)
• Intel Core i5 or equivalent CPU
• 4 GB RAM
• A dedicated USB 2.0 bus for the sensor
• Graphics card with OpenGL support

The easiest way to check whether your machine and sensor work is to run the free trial.

On certain graphics cards/drivers the rendering of the pointcloud can be problematic. As a workaround you can use the shortcut in your Windows Start menu labeled “noVBO” to disable some of the internal OpenGL accelerations that may cause the crash.

Video output depends on which video codecs are installed on your machine. When the ‘Ask for codec’ option is disabled the XVID codec is used automatically if available. If you’re having codec trouble I can recommend the K-Lite codec pack and/or Xvid. Remember to install the 64-bit version of the codec, matching the application.

No, development has moved on to newer versions of the PointCloud apps and no new v1 features are planned. Existing licenses keep working, and the app remains available for people with Kinect v1 hardware. The current version of the app family is PointCloud v3.