Depthkit Camera Mounts
An open-source family of camera mounts that turned RGBDToolkit into a portable field system.
- Period
- 2012–2015
- Status
- Complete / Archived
- Form
- Open-source camera-mount system
The project
An open-source camera-mount system designed to hold an HD camera in rigid alignment with Kinect V1, Asus Xtion, and PrimeSense depth sensors. Interchangeable laser-cut arms and an aluminum base made RGBDToolkit portable and repeatable; people could fabricate the plans themselves or buy an assembled kit.
RGBDToolkit combined a conventional HD camera with a depth sensor, and calibration depended on the two lenses staying in exactly the same relationship. If the rig shifted, the recorded color and depth no longer lined up. I designed the mounts as part of making the system usable outside the studio.
The first versions used an aluminum base and laser-cut acrylic arms for Kinect V1, Asus Xtion, and PrimeSense sensors. The arms were interchangeable, so the same base could move among devices; later versions included 3D-printed and fabricated parts. I published the plans so people could make or modify their own, and I also produced assembled kits, ultimately selling hundreds. The mount turned a software experiment into a camera that could travel to shoots and workshops.
camera prototype
My role
I designed and fabricated the mount system, published the plans, and produced assembled kits. I developed interchangeable arms for Kinect V1, Asus Xtion, and PrimeSense sensors around a shared aluminum base.
Selected credits
- Alexander Porter
- Designer / Fabricator