A clean-source Windows and Linux runtime for Kinect for Xbox 360 models 1414 and 1473.
Camera, depth, four-microphone audio, motor/tilt, LED, accelerometer, virtual camera and SynKinect Studio — under one stable per-sensor identity.
Quick start · Architecture · Build · Motion / Smart Tilt
Kinect Xbox 360 Remold provides a native runtime and SynKinect Studio without storing downloaded SDKs, toolchains or generated binaries in the source tree. Windows and Linux use the same end-to-end runtime architecture—Broker + SDK discovery, CameraBridge, AudioBridge and virtual-camera adapter—while only the lowest transport layer changes between WinUSB/WASAPI/Media Foundation and libusb/ALSA/V4L2.
| Capability | Windows | Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Models | Kinect 1414 + 1473 | Kinect 1414 + 1473 |
| RGB / IR / depth | Native Remold camera transport | libusb Remold camera transport |
| Four-microphone array | Windows USB Audio + shared WASAPI | Microsoft UAC firmware + ALSA |
| Motor / LED / accelerometer | Model-specific native transport | Model-specific native transport |
| Virtual camera | Media Foundation | V4L2 / v4l2loopback |
| Desktop application | SynKinect Studio | SynKinect Studio |
| Multi-Kinect routing | Stable per-device ID | Stable per-device ID |
The Microsoft UAC firmware is not committed to the repository. The build system obtains and verifies the required image from the official Kinect Runtime package, or accepts the exact validated image for an offline build.
Every connected Kinect is represented by one stable device identity. That identity binds the control transport, raw camera transport, audio transport, virtual camera and application endpoints for the same physical sensor.
For each connected Kinect:
- one virtual camera is published;
- one four-channel Remold audio stream endpoint is published;
- one audio-control endpoint is published;
- camera/scanner operations are routed by the same device ID;
- motor, LED and accelerometer commands are routed by the same device ID;
- LED behavior is identical on 1414 and 1473:
Off,Green,RedandBlinkGreen, with a fresh camera/control session initialized to green; - SynKinect Studio enables driver-backed controls only when the required endpoint for the selected Kinect is available.
Windows uses Media Foundation virtual cameras, WinUSB for Remold-owned USB transports, the Windows USB Audio stack for the Kinect UAC runtime and WASAPI for four-channel capture.
Linux uses libusb for Kinect camera/control transport, ALSA for the Kinect USB Audio runtime and one v4l2loopback virtual camera per connected Kinect.
Automatic Tilt is scoped to each Kinect independently.
The virtual camera for a Kinect tracks whether that specific virtual camera is being consumed. While active, its face tracker evaluates that Kinect's RGB stream and adjusts only that Kinect's motor through the per-device control route. Accelerometer feedback, command rate limits, dead zones and motor settling limits are applied independently per sensor.
When a virtual camera is not being consumed, its face-tracking Tilt loop does not move the corresponding Kinect.
The virtual camera always carries the Kinect RGB stream and follows the RGB HQ setting of its Kinect: 1280x1024 while RGB HQ is on, 640x480 otherwise, on Linux and Windows alike. Digital pan, zoom and vertical framing follow the same face target as the motor.
Linux and Windows run the same Smart Tilt controller and motion contract: the camera service is the only component that polls motor status (1414 and 1473 every 25 ms, only while a frame consumer is active) and every frame carries its accelerometer/tilt sample. See docs/MOTION.md.
The optional IP-camera runtime is secure-by-default: it is disabled after a fresh install and binds only to 127.0.0.1 until an administrator explicitly enables LAN mode. Credentials are randomly generated and hidden from normal status output. On normal enable, the stream is pinned to one stable Kinect deviceId, so a disconnected sensor is not silently replaced by another camera. LAN mode is limited to private/link-local peers; Windows additionally limits its firewall rule to the Private profile and LocalSubnet. Repeated failed logins are rate-limited, request sizes/routes/methods are constrained, and browser-facing responses carry restrictive security headers.
The built-in transport is authenticated HTTP, not TLS. Do not expose it directly to the public internet; use a VPN or TLS reverse proxy for access outside a trusted private network. Linux runs the IP service as a dedicated unprivileged account. Local product IPC is available immediately to the desktop session; physical USB nodes remain protected by udev/logind access control.
A full build creates one root output tree:
binaries/
├── windows/
│ ├── applications/
│ │ └── SynKinectStudio/
│ ├── drivers/
│ └── sdk/
└── linux/
├── applications/
│ └── SynKinectStudio/
├── drivers/
└── sdk/
No generated binary is written to applications/ or drivers/.
Double-click or run:
Kinect-Xbox-360-Remold.cmdIf any required binary is missing, the launcher builds the complete Windows runtime and Studio. When all artifacts are ready it opens SynKinect Studio directly through the windowless launcher, without keeping a Command Prompt open.
The build downloads verified build dependencies into:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Kinect360Remold\Cache\windows
and keeps temporary work outside the repository under:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Kinect360Remold\Work\windows
The generated runtime control entry point is:
binaries\windows\drivers\KINECT.cmd
SynKinect Studio is generated under:
binaries\windows\applications\SynKinectStudio\
Run or launch Kinect-Xbox-360-Remold.sh. If required binaries are missing it builds the complete Linux runtime and Studio; otherwise it opens Studio directly. From a graphical desktop, a terminal is used only while a build is actually required. Missing build dependencies are detected before compilation and can be installed through the native apt, dnf or pacman package manager after the normal administrator prompt. If compilation fails, the build terminal remains open and reports the failing stage and log path; after a successful build, the launcher verifies that SynKinect Studio actually starts before closing the build terminal.
The Linux launcher builds the runtime when required, and INSTALL.sh installs only the generated bundle. Hardware routing is model-specific: model 1414 uses the dedicated 045E:02B0 motor function; model 1473 leaves 045E:02C2 as the parent hub and uses runtime 02BB/02C3 MI_00 for control while ALSA uses the UAC audio interface.
The Linux build is also the provisioning boundary: it prepares the verified UAC firmware and compiles the pinned v4l2loopback module for the running kernel. Install / Reinstall and binaries/linux/drivers/INSTALL.sh perform no download, package-manager operation or compilation; they install and verify only the already-built bundle.
bash Kinect-Xbox-360-Remold.shTemporary build work is kept outside the repository under the XDG cache location, or under REMOLD_WORK_ROOT when explicitly configured.
The generated runtime control entry point is:
binaries/linux/drivers/KINECT.sh
SynKinect Studio is generated under:
binaries/linux/applications/SynKinectStudio/
Windows obtains and verifies the Microsoft Kinect Runtime 1.8 package during the driver build and extracts the required UACFirmware into build work outside the source tree.
Linux uses the same UAC runtime model. UACFirmware is not committed to this repository. During a full Linux build, the official Microsoft Kinect Runtime v1.8 package is downloaded into the user cache, verified, and the exact UAC firmware image is extracted and verified before it is placed in the generated runtime support directory. KINECT_UAC_FIRMWARE remains available for an offline build with the exact validated image.
The SDK output is an endpoint contract, not a copy of the Microsoft Kinect SDK.
Windows:
\\.\pipe\Kinect360RemoldSdk
Linux:
/run/kinect360-remold/sdk.sock
Both SDK transports implement LIST, GET <deviceId> and INDEX <sensorIndex> and return the same device rows. SynKinect Studio uses this endpoint for discovery on Windows and Linux; the runtime manifest remains private to the native services. Each SDK output also publishes the public control and audio-control ABI headers for its platform.
applications/ SynKinect Studio source, resources and module API source
drivers/ Windows and Linux native runtime source
scripts/ top-level Studio and native-runtime build entry points
docs/ architecture, installation and protocol documentation
licenses/ repository license material
Kinect-Xbox-360-Remold.cmd smart Windows build/launch entry point
Kinect-Xbox-360-Remold.sh smart Linux build/launch entry point
VERSION product version
See docs/QUICKSTART.md, docs/ARCHITECTURE.md and docs/BUILD-DRIVERS.md for the operating model and build details.