Instructions
This page will hold purchase, construction, setup, and calibration instructions for an Augmented Reality (AR) Sandbox.
Hardware Requirements
An AR Sandbox requires the following hardware components:
A computer with a good graphics card, running any version of Linux. The AR Sandbox software, in principle, also runs on Mac OS X, but we advise against it.
A Microsoft Kinect 3D camera. The AR Sandbox software, or rather the underlying Kinect 3D Video Package as of version 2.8, supports all three models of the first-generation Kinect (Kinect-for-Xbox 1414 and 1473 and Kinect for Windows). All three are functionally identical, so get the cheapest model you can find. Note: The second-generation Kinect (Kinect for Xbox One or Kinect for Windows v2) is not yet supported by the AR Sandbox software.
A digital data projector with a digital video interface, such as HDMI, DVI, or DisplayPort.
A sandbox with a way to mount the Kinect camera and the projector above the sandbox.
Sand.
Computer
The ideal computer for an AR Sandbox is a dedicated PC running a version of Linux, with a consumer-level, e.g., AMD/ATI Radeon or Nvidia GeForce, graphics card. The PC should have a good CPU, but does not need large RAM (2GB is sufficient to run the AR Sandbox software) or a large hard drive (20GB is sufficient to install Linux and the AR Sandbox software). While the AR Sandbox software runs under Mac OS X, we strongly recommend Linux because Linux-based installations are more stable.
We recommend an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 CPU running at at least 3GHz (as of 10/2015), an Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 graphics card (as of 02/2015), and the current release of the 64-bit version of Linux Mint with Mate desktop (17.2 "Rafaela" as of 10/2015). The AR Sandbox requires that the vendor-supplied binary drivers for the graphics card be installed.
The AR Sandbox has two main components: the topographic map renderer, and the water flow simulation. The former is comparatively easy on CPU and graphics card, and works on most current laptops or mid-range PCs. The water simulation, on the other hand, requires a high-end graphics card like the recommended GeForce GTX 970. While the water simulation can be disabled to allow running the AR Sandbox from a lower-end computer, we do not recommend doing so.
The benefit of a dedicated PC is that the AR Sandbox becomes a computational appliance. Since the AR Sandbox software does not require a live Internet connection, it is possible to install the OS and AR Sandbox software, and then disconnect the computer from the Internet and never update the operating system or AR Sandbox sofware. The AR Sandbox software can be set up to start automatically when the computer boots, in which case it does not even require a monitor, mouse, or keyboard. Should newer versions of the AR Sandbox software become available, they can be uploaded via removable media.
Projector
Ideally, the projector should have a short throw length and a native 4:3 aspect ratio to match the field-of-view of the Kinect camera. The projector's native resolution is secondary; XGA (1024x768 pixels) is sufficient, as the sandbox overall's resolution is limited by the Kinect camera's 640x480 pixels. For practical reasons, short-throw projectors generally project above centerline, i.e., the bottom edge of the projected image appears above an imaginary horizontal plane through the projector's lens. The ideal projector for an AR Sandbox would be a centerline projector, so it could be mounted directly next to the Kinect camera. Since centerline short-throw projectors are rare and typically very expensive, the compromise is to mount an above-centerline projector above the sandbox's rear long edge, while the Kinect is mounted above the sandbox's center (see Figure 1).
We recommend the BenQ MX631ST above-centerline short-throw XGA DLP projector with 13000:1 contrast ratio and 3200 ANSI lumens, which generally sells for around $550. At maximum zoom, it matches the Kinect camera's field-of-view and can thus be mounted at the same height as the Kinect camera, simplifying setup.
We strongly recommend that the projector be connected to the PC's graphics card via a digital video connection, i.e., using an HDMI port on the projector, and an HDMI, DVI, or DisplayPort port on the graphics card. An analog connection, such as using a 15-pin VGA port on the projector, leads to degraded image quality and can cause misalignment between the projected image and the sand surface.
Sandbox
The sandbox itself should have a 4:3 aspect ratio, to match the fields-of-view of the Kinect camera and the projector. The size of the sandbox is limited by the Kinect camera's minimum and maximum sensing distances, and the desired sandbox resolution. Due to the Kinect camera's approximately 90° field-of-view, the Kinect camera has to be mounted about as high above the sand surface as the sandbox is wide. The Kinect camera should be mounted directly above the sandbox's center point, looking straight down (see Figure 1).