ZED SDK API Overview

The ZED SDK provides comprehensive APIs across multiple programming languages, enabling developers to integrate 3D sensing capabilities into any application.

Each API offers access to features such as depth perception, positional tracking, spatial mapping, object detection, and body tracking.

Available APIs

Language	Description
C++	Core API with full access to all ZED SDK features.
Python	Python wrapper for rapid prototyping and integration with data science tools.
C#	.NET wrapper for Unity and Windows desktop applications.
C	Lightweight C interface for embedded systems and cross-language bindings.

Choosing the right API

C++ — Recommended for production applications requiring maximum performance and access to the full feature set. It is the reference implementation from which all other wrappers are derived.
Python — Ideal for research, prototyping, and workflows involving NumPy, OpenCV, PyTorch, or other Python ecosystems. Provides near-complete feature parity with the C++ API.
C# — Designed for Unity integration and .NET-based desktop applications on Windows. Suitable for building mixed-reality and simulation experiences.
C — A minimal, ABI-stable interface useful for embedding ZED functionality in systems with strict language constraints, or for building custom bindings in languages like Rust, Go, or Java via FFI.

Common capabilities

All APIs provide access to the following core modules:

Module	Description
Video Capture	Stereo and mono image acquisition, including side-by-side and rectified outputs.
Depth Sensing	Real-time depth map computation with multiple quality modes.
Positional Tracking	6-DoF camera pose estimation using visual-inertial odometry.
Global Localization	Global Localization in Earth Coordinates using GNSS information.
Spatial Mapping	3D reconstruction of the environment as meshes or fused point clouds.
Object Detection	2D/3D detection and tracking of objects using optimized neural networks.
Body Tracking	Real-time skeleton estimation for human body pose analysis.
Fusion	Multi-camera data fusion.

Feature availability may vary slightly between wrappers. Refer to each API’s documentation for specific supported functions.

Platform support

Platform	C++	Python	C#	C
Windows	✅	✅	✅	✅
Ubuntu Linux	✅	✅	❌	✅
NVIDIA Jetson (L4T)	✅	✅	❌	✅