Revision history [back]

I'm using a Kinect to build 2D maps at the moment as well and getting pretty good results. Here are some of the packages I'm using:

SLAM: hector_slam - uses scan matching so it can localize without need for external odometry

Laser Scan: depthimage_to_laserscan - converts a 3d pointcloud to a fake laser scan

Maps: map_server - lets you save and publish maps

I'm sorry if this doesn't quite answer the specifics but these have worked for me and you're trying to accomplish basically the same thing.