A Windows desktop application that places your live clock within the three-dimensional depth of your wallpaper. Using AI-powered depth estimation, the app creates a stunning atmospheric effect where the clock appears to exist behind foreground objects while remaining visible in the background.
Vibe Coded Project: The code is rather chaotic, sorry about that. You can blame 'Big Pickle' and partially 'MiniMax M2.1 Free' model for that. I just wanted to practice agentic coding using OpenCode 😁. Though after a while I switched to Opus 4.5 and Sonnet 4.5 which were much better at cleaning up the codebase and fixing a lot of things.
- Depth-Aware Clock Placement: The clock renders behind closer objects for a natural 3D effect
- AI-Powered Depth Estimation: Using Depth-Anything-V2 model
- Real-Time Updates: Live clock that updates every minute (configurable)
- Customizable Clock: Fonts, colors, shadows, position, and time format
- Daily Bing Wallpapers: Automatically fetches beautiful Bing homepage images
- System Tray Operation: Runs quietly in the background with minimal footprint
- Auto Clock Positioning: Automatically positions the clock to achieve your desired level of hiding behind foreground objects
DepthClockWallpaper uses a depth estimation model Depth-Anything-V2 to split a given image into 2 layers (foreground and background objects). It places an image with clock in between those 2 layers. Saves the layered image in your Temp folder and updates your wallpaper. The frequency of updates and the threshold to determine the depth can be configured per your taste.
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Setup
- Download the latest release
- Extract the ZIP file to your desired location
- Run
DepthClockWallpaper.exe
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First Launch
- The app will appear in your system tray (bottom-right corner)
- Right-click the tray icon to access settings
- Configure your preferences and the app will set your wallpaper
- It sets the app to always launch on startup (you can disable that in the settings)
Right-click the DepthClockWallpaper icon in your system tray to access:
- Settings: Open the configuration dialog
- Exit: Close the application
- Wallpaper Mode: Choose between custom images or daily Bing wallpapers
- Clock Style: Customize font, color, size, shadows, and position
- Position Mode:
- Auto Position Mode: Automatically finds optimal clock position based on depth analysis
- Target Coverage: Sets how much of the clock you want hidden behind foreground objects (0% = fully visible, 50% = half hidden, 100% = maximally hidden)
- Depth Settings: Adjust foreground detection threshold and mask blur
- Performance: Toggle GPU acceleration and configure update intervals
- Prerequisites
- .NET 8.0
- IDE of your choice: Visual Studio / Rider
- Python (needed to build your onnx model file using
./Python/export_model.py) - uv (for environment and package management)
DepthClockWallpaper/
├── Core/ # Core business logic
│ ├── Orchestrator.cs # Main coordinator with timer and cache logic
│ ├── DepthEngine.cs # AI depth estimation using ONNX model
│ ├── Compositor.cs # Composites clock onto wallpaper with depth masking
│ ├── CacheManager.cs # Depth mask caching for performance
│ ├── WallpaperSetter.cs # Windows wallpaper setting (multiple methods)
│ ├── BingWallpaperService.cs # Fetches daily Bing homepage images
│ ├── CrashLogger.cs # Centralized crash logging
│ └── Win32.cs # Win32 API interop
├── Models/ # Data models
│ ├── Config.cs # Configuration classes (AppConfig, ClockConfig, etc.)
│ ├── WallpaperPaths.cs # Centralized temp file paths
│ └── WritableJsonOptions.cs # Hot-reload config writer
├── UI/ # Windows Forms UI
│ └── SettingsForm.cs # Settings dialog with system tray
├── Python/ # Model export utilities
│ ├── export_model.py # Exports Depth-Anything-V2 to ONNX format
│ └── pyproject.toml # Python dependencies (uv)
├── Scripts/ # PowerShell scripts
│ ├── run.ps1 # Quick start script (build + run)
│ ├── compile.ps1 # Full build/publish script
│ └── install_depth_anything.ps1 # Model repository setup
├── depth_anything_v2_small.onnx # AI model (ONNX format)
├── depth_anything_v2_small.onnx.data # AI model weights
├── DepthClockWallpaper.csproj # .NET 8 project file
├── DepthClockWallpaper.sln # Solution file
├── Program.cs # Entry point with DI setup
└── icon.ico # Application icon
- Runtime: .NET 8.0-windows
- UI Framework: Windows Forms
- AI/ML: Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.DirectML 1.23.0
- Graphics: SkiaSharp 3.119.1
- DI/Config: Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting 10.0.2
- Model: Depth-Anything-V2 Small (ViT-S encoder, 24.8M parameters)
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/nfzv/DepthClockWallpaper.git
cd DepthClockWallpaper
# Quick start (builds model if needed, then builds and runs)
.\Scripts\run.ps1
# Or build manually (requires ONNX model to exist)
dotnet build -c Release
dotnet run -c ReleaseNote: The run.ps1 script will automatically:
- Check for the ONNX model and export it if missing (requires uv and Python)
- Build the project
- Run the application
For manual model export, see Python/export_model.py.
Enable debug mode to save intermediate images for troubleshooting:
- In Settings, enable "Enable Debug Mode"
- Set a debug path (e.g.,
debug/) - Check the output images:
0_depth_map.png: Raw depth estimation output4_raw_mask.png: Binary foreground mask before blur4a_blurred_mask.png: Softened mask with blur applied
To adjust how much of the clock is hidden behind foreground objects:
- Enable Auto Position Mode: The clock will automatically position itself based on your target coverage
- Adjust Target Coverage:
- Lower values (0-30%) keep the clock mostly visible
- Medium values (40-60%) create a balanced semi-hidden effect
- Higher values (70-100%) maximize the clock hiding behind objects
- Adjust Threshold Percentile: A lower value makes the mask more selective (fewer objects considered "foreground")
Q: Does DepthClockWallpaper support dual monitors? A: Currently, the app sets the same wallpaper across all monitors. Multi-monitor support with per-monitor clock positioning is a potential improvement.
Q: Can I use my own wallpapers instead of Bing images? A: Yes. In settings, switch to "Custom" mode and select your preferred image path.
Q: Does this work with animated wallpapers? A: No, DepthClockWallpaper currently only supports static images. Animated wallpaper support is not planned but could be explored as a future enhancement. Depth-Anything-V2 does support video processing, though it's still theoretical.
Q: How do I control how much of the clock is hidden? A: Use the "Target Coverage" slider in Auto Position Mode:
- Set to 0% for a fully visible clock
- Set to 50% for a balanced semi-hidden effect
- Set to 100% to maximize hiding behind foreground objects You can also adjust the Threshold Percentile to control which objects are considered "foreground"
MIT License
