Why Creating ‘Gaussian Spots’ Will Become Your Favorite Way to Preserve Family Memories
My question about virtual reality has always been, “But what’s it good for ?” Finally, I have an answer: Gaussian spatter. We’ve always tried to capture our past, whether through physical photographs, videotapes, or all our images stored in the cloud, but we’ve been limited to viewing our personal history on flat media, usually behind a screen and always from a single angle. But Gaussian spatter changes that. This technology allows you to create three-dimensional 3D models of objects, people, or spaces, so instead of a photo of your child’s favorite toy, you can get a realistic scan of it that you can examine from all angles; instead of a snapshot of Thanksgiving dinner, you can get a photorealistic diorama of the dining room you can walk through.
What is Gaussian splatting?
Gaussian Splatting is a technological innovation. It was first theoretically presented in a 2023 research paper by Bernhard Kerbl, Georgios Kopanas, Thomas Leimkühler, and George Drettakis. The paper details a new rendering technique that constructs 3D models from millions of translucent “blobs” called “Gauss numbers,” instead of the solid triangles used in traditional computer graphics. Once calculated, the Gauss numbers are “mapped” onto a 2D plane by a computer, which then positions and overlays them based on how they should appear from any viewpoint within the “blob” region. Because the blobs are translucent, they do not overlap. They blend together like brushstrokes in a painting.
Another advantage: Splatting technology delivers a much higher level of detail with a smaller file size than traditional scanning methods. Older scanning methods rely on the geometric principle of superimposing a virtual shell of triangles onto an object. For detailed scanning, this could involve billions of triangles, resulting in file sizes prohibitively large for a computer. Splatting technology is based on mathematical probability rather than rigid geometry. Instead of a solid edge, each “splat” is a tiny cloud that tells the computer how likely it is that a color exists in that location. It stores only the position, color, and opacity of millions of corresponding areas in space, as well as how they should reflect light at different angles. The resulting files are larger than Word documents, but not so large that they are inaccessible to a phone.
Gaussian Splatting has quickly moved from theory to practice, and splats can now be created and visualized using a regular smartphone, making it more accessible than older methods that sometimes required laser scanners or specialized equipment.
Why you should start playing Splatting
3D scanning is already used professionally, for example, to create real estate maps for virtual tours and photorealistic objects for video games, but Gaussian Splatting technology is accessible enough that anyone can preserve their nostalgic memories for the future.
Splatting technology gives your future self (or your children) the opportunity to “visit” your present life with a breathtaking level of realism. It allows you to digitally “capture” the precise structure and volume of a moment in time and preserve it. If your parents had this opportunity, you could stroll through your childhood bedroom or examine every angle and detail of your first car.
“Digital preservation” and “3D modeling” sound clinical, but the results of Gaussian Splats are anything but sterile. While a photograph captures one angle of light in a room, Gaussian Splats captures the behavior of light from all directions, so the result isn’t what the past looks like, but how it felt . It’s hard to describe, but capturing the quality of light on an object or place allows you to connect with it in ways you never imagined. Combined with the blurriness of Splats images and your own memories, it creates an ethereal, dreamlike experience unlike anything else. (I really like Splats.)
How to start splatting
The main requirement for starting a splatting game is a little time to figure out how it works. You don’t need a specialized LiDAR scanner or a powerful computer; a relatively modern smartphone will do. Here’s how to get started:
Choose an app : Although the technology is relatively new, there are several apps that make it very user-friendly. Here are two I tried:
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Scaniverse : Great for iPhone users, Scaniverse is free and processes Splats entirely on your device in just a minute or two.
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Luma 3D Capture : Available for both Android and iPhone , the Luma app is great for beginners, offering a scanning process that walks you step-by-step through creating your first Splat.
Take a screenshot : Here are a few things to consider when taking a screenshot.
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Before you start scanning terrain or large objects, choose something small and simple to get the hang of the basics. But don’t use pets: your subject must remain perfectly still throughout the process. (Make an exception for your child. They won’t sit still enough, but even a blurry model of your child is crucial for your future work.)
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Place your subject in an evenly lit room, allowing enough space to move around them.
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Press the record button and slowly and deliberately walk around the object in a circle without removing the camera from its center.
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Make two passes: one from a high angle looking down, one from a low angle looking up.
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Gaussian spots hate uniformity. They have a hard time working with plain white walls, so think about texture. Also, avoid transparent glass and mirrors, which distort depth calculations.
Eat a banana: Now that you’ve taken a photo, take a break to let the computer do its work. Processing time depends on the app you’re using, your phone, and the detail of the scan. Scaniverse processes photos directly on your phone. Something simple, like the guitar shown below, took about two minutes to render on an iPhone 17 Pro. Luma 3D Capture processes files in the cloud, so processing time depends on the number of people in line ahead of you. It could take a couple of minutes, or it could take a couple of hours—the app sends a notification when the image is finished processing. The video below took several hours to create.
Enjoy your creation : Once all calculations are complete, you can preview your creation directly on your smartphone or computer screen. Use zoom gestures, drag and rotate, and admire how perfectly the scan captures the atmosphere of the object or space.
Share your creation : These apps provide some easy ways to share your massive storage:
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Video : You can trace a camera path through your Splat to export a smooth 2D video with a fly-by effect. Below is my first YouTube scan using Scaniverse (it was a bit rough, I was a beginner), and my second attempt with Luma.
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Web Link: You can generate a simple web link and send it to your friends or family through both apps. Clicking it will open an interactive 3D viewer in your browser—no special apps, accounts, or resource-intensive downloads required.
How to get inside your Splats
Viewing a 3D scan on a phone or computer is certainly cool, but you can truly appreciate the full power of this technology only in a virtual reality device, where you can physically walk around the holiday table or examine the texture of the sofa. Here’s how to do this on two of the most popular VR headsets.
Apple Vision Pro
Apple’s powerful Vision Pro technology was created for precisely this purpose. Apple integrated “Spatial Scenes” directly into the operating system. It gives 2D photos a subtle 3D effect, but you can go even further with apps like Splat Studio , which creates a deeper 3D scene from 2D photos and allows you to tweak settings to enhance it. An even more profound effect can be achieved with the Spatial Media Toolkit , which lets you transform 2D videos into stereoscopic 3D videos. But the ultimate goal is to view complete Splat scenes created yourself using apps like Luma 3D Capture or Polycam .
If you follow the steps above, you can export your created Splat file (.ply or .spz) directly from your phone to the Vision Pro and enter the Splat or walk around the scanned object. You can also view Splats uploaded by other users.
Meta Quest 3 and 3S
Meta has embraced the Gaussian Splat revolution. Apps like AirVis (also available on Vision Pro ) let you preview your Splat creations on your phone, and Quest even offers 4D Splat effects (more on that below). Meta is also taking the first steps toward completely cutting out the phone as a middleman. Hyperscape Capture is an app, currently in beta, that uses Quest’s existing cameras to scan your room and then save a 3D version of your space. Meta promises that you’ll soon be able to send a link to a friend with a headset so they can “come visit.”
The Future of 4D Splatting
As excited as I am about Gaussian Splatting technology, it’s still in its “version 1.0” phase. Capturing a high-quality image requires time and patience, as well as absolute stillness of the subject, and the results aren’t always perfect, but the technology is advancing quickly enough that new possibilities are already emerging. Gaussian’s cutting-edge technology is 4D Splatting—the fourth dimension is time. 4D Splatting is volumetric 3D videos, moving scenes that can be viewed from any point inside or outside the scene. Unlike stereoscopic 3D movies, which allow you to watch from a single point, these are true holograms. At least, they exist within the VR system.
The technology is already being used commercially, notably in A$AP Rocky’s “Helicopter” music video, where the performers were filmed by 56 cameras and the footage was converted into 4D effects, allowing for any angle or impossible camera movement. Take a look:
There are also several 4D videos you can watch in your headset. The Gracia app for Quest 3 offers some impressive volumetric videos. Gracia lets you stream or upload 4D videos of people and place them anywhere in augmented reality. You can then press play and view them from any angle or even walk around them. To see what I mean, check out this video I shot of the view from my Quest 3 headset of singer Amy May performing a song on my front lawn (with my undoubtedly embarrassed neighbor in attendance).
You probably don’t have an arsenal of 20 or so GoPro cameras to create content like Gracia demonstrates, but there are experimental tools for creating 4D effects. KIRI Engine uses Apple’s open-source ML-Sharp tool to transform standard video shot with a single camera into a 4D effect. It doesn’t create an AI-powered approximation of stereoscopic 3D, like Splat Studio, but rather converts each individual frame into a separate effect. For me, this technology is too complex to tinker with, and the 3D effect is more of a suggestion than true 3D, but I’d be surprised if someone isn’t developing a way to shoot volumetric video from just a few angles on a smartphone.
Gaussian splatters are as revelatory as, I imagine, 1960s snapshots. Like early Polaroids, they’re a bit fiddly, and the results can sometimes be grainy, dreamy, and reminiscent of pointillism, but the emotional impact of this new perspective on the past is so powerful. So start creating splatters now; your future self will thank you.