SplatVFX

SplatVFX is an experimental implementation of 3D Gaussian Splatting with Unity VFX Graph.

FAQ

Is it ready for use?

No. I made many compromises to implement it with VFX Graph. I recommend trying other solutions like UnityGaussianSplatting.

How to try the samples.

• Download the sample .splat file (bicycle.splat) and put it in the URP/Assets directory.
• Open URP/Assets/Test.unity and start Play Mode.

How to create a .splat file.

.splat is an ad-hoc file format used in antimatter15's WebGL Gaussian Splat Viewer. You can convert a .ply file into .splat by dragging and dropping it into a viewer window.

How to try your own .splat file in the editor with the visual effect.

• Download the github repo.
• Follow the instructions above to create your own .splat file.
• Rename the .splat file to bicycle.splat.
• Drag & drop it in the VFX/Asset folder (where you will also see the bicycle.splat.meta file.
• Open the folder "VFX" via the Unity Hub to open the right project.
• Open the "VFX" scene (present in the 'Assets' folder).
• Enter play mode.
• Optional: Depending on your splat, you might want to try this for better results: In the 'VFX' scene, unroll the "Camera Pivot" object hierarchy and move the "Direction" game object around to modify the camera position. You can also edit the 'Camera' object's FOV via the inspector (Try to keep it between 45 and 90 degrees for best results).

How to increase the capacity.

The default VFX Graph (Splat.vfx) supports up to 8 million points. You must increase the capacity when your .splat file has more points. Duplicate Splat.vfx into your project and edit it to change the capacity value in the Initialize Particle context.

You can check how many points are in a .splat file on Inspector.

Limitations

• Typically, .splat files are trained with the reference rasterizer running on the sRGB color space. It causes artifacts when using the Linear Lighting Mode in Unity. You can remedy it by grading in post-processing, but it's impossible to get perfect results with manual tweaks.

• The Gaussian projection algorithm used in the VFX Graph is far from perfect. It causes many artifacts, including sudden pops with camera motion.