# How do you make a Gaussian splat from photos or a video?

You need a set of overlapping photos of the subject from many angles, or a video that moves around it, and a splatting method that suits the scene. For most scenes, standard Gaussian splatting with 10 to 500 photos is the right default. If you only have a handful of images, use a method built for sparse input. If you only have one photo, a single-image model can still give you a usable splat for nearby viewpoints.

OTOY Studio runs all of these as nodes, so you don't need a local GPU or a COLMAP install. Connect photos, a ZIP of an image sequence, or a video, and run.

## Which method to use

| Node | What it does | Credits per run |
|---|---|---|
| Gaussian Splat | Standard 3D Gaussian Splatting (COLMAP), the general-purpose choice for scenes, walkthroughs, and product capture. Needs 10-500 overlapping photos, or a video. Outputs a viewable PLY splat. ~15-25 min. | 10 |
| InstantSplat | MASt3R neural reconstruction (no COLMAP) for sparse or tricky scenes where feature matching struggles. 3-35 images (all the same resolution), or a video. Outputs a viewable splat. ~10-20 min. | 22 |
| 2D Gaussian Splat | Surface-aligned splatting for geometry, extracts a clean triangle mesh (TSDF) and per-view depth maps. Needs 10-500 overlapping photos, or a video. Outputs a mesh + depth, not an inline splat. ~15-25 min. | 25 |
| Neural Harmonic Textures | Highest-fidelity splatting, a per-gaussian neural decoder captures reflections, glass, and other view-dependent materials that standard SH can't. Needs 10-500 overlapping photos, or a video. ~15-25 min. | 29 |
| Sharp (1-Photo 3D) | Instant single-photo 3D, a feed-forward net predicts ~1.2M gaussians in ~2s. Exactly 1 image; produces a 2.5D splat for nearby viewpoints. Best for quick previews and product shots. | 2 |
| TripoSplat (1-Photo 3D) | Generative single-photo 3D, a flow-matching model synthesizes a ~262K-gaussian splat from one image in ~1-2 min. Exactly 1 image; no multi-view or training. Tune with guidance/steps for fidelity. | 2 |
| Generate World | Generates an explorable world as a Gaussian splat from an image or video. | 17 |

Credits are list price at 1 credit = €0.01. The node shows the exact cost before you run it.

## Shooting tips that matter more than the method

- **Overlap.** Each photo should share most of its view with the next. Walk around the subject in small steps rather than big jumps.
- **Keep exposure and focus locked.** Changing exposure between frames shows up as flicker and floaters.
- **Avoid motion.** People walking through, moving leaves and reflections that shift will all turn into noise. Neural Harmonic Textures handles reflections and glass better than standard splatting.
- **From video,** move slowly and avoid motion blur. A few hundred sharp frames beat a thousand blurry ones.

## After the splat

Splat outputs in OTOY Studio can be edited in the built-in SuperSplat editor, which saves the result as a new node and keeps the original. You can render flythrough videos and stills straight from the editor, or drop the splat into a scene with other models and animate a camera. Splats download as `.ply`, and edited splats export as SPZ. You can also upload your own `.ply` splats (up to 500MB) to use in scenes. OctaneRender 2026.1 can render Gaussian splats path-traced alongside regular geometry.

A rendered flythrough can then be the reference for an AI video model, which is a reliable way to get a real camera move through a real space. See [AI video with 3D control](https://otoy.studio/answers/ai-video-with-3d-control).

_Last verified 2026-09-28. Prices and model lists come from OTOY Studio's billing configuration, exported 2026-09-28._