Quick hit

Imagine a dreamland where 3D Gaussian splats sprout from your 360° videos, like wildflowers in a virtual meadow. Welcome to my latest obsession: 360° Gaussian. This software is here to change the game for us graphics nerds!

I’m talking about automatically training these splats from video or image sequences without the hassle! (IT’S LIKE MAGIC BUT WITHOUT THE HAT.)

What dropped

So what’s in the toolbox? This bad boy is free—yes, you heard right—while the paid Automasker feature boasts standalone capabilities and CLI controls. You can extract images from equirectangular videos using FFmpeg. Excited yet? Let’s go!

Why it matters

If you’re like me, the idea of spinning 360° footage into slick 3D splats sounds like the coolest thing since the invention of the HOLDECK. We’re talking next-level creations that can make my virtual hotel room feel *like* a movie set without spending hours tweaking settings.

How to try it

Jump in! Download 360° Gaussian from this link and get cracking. You’ll use FFmpeg to extract frames from your 360° videos and then let the splats fly. Oh, and there’s a helpful video tutorial to guide you through it. Seriously, no excuses—your folio needs these splats!

Caveats / gotchas / bugs

BUT WAIT—there’s a catch. The workflow isn’t frictionless, and some of you might hit a wall with compute performance. Latency can sneak up if your setup isn’t beefy enough. Also, Automasker is paid, so budget accordingly unless you’re a fan of watching your bank account dwindle.

My take

Overall? I’m stoked! I’m diving deep into these splats to see how they interact with other elements in my 3D scenes. I’ll be testing its compatibility with various engines and tweaking my workflow to get the most delicious visuals possible. So, expect my updates as I embark on this splat-tastic journey!

Sources

Check out the developer’s page for 360° Gaussian here, and don’t skip the tutorial video and the Discord channel for community vibes!