Splatinit

Splatinit is a C program that converts an image (and optionally a depth map) into a 3D Gaussian Splat representation. The output is a .ply file compatible with the format produced in the "3D Gaussian Splatting for Real-Time Radiance Field Rendering" project. The program creates a single unoptimized 3D Gaussian Splat per pixel without any optimizations or Spherical Harmonics. Nor does it add view-dependent colors.

Features

• Converts an image (and optionally a depth map) into a 3D Gaussian Splat representation
• Outputs a .ply file compatible with the "3D Gaussian Splatting for Real-Time Radiance Field Rendering" project
• Supports coalescing of adjacent splats with the same color (when no depth map is provided)
• Provides command-line options for specifying the output file path

Usage

Usage: splatinit [options] <image_path> [depth_map_path]

Description: splatinit.c loops over an image and creates a single unoptimized 3D Gaussian Splat per pixel. The output is a .ply file that is in a compatible format produced in the '3D Gaussian Splatting for Real-Time Radiance Field Rendering' project. There are no optimizations or Spherical Harmonics that provide any view-dependent colors.

Options:
  -h, --help       Show this help message and exit
  -o, --output     Specify the output file path

Dependencies

• stb_image.h: A single-file public domain library for loading images
• CMake: A cross-platform build system

Building

1. Make sure you have CMake installed
2. Clone the repository or download the source code
3. Create a build directory and navigate to it:

   mkdir build
   cd build
   

4. Generate the build files using CMake:

   cmake ..
   

5. Build the project:

   cmake --build .
   

The executable splatinit will be generated in the build directory.

Example

To convert an image example.png and its corresponding depth map example_depth.png into a 3D Gaussian Splat representation, run the following command:

./splatinit example.png example_depth.png

The output .ply file will be saved in the /tmp/splatting/ directory with the name output.ply.

output.ply can be imported into a 3D Gaussian Splat viewer of choice. I enjoy using https://playcanvas.com/supersplat/editor

License

This project is open-source and available under the MIT license

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you find any issues or have suggestions for improvements, please open an issue or submit a pull request.

Acknowledgements

• The program is inspired by the "3D Gaussian Splatting for Real-Time Radiance Field Rendering" project.
• The stb_image.h library is used for loading image files.