A couple of years ago, splats were still largely something you'd see in research papers and tech demos. Now, they're becoming a more common part of the 3D workflow, as they're being increasingly adopted by major DCC software, from Houdini to Blender.
3DGS is a technique for reconstructing photorealistic 3D scenes using millions of small, transparent "blobs" that together can represent complex geometry and shading. It gives artists great control over captured assets, letting them change camera angles, add natural parallax, and extend sets without waiting for 3D renders.
If you're interested in learning more, Clinton Jones, aka pwnisher, known for hosting massive, community-wide 3D challenges, is launching an end-to-end production course on 3D Gaussian Splatting and photogrammetry. In about six hours, he'll cover everything from the gear you'll need and different techniques for capturing objects and environments, to processing the data and turning it into something cool using Unreal Engine 5, Nuke, and After Effects.
By the end, you'll be able to capture, process, clean up, and composite real-world objects and environments into finished production shots, and also build your own production-ready scan library. The course launches on October 20, but pre-ordering gives you early access to Modules 1 and 2, plus $50 off the course price.
Preorder now and check out some creative 3DGS projects, from a dreamy bus ride and "inversphere" to butterfly wings and a browser-based playable FPS:
