Pick splat or mesh by the job.
A Gaussian splat represents a scene with spatial elements blended to render a view. A mesh represents surfaces with connected vertices, edges and faces. Choose by the work the output must support, and check accuracy separately.
Different representations, different uses.
Splats suit looking around a captured site. A connected mesh supports surface editing and workflows that require faces; neither representation establishes physical accuracy on its own.
TRACE uses Gaussian records for playback, comparison and located work, delivered as PLY files and as compressed SOG for the browser.
Original 3D Gaussian Splatting research (2023)Blender manual: mesh structure
| Question | Gaussian splat | Mesh |
|---|---|---|
| What does it store? | Spatial Gaussian elements with appearance properties | Vertices, edges and surface faces |
| What does it support? | Rendering the captured scene from different views | Editing connected surfaces in compatible tools |
| Does the format establish scale? | No; scale needs reference measurements | No; scale needs reference measurements |
| What does TRACE deliver? | Accepted Gaussian PLY; checked SOG browser rendition | No general mesh deliverable is promised |
Check the result against the job.
For visual site documentation, inspect coverage, readable details and the source footage. For an as-built deliverable requiring dimensions or surface geometry, define the reference measurements and output contract first.
Planned Survey-grade measurement in TRACE.
Read the measurements and limitsQuestions, answered.
Does a .ply extension mean I get a mesh?
PLY files can hold a mesh or points. TRACE’s PLY holds the Gaussian splats.
Measurement receiptCapabilities JSONFor agents
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