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GLBThe Evolution of 3D Gaussian Splatting in Blender: A Look at the Latest 3DGS Render Addon Update
0Article by Filip Radivojevic
3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) continues to gain momentum as a compelling approach for visualizing, editing, and animating point clouds in Blender. Now, the developers of the 3DGS Render Blender Addon have unveiled a major update that significantly expands the functionality of this workflowoffering new ways to convert, paint, bake, and export 3DGS objects. In this article, we'll explore the exciting new features, explain how they benefit artists, and touch on why they mark a significant milestone in Blender's ongoing integration of 3D point cloud workflows.
A Quick Primer on 3DGS Render Blender Addon
For those who may be new to the concept, 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) involves representing 3D objects as a constellation of "splat" points or ellipsoids. This method allows for ultra-fast rendering and editing of point-cloud-based geometry, making it ideal for dense scene visualizations. Over time, 3DGS has evolved to support more features typically found in polygon-based workflows, such as crop-editing and render exports. While past versions of the 3DGS Render Addon set the groundwork, this latest update significantly broadens what you can achieve in Blender with point cloud data.
Key Enhancements
1. Mesh-to-Gaussian Splats
One of the major highlights of the new release is the ability to convert .OBJ files into 3DGS .PLY format. This streamlined process transforms existing mesh models into 3DGS objects, unlocking exclusive point-cloud-based editing and processing methods. It's particularly useful for applying specialized effects to conventional meshes, as well as unifying file formats across entire scenes.
2. Exportable Face Edits
Until now, only edits to the point cloud data could be exported via the addon. In this release, you can also export face editswhich makes a big difference when refining or cleaning up geometry. Being able to carry those mesh adjustments out of Blender ensures your 3DGS objects remain true to the changes you've made, whether you need them for other software or for collaborative workflows.
3. Exportable Transforms
Another limitation that has been addressed is the handling of object transformationsscaling, rotation, and position. With this update, all transforms applied will remain when exported, so you no longer lose this crucial information when moving your 3DGS objects to external tools.
4. 3DGs Painting and Texturing
This update introduces painting and texturing for 3DGS objects, allowing you to color them with a direct brush or image-based textures. These enhancements remain intact through rendering and export, providing a new layer of creative freedom often missing in point-cloud-based workflows.
5. Baking (Experimental)
The new baking feature focuses on performance by locking in modifier effects, rather than recalculating every frame. Built on Blender's node bake system, it can significantly reduce rendering or playback times for heavy scenes, although it remains experimental. Large-scale projects may see considerable benefits but should also be mindful of potential stability issues.
Notable Minor Improvements
- 3DGS UV Generation: Automatically create UV maps on import, simplifying shading and animation.
- All editing modifiers can be added and re-added: Optimized workflows for iterative editing and modifiers can be used multiple times.
- Independent Low/High Quality and Color Edits: Individual material and color settings are now available for each 3DGS object, rather than one global configuration.
- New Import Method: Removed reliance on external dependencies, eliminating the "warning" banner in Blender Preferences.
- Scene Refresh: Re-initializes scene and object properties, aiding file transfers and preventing setup issues.
- Revamped UI: Improves mode-switching and provides performance tips, enhancing workflow efficiency.
Takeaways and Next Steps
With the addition of mesh conversion, exportable face edits, enhanced transform capabilities, painting and texturing options, and experimental baking, the 3DGS Blender Render Addon demonstrates significant progress in integrating point-cloud techniques with standard 3D workflows. These improvements streamline the user experienceremoving external dependencies, refining the interface, and providing greater flexibility for editing and rendering.
Notably, the addon remains free and open-source, reflecting the developers belief that breakthroughs in 3DGS result from iterative adaptations and community-driven collaboration. By sharing the project openly, contributors can refine point-cloud workflows and move 3D Gaussian Splatting closer to a widely adopted technique across diverse industries.
Check out and download the addon for free on Blender Market andGithub.
See KIRI Engine's official Update Release Video.
