Viewing Splats
Once you've created a Gaussian splat, you'll want to preview and evaluate it before proceeding to editing or integration into your projects. The PlayCanvas Model Viewer provides a convenient way to quickly view and inspect your splat files without needing to set up a full PlayCanvas project.
PlayCanvas Model Viewer
The PlayCanvas Model Viewer is a web-based tool that allows you to instantly preview 3D content, including Gaussian splats, directly in your browser.
Supported Splat Formats
The Model Viewer supports the following commonly used Gaussian splat formats:
| Format | File Extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
| PLY | .ply | Standard uncompressed splat format |
| Compressed PLY | .compressed.ply | Compressed (quantized) format |
| SOG (bundled) | .sog | Super-compressed format in single file |
| SOG (unbundled) | meta.json + .webp images | Super-compressed format in multiple files |
How to View Your Splats
-
Visit playcanvas.com/viewer
-
Drag and drop your splat from your file system onto the viewer
Viewing unbundled SOG scenesFor SOG (unbundled) format: drag the parent folder containing
meta.jsonand.webpimages -
Navigate the 3D scene:
Control Action Left double click Set orbit point Left click + drag Orbit around the splat Right click + drag Look around Shift + click + drag Pan the view Mouse wheel Zoom in/out WASD or Arrow keys Move forwards/backwards/left/right
Open Source and Customization
The PlayCanvas Model Viewer is open source and available on GitHub. This means you can:
- Host your own version - Use a local server or deploy to your own infrastructure for complete control
- Add new functionality - Add support for additional file formats or custom UI
- Contribute back - Submit issues and pull requests to help improve the viewer for everyone
Viewing already-published splats
If your splat is already published on superspl.at, you have two viewer-side options that are specific to Gaussian Splats:
- The public scene page at
superspl.at/scene/<hash>— the easiest way to share a splat that's also been curated in Studio (with cameras, animations, annotations, post effects, and collision). - The SuperSplat Viewer — the open-source web viewer that powers scene pages, available on npm as
@playcanvas/supersplat-viewerfor embedding in your own site or self-hosting as a single-file HTML export.
The PlayCanvas Model Viewer described above is still the right tool for quickly previewing arbitrary splat files (and other 3D content), before publishing or as part of a pre-flight check.
Next Steps
After previewing your splats in the Model Viewer:
- If cleanup is needed → continue to Editing and Publishing Splats for optimization, publishing, and curation on the SuperSplat platform
- If the quality meets your needs → proceed directly to Building Splat-based Apps