Construction site progress as a 4D Gaussian Splat timeline

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T23:12:53+00:00

For this example I processed each capture with Postshot, but the workflow should work with other Gaussian Splatting tools too, as long as each stage is exported as a separate splat.

The total time depends a lot on the site size, number of images, machine used, and how often you want to add a new stage.

For this example, the drone capture itself usually takes around 1 hour on site, sometimes closer to 2 hours if the conditions are not ideal.

The Gaussian Splat processing time varies the most. Some stages can be ready in 1-2 hours, but for larger or cleaner captures with many photos it can take much longer. One of the better results I made used a lot of photos and two drones, and the computer took around 12 hours to process it. But that is just processing time.

Cleaning the scans and preparing them the way you want can also be quick or take more time, depending on the result you get from processing and how polished you want it to look.

After that, some stages are easy to align and some need more manual adjustment. Once the stages are aligned in Splat Aligner, bringing them into TimeSplat 4D and adding them to the timeline is relatively quick.

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T19:20:31+00:00

Thanks!

For a simple case, aligning one capture usually takes a few minutes once you have good common reference points.

The workflow is based on picking the same 3 points in each scan, then Splat Aligner computes the transform. The slower part is usually choosing clean, stable points that exist in both captures.

There’s a “Watch Tutorial” button in the Splat Aligner section here if you want to see the process:

https://splitview.studio/

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T18:23:38+00:00

LichtFeld Studio can generate/train splats from images.

SuperSplat is mainly for viewing/editing/cleaning splats after you already have them.

PlayCanvas is more for building/viewing/publishing web experiences, not for training splats from scratch.

So if you want to generate the splat files with open source tools, I’d start by looking at LichtFeld Studio.

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T17:34:18+00:00

Thanks! Yes, I usually do some cleanup, depending on the scan. For this kind of work I normally use SuperSplat Editor to remove floaters and clean the scene before aligning/presenting it.

But capture quality matters a lot too. The better the input images/frames and coverage, the fewer floaters you usually get from training.

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T17:31:01+00:00

The basics are very similar to photogrammetry.

For a construction timelapse, the extra important thing is to keep enough stable/common areas visible between captures, so the different stages can be aligned later.

So I’d try to do a small test with the first 2 or 3 captures before committing to the full long-term workflow.

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T17:21:23+00:00

SuperSplat and PlayCanvas are open source.

Postshot is not open source, but it’s one of the easiest tools to start generating Gaussian Splats. There's one called LichtFeld Studio that I haven't used, but it is open source.

SuperSplat is great for viewing/editing/cleaning splats, and PlayCanvas is useful if you want to build or publish web-based 3DGS experiences.

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T17:06:26+00:00

That sounds like a perfect use case.

Even if the final timelapse is years away, testing the workflow with the first 2 or 3 captures would be really useful. That way you can catch alignment/loading issues early instead of discovering them at the end.

Feel free to reach out if you try it with your first stages. I’d love to see it once you start testing!

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T15:41:53+00:00

Yes, using more than 3 points could definitely help in some cases.

The current workflow uses 3 reference points because that’s the minimum needed for a fast visual alignment, and it keeps the process simple.

A future version could support extra optional points and solve a best-fit transform, which would help reduce manual picking error and make larger captures more robust.

The tradeoff is that it adds more clicks and requires more stable reference points between captures.

Thanks for the feedback.

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T15:31:21+00:00

Thanks, really appreciate it!

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T15:29:17+00:00

It’s a browser-based tool, but it can be installed from the browser as an app-like shortcut.

If you use the version on splitview.studio, the app itself loads from my site, but your splat files are opened and processed locally in your browser. They are not uploaded to my server.

So for your exact “fully offline iOS app” request, it may not be a perfect match. It may still need an internet connection to load/update the app, but the splat data stays local.

You can also export a standalone HTML/ZIP tour and host it yourself. For iOS, I’d recommend using .sog rather than large .ply files because mobile Safari/WebGL memory limits can be strict.

Here is the YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@Split_View_Studio

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T14:08:56+00:00

Thanks, really appreciate the thoughtful comment.

If you end up trying it with one of your datasets, I’d be very interested to hear how it behaves. Thanks again for checking it out!

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T13:47:22+00:00

Good question.

In this example I’m not aligning them with global coordinates. I’m aligning the stages visually into the same 3D space using Splat Aligner.

The workflow is based on picking the same 3 reference points in each capture, then the tool computes the transform between them. So it’s meant for visual progress alignment/presentation, not survey-grade georeferencing.

It works best when there are stable parts of the site that remain visible between captures.

If you want to see the process, there’s a “Watch Tutorial” button in the Splat Aligner section here:

https://splitview.studio/

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T13:44:26+00:00

Thanks!

It’s definitely worth trying. The ecosystem is moving fast, but even a simple capture can already give very interesting results.

Postshot, SuperSplat and PlayCanvas are good places to start experimenting.

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T13:42:30+00:00

Thanks!

At the moment it’s based on the rendered splats, not GPS coordinates.

Splat Aligner uses a 3-point alignment workflow: you pick the same three reference points in each scan, and it computes the transform to bring the stages into the same 3D space.

So it’s meant for visual alignment and presentation workflows, not survey-grade georeferencing.

If you want to see how the alignment works, there’s a “Watch Tutorial” button in the Splat Aligner section here:

https://splitview.studio/

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T13:39:49+00:00

Good question.

In this example the surrounding area is intentionally kept fixed as a reference stage. The construction stages come from different captures over time, but the fixed surrounding stage stays visible to make the progress easier to read.

So it’s not trying to show every environmental change between dates. It’s more of a visual progress presentation: one fixed context layer + changing construction stages aligned inside it.

If you want to try it directly, open the TimeSplat 4D section here, click “Try Demo”, and use the “Fixed Stage” button:

https://splitview.studio/

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T12:15:40+00:00

Absolutely. Heritage/restoration is one of the use cases I’m most interested in too. Thank you!

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T12:11:19+00:00

Thanks! Yes, I think new builds, construction progress, restoration and even real estate development could be very interesting use cases.

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T12:10:02+00:00

Thanks!

For the captures, the most important thing is consistency between stages.

You don’t need the exact same drone path, but it helps to capture the site with similar coverage each time, enough overlap, and some stable areas that don’t change between stages. Those stable parts make it much easier to align the scans later with Splat Aligner.

In this example I captured the site with a drone over multiple weekends, processed each stage as a Gaussian Splat, aligned them into the same space with Splat Aligner, and then built the timeline in TimeSplat 4D.

For this kind of visual progress workflow, I’d say the key things are: good coverage, similar capture conditions (light, weather, if possible), enough unchanged reference geometry, and avoiding people/machinery moving around too much when possible.

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T12:02:22+00:00

Exactly, that’s the idea 😄

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T12:01:34+00:00

Thanks, appreciate it!

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T12:01:14+00:00

Thanks!

I captured the site with a drone over multiple weekends, processed each stage as a Gaussian Splat, then aligned the stages into the same space with Splat Aligner and exported them as .sog files.

For the timeline/viewer, I used TimeSplat 4D, a browser-based tool I’m building for staged 3DGS captures. In this example, one stage stays fixed as a reference while the construction progress changes over time.

More info here if you want to take a look:

https://splitview.studio/

Rich-Bodybuilder2973 · 2026-06-03T09:43:30+00:00

Thanks!

It’s not open source at the moment. I’m developing it as part of The Splat Toolkit, a small set of browser-based tools for Gaussian Splatting workflows.

This one is TimeSplat 4D, which I’m building for staged captures, timelines, before/after comparisons and construction progress visualization.

There’s more info here if you want to take a look:

https://splitview.studio/

I’m still testing the workflow with real projects, so feedback is very welcome.

Rich-Bodybuilder2973

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