Maps and Splats – Mashup of 3D tile maps with Gaussian Splats
Hello HN! I’m excited to share this open-source community mashup showing the power and possibility of combining 3D Gaussian splat scans with traditional mesh-based 3D tiles maps in the browser. As you've probably seen on HN a bunch lately, Gaussian splats are a new method to allow custom 3D scans of scenes and objects [1] and Google Maps 3D Tiles API are the same 3D buildings and street views your familiar with in Google Earth or Google Maps, and recently they’ve been made available for inclusion in web apps. Combining splats + 3d map mixes highly detailed real-world custom micro-scans with…
In plain words
Maps and Splats is an open-source web application that combines 3D Gaussian splat scans with Google Maps 3D Tiles to display detailed custom scene captures alongside satellite-based building data in a single browser view. It merges high-resolution micro-scans of specific locations with broader 3D map imagery, enabling users to see both fine details and larger geographic context. The tool is designed for civil engineering, construction planning, real estate analysis, and creative production work.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
In the maker’s words, at launch
Hello HN! I’m excited to share this open-source community mashup showing the power and possibility of combining 3D Gaussian splat scans with traditional mesh-based 3D tiles maps in the browser. As you've probably seen on HN a bunch lately, Gaussian splats are a new method to allow custom 3D scans of scenes and objects [1] and Google Maps 3D Tiles API are the same 3D buildings and street views your familiar with in Google Earth or Google Maps, and recently they’ve been made available for inclusion in web apps. Combining splats + 3d map mixes highly detailed real-world custom micro-scans with the macro-level 3D imagery from satellite data. This is useful for civil engineering, transportation planning, real estate, construction, creative production, and so much more – we’re just scratching the surface. Demo1 with manual orbit controls: - Video: https://twitter.com/kfarr/status/1773934700878561396 - Live Demo: https://maps-and-splats.glitch.me/ - Source: https://glitch.com/edit/#!/maps-and-splats?path=index.html - Instructions: zoom in / out using scrollwheel and rotate with click and drag Demo2 with animated camera path timeline: - Video: https://twitter.com/3dstreetapp/status/1775203540442697782 - Live Demo: https://look-at-splat-maps.glitch.me/ - Source: https://glitch.com/edit/#!/look-at-splat-maps - Instructions for using timeline to make your own camera flight path: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDWKina45f4 These demos combine: A-Frame / three.js, NYTimes three.js 3DTiles viewer component with Google 3D Tiles, 3DStreet Gaussian splat viewer component from Luma Labs scanned scenes, theatre.js animated camera path and timeline editor, Glitch hosting / IDE because they’re awesome for hacking projects like this These demos are results of R&D from a larger project: https://3dstreet.org Some of these API cost real money so I worked to get a temporary quota of 25,000 sessions. After that the 3dtiles won’t load, you’ll need to get your own API key from Google :) [1] 2 min intro to 3D Gaussian splatting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVv_IQKlafQ
Does the same job
all alternatives →- TATurning a Gaussian Splat into a videogameApr 2026 · blog.playcanvas.com · ▲236
- IGImmersive Gaussian Splat experience of Sutro Tower, San Francisco2025 · vincentwoo.com · ▲825
- SASpark, An advanced 3D Gaussian Splatting renderer for Three.js2025 · sparkjs.dev · ▲377
I'm the co-creator and maintainer of https://aframe.io/ and long time Web 3D graphics dev. Super excited about new techniques to author / render / represent 3D. Spark is a an open source library to easily integrate Gaussian splats in your THREE.js scene I worked with some friends and I hope you find useful. Looking forward to hearing what features / rendering techniques you would love to see next.
- GSGaussian Splat of a StrawberryMay 2026 · superspl.at · ▲530
The Setup: https://i.imgur.com/o0hgybh.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/mcNiomp.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/vIjw6pc.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/nzOwmSC.jpeg
- RTReal-Time Gaussian Splatting2025 · ▲144
LiveSplat is a system for turning RGBD camera streams into Gaussian splat scenes in real-time. The system works by passing all the RGBD frames into a feed forward neural net that outputs the current scene as Gaussian splats. These splats are then rendered in real-time. I've put together a demo video at the link above.
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