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PLY to SPLAT Converter Online

Convert Gaussian Splatting PLY files to SPLAT format — smaller files, broad web viewer support.

Last updated Mar 2026

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Drag PLY (Gaussian Splatting) file here, or click to upload

What You Should Know

Why Convert PLY to SPLAT?

SPLAT is the widest-supported format for web-based Gaussian Splatting viewers. The antimatter15 viewer, many Three.js plugins, and numerous online 3DGS demos use SPLAT as their primary input format. If your goal is to share a Gaussian Splatting scene with someone who already has a favorite web viewer, converting PLY to SPLAT gives you the best chance of compatibility. The file size also drops to roughly 50% of the original PLY, making it more practical to distribute.

What Is Lost During PLY to SPLAT Conversion?

SPLAT format does not support spherical harmonics. During conversion, all SH coefficients (the data that encodes view-dependent color shifts) are discarded. Each Gaussian is stored with only a single base color derived from the SH DC component. The practical effect is that the scene looks the same from any angle — highlights do not shift as you orbit. For many real-world scenes (outdoor captures, architecture, portraits), this loss is subtle. For scenes with strong specular surfaces or indoor lighting, the difference can be noticeable.

SPLAT vs. SPZ: Which Should You Use?

If your audience is using web viewers that support both formats, prefer SPZ: it is smaller (10x vs. PLY, compared to SPLAT's 2x) and preserves spherical harmonics. Use SPLAT when you know the target viewer or tool accepts only SPLAT, or when maximum compatibility across existing tools is the priority. SPLAT has been the de-facto web format since 2023 and is supported by a larger number of existing viewers than SPZ. This converter accepts Gaussian Splatting PLY only — not standard mesh PLY. If your PLY file contains vertex geometry (not Gaussian parameters), use our mesh converter tools. See /formats/ply-3dgs for an explanation of the difference.

PLY vs SPLAT
FeaturePLYSPLAT
File SizeLarge — uncompressed (~236 bytes/Gaussian)Medium — ~50% of equivalent PLY
Spherical HarmonicsYes — full SH up to degree 3No — base color only (SH stripped)
Web CompatibilityLimited — size makes direct delivery impracticalBroad — widely supported by web viewers
CompressionNone — raw parameter storageModerate — fixed 32-byte layout
Progressive LoadingNoNo
Typical UseResearch, desktop editing, source of truthWeb sharing, antimatter15 viewer, broad compatibility
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The SPLAT format was popularized by the antimatter15 viewer and this converter produces files in that exact format. The output is compatible with splat.io, the original antimatter15 viewer, and all tools that implement the same 32-byte-per-Gaussian layout.
SPLAT strips spherical harmonics (SH) data. SH encodes how the color of each Gaussian shifts depending on viewing angle. Without SH, highlights and reflections appear baked at a fixed angle, which can make the scene look flatter compared to the PLY original with full SH rendering.
You can convert SPLAT back to PLY, but the SH data is permanently lost in the SPLAT file. The recovered PLY will have correct positions, scales, rotations, and opacities, but with base colors only — no view-dependent color coefficients.
The 200 MB PLY limit corresponds to approximately 860,000 Gaussians (at 236 bytes per Gaussian in PLY). The resulting SPLAT file will be about 100 MB (32 bytes per Gaussian × 860k Gaussians).
This converter processes Gaussian Splatting PLY files only, not mesh PLY files. A mesh PLY from Blender or MeshLab does not contain the Gaussian-specific properties (f_dc_0, scale_0, rot_0, opacity) that the converter expects. For mesh PLY files, use our mesh conversion tools instead.

Related Converters

PLY to KSPLATPLY to SPZSPLAT to PLYSPLAT to KSPLATSPLAT to SPZKSPLAT to PLYKSPLAT to SPLATKSPLAT to SPZSPZ to PLYSPZ to SPLATSPZ to KSPLAT

Step-by-Step Guides

Gaussian Splatting for Beginners: Convert and View PLY Files Online