KSPLAT Viewer Online
Open .ksplat Three.js Gaussian Splatting files in your browser — instant preview, no software needed.
Last updated Mar 2026
Convert KSPLAT Gaussian Splatting
What You Should Know
What Is the KSPLAT Format?
KSPLAT is a binary format for 3D Gaussian Splatting developed by Mark Kellogg as part of the GaussianSplats3D library for Three.js. It is designed for progressive streaming: a KSPLAT file can begin rendering before it fully downloads, making it suitable for embedding large scenes in web pages. KSPLAT achieves roughly 65% compression compared to raw PLY by quantizing Gaussian properties. KSPLAT supports optional spherical harmonics. Whether a KSPLAT file contains SH depends on the settings used when creating it — the default is no SH. When SH is included, it can be stored at 16-bit or 8-bit precision depending on the compression level. The format is proprietary to the GaussianSplats3D ecosystem — it is not natively supported outside of that library, which is why conversion to/from KSPLAT requires specialized tools.
Who Uses KSPLAT?
KSPLAT files are used by Three.js developers who have integrated the GaussianSplats3D library into their web applications. If you are using Mark Kellogg's viewer or embedding Gaussian Splatting in a Three.js scene, KSPLAT is likely your working format. This viewer lets you quickly inspect KSPLAT files without spinning up a local Three.js environment. If you need to share your scene more broadly or use it outside the Three.js ecosystem, converting KSPLAT to PLY (for editing) or SPZ (for web delivery) gives you broader compatibility.
Streaming and Compression Trade-offs
KSPLAT's main advantage is progressive loading — the viewer can display the scene with fewer Gaussians while the rest of the file downloads in the background. This makes it well-suited for large scenes where initial visual feedback matters more than complete fidelity at load time. KSPLAT supports optional spherical harmonics, but most KSPLAT files do not contain SH because the default creation settings omit it. When SH is included, it can be stored at 16-bit or 8-bit precision depending on the compression level. For guaranteed SH preservation with the best compression ratio, SPZ remains the preferred web format.
KSPLAT vs. Other 3DGS Web Formats
Among web-optimized 3DGS formats, KSPLAT occupies a specialist position. It is smaller than SPLAT (about 65% of PLY size vs. SPLAT's 50%) and uniquely supports progressive streaming — a capability neither SPLAT nor SPZ provides. The trade-off is ecosystem lock-in: KSPLAT only works natively within the GaussianSplats3D library. SPZ, by contrast, is becoming the Khronos standard and is gaining cross-platform support. SPLAT has the broadest compatibility today. For most Three.js projects where streaming large scenes matters, KSPLAT is the right choice. For everything else, SPZ or SPLAT is more portable.