Splat Journal

Algorithmic imprints of disappearing spaces

M’Hamid El Ghizlane — Gateway to the Sahara

Field notes — M’Hamid El Ghizlane, Morocco


1 — Interactive scene

Gaussian Splatting — navigable scene (SuperSplat viewer)


→ English below

Végétation éparse, relief aride et dunes environnantes sur de longues distances. La reconstruction peine à restituer la profondeur : les dunes restent floues, l’horizon est difficile à saisir pour l’algorithme.

Capture réalisée tôt le matin, soleil très bas. La lumière rasante est forte.

Des splats beige en suspension à 2-3m apparaissent dans la scène: poussière sur la lentille ou surexposition au soleil du désert à confirmer avec l’analyse du dataset.

La caméra était montée sur perche à 2m50-3m de hauteur. En dessous du sol, un réseau dense de splats se déploie pour tenter de restituer les reliefs sur le sable : l’algorithme construit une profondeur qui n’existe pas dans notre vécu.

EN

Sparse vegetation, arid relief and surrounding dunes over long distances. The reconstruction struggles to render depth , dunes remain blurred, the horizon difficult for the algorithm to resolve.

Captured early in the morning, sun very low, harsh raking light.

Beige splats suspended at 2-3m appear in the scene , dust on the lens, or overexposure from the desert sun. Camera mounted on a pole at 2.5-3m height.

Below the ground, a dense network of splats spreads out in an attempt to reconstruct the relief on the sand: the algorithm builds a depth that does not exist in our lived experience.


Training

Method: Gaussian Splatting (PostShot)
Images: 483
Splats: 1.9M
Iterations: 35.1k
Alignment: RealityCapture — 373 aligned images

Processing

Post-clean: none

Capture

Camera: Insta360 X4
Projection: equirectangular
Capture duration: 1 min
Frame extraction: 1 fps
Location: M’Hamid El Ghizlane, Morocco — Gateway to the Sahara — outdoor / desert


2 — Scene captures

3DGS Morocco - A vast desert landscape featuring gently rolling sand dunes and sparse vegetation under a clear blue sky.
Scene capture — desert landscape
3DGS Morocco - A barren desert landscape with sand dunes in the background and several tents on flat ground under a clear blue sky.
Scene capture — desert camp
3DGS Morocco - A blurred landscape with a sandy terrain and a clear blue sky, featuring soft clouds and hills in the background.
Radiance field frontier — lateral view
3DGS Morocco - A swirling abstract representation of Earth with hues of blue and brown, set against a black background.
Radiance field — top view, abstract capture
3DGS Morocco desert — splat network below ground
Relief reconstruction over long distances
3DGS Morocco desert — beige splats suspended in scene
Abstract capture
3DGS Morocco desert — dune reconstruction instability
Camp reconstruction — depth instability over long distances
3DGS Morocco desert — raw dataset equirectangular capture
Abstract top view – M’Hamid El Ghizlane
Abstract – Splat network below ground
Splat network below ground
Bottom view – Splat network below ground

A field capture extending the SAMPLE(S) research beyond urban spaces into open desert landscapes.

Nicolas Mimault, Bagnolet / Paris · nmimault@gmail.com

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