Splat Journal

Algorithmic imprints of disappearing spaces

Tag: Morocco

  • M’Hamid El Ghizlane — Avatar interaction & particle forces

    M’Hamid El Ghizlane — Avatar interaction & particle forces

    Field notes — M’Hamid El Ghizlane, Morocco — Gateway to the Sahara

    → English below

    Un lieu réel reconstruit avec des particules par Gaussian Splatting. Courir déstabilise le paysage, marcher lui permet de se recomposer. Une expérience interactive pour réfléchir à notre rapport aux environnements — nos gestes transforment les espaces que nous habitons.

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    A real place reconstructed with particles using Gaussian Splatting. Running destabilizes the landscape, while walking allows it to recombine. A small interactive experiment to reflect on our relationship with environments — our gestures transform the spaces we inhabit.

    1 — Avatar interaction & particle forces

    Avatar interaction & particle forces — Unreal Engine 5.3 / TouchDesigner

    Interaction

    Unreal Engine 5.3 — XV3DGS plugin
    TouchDesigner

    Training

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

    Processing

    Post-clean: none

    Capture

    Camera: Insta360 X4
    Projection 360: equirectangular
    Capture duration: 1 min
    Frame extraction: 1 fps
    Location: M’Hamid El Ghizlane, Morocco — Gateway to the Sahara

    A field capture in the context of research on navigable volumetric spaces and interactive reconstruction.

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

  • M’Hamid El Ghizlane — Gateway to the Sahara

    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

  • Kasbah Oulad Othmane — Out of frame

    Kasbah Oulad Othmane — Out of frame

    Field notes — Drâa Valley, Morocco

    → English below

    Le Gaussian Splatting reconstruit un lieu depuis un point de vue calculé. En dehors de la zone d’intérêt, une autre structure apparaît : un champ de particules arrangées pour simuler profondeur et parallaxe. Ce que l’algorithme ne parvient pas à représenter révèle son mode de fonctionnement.

    —

    Gaussian Splatting reconstructs a place from a calculated viewpoint. Outside the intended zone, another structure appears: a field of particles arranged to simulate depth and parallax. What the algorithm fails to represent reveals how it works.

    1 — Out of frame

    Abstract capture — out of field of interest | Unreal Engine
    Music: Ryuichi Sakamoto — disintegration (async)

    Training

    Method: Gaussian Splatting (PostShot)
    Images: 597
    Splats: 2.0M
    Iterations: 60k
    Alignment: RealityCapture — 572 aligned images

    Processing

    Post-clean: none

    Capture

    Camera: Insta360 X4
    Projection: equirectangular
    Capture duration: 1:06 min
    Location: Kasbah Oulad Othmane, Drâa Valley, Morocco — outdoor / desert

    Part of an ongoing investigation into algorithmic artifacts and the limits of Gaussian Splatting reconstruction.

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

  • Kasbah Oulad Othmane — Drifting into abstraction

    Kasbah Oulad Othmane — Drifting into abstraction

    Field notes — Drâa Valley, Morocco

    → English below

    Navigation dans la reconstruction d’une ruelle de Kasbah. Au passage de la caméra, l’espace se déforme et révèle progressivement sa structure sous-jacente. Les splats se dispersent jusqu’à l’abstraction totale.

    —

    Drifting through a reconstructed Kasbah alley. As the camera moves, the space deforms and begins to reveal its underlying structure. Splats scatter into full abstraction as the camera sinks into the ground.

    1 — Traveling into abstraction

    Traveling into abstraction — Unreal Engine

    Training

    Method: Gaussian Splatting (PostShot)
    Images: 597
    Splats: 2.0M
    Iterations: 60k
    Alignment: RealityCapture — 572 aligned images

    Processing

    Post-clean: none

    Capture

    Camera: Insta360 X4
    Projection: equirectangular
    Capture duration: 1:06 min
    Location: Kasbah Oulad Othmane, Drâa Valley, Morocco — outdoor / desert

    An extension of the volumetric research — exploring what lies beyond the radiance field frontier.

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

  • Morocco — Reconstruction instabilities & accidental autoportrait

    Morocco — Reconstruction instabilities & accidental autoportrait

    Field notes — Drâa Valley, Morocco

    → English below

    Pour ce rendu, la capture a été limitée à un seul aller-retour dans une ruelle étroite de la Kasbah. Cette contrainte met en évidence les instabilités de reconstruction liées à la qualité de la captation et du choix du dataset. Les artefacts algorithmiques qui apparaissent dépendent du point de vue de l’observateur. Ici, un autoportrait involontaire est reproduit : mon visage émerge dans la scène selon la position de la caméra.

    —

    For this render, the capture was limited to a single back-and-forth path within a narrow Kasbah alley. This constraint highlights reconstruction instabilities linked to capture quality and dataset selection. The algorithmic artifacts that appear are viewpoint-dependent. Here, an unintended self-portrait is reproduced: my face emerges within the scene geometry depending on camera position.

    1 — Interactive scene

    Gaussian Splatting — navigable scene (SuperSplat viewer)

    2 — Traveling environment

    Traveling through the reconstructed environment — Unreal Engine

    Training

    Method: Gaussian Splatting (PostShot)
    Images: 597
    Splats: 2.0M
    Iterations: 60k
    Alignment: RealityCapture — 572 aligned images

    Processing

    Post-clean: none

    Capture

    Camera: Insta360 X4
    Projection: equirectangular
    Capture duration: 1:06 min
    Location: Kasbah Oulad Othmane, Drâa Valley, Morocco — outdoor / desert

    3 — Gaussian Splatting training

    Gaussian Splatting training — 60k iterations | Images: 597 | Splats: 2.0M (PostShot)

    4 — Raw 360° capture

    Source footage — Insta360 X4, equirectangular projection, 1:06 min

    5 — Scene captures

    Gaussian Splatting Kasbah - A blurred landscape featuring a path leading through rugged terrain under a blue sky.
    radiance field frontier
    Gaussian Splatting Kasbah - A person standing in a narrow, rocky pathway surrounded by blurred earthy tones.
    accidental autoportrait
    Gaussian Splatting Kasbah - An abstract representation featuring a blurred blend of blue sky, rocky terrain, and natural elements, creating an impressionistic landscape.
    abstract captures top/bottom view
    Gaussian Splatting Kasbah - Narrow dirt pathway between traditional adobe buildings under a clear blue sky.
    Potshot training capture

    Part of an ongoing research on algorithmic artifacts and the limits of volumetric reproduction.

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