SOG vs PLY vs SPZ for Gaussian Splats

Choose between PLY, SOG and SPZ by the next tool that must open your scene. Here is how to compare compatibility, file size and visible detail without losing the original.

Short answer

Keep your original splat export. For a smaller delivery copy, compare SOG and SPZ in the viewer you intend to publish with. Use PLY when the next editor or recipient requests it. A format your tools cannot read is a poor handoff, however small the file is.

This guide compares three formats. If you have a file that will not open, use the file-format troubleshooting guide.

PLY, SOG and SPZ compared

These descriptions follow the PlayCanvas format guide, SOG specification and Niantic SPZ repository, checked September 12, 2026. They are format documentation, not a benchmark of your scene.

Which format should you choose?

For further editing: ask the receiving editor which formats and versions it accepts. Keep the original reconstruction export so you can make another delivery copy later.

For a browser tour: export the compact formats your publishing tool accepts, then compare their appearance and loading on the target devices. Do not select a format from a compression ratio alone.

For a client who only needs to explore: publish a link. Send a raw file as well when it is part of the agreed deliverable and the client has a tool to open it.

Run a fair comparison on your own scene

1. Start every conversion from the same original. Avoid converting an already compressed copy into the next candidate.
2. Record the converter, version, settings and output size.
3. Open the files one at a time in the free splat viewer.
4. Match the camera position, viewport and rendering quality. Let loading finish before comparing detail.
5. Inspect thin furniture, railings, foliage, signs and reflective edges. Save screenshots from the same views.
6. Repeat on the phone and connection your audience is likely to use.

This is a worksheet, not published test data. A compact download can still expand in memory or render slowly; record what the device actually does.

When streaming is the next question

If the whole scene is too heavy for the target device, changing a single-file format may be insufficient. A streaming workflow can load parts of a scene as needed. It requires a compatible viewer and correctly hosted metadata and chunks.

In Spatial Studio's viewer, use a hosted lod-meta.json URL for the supported LOD path. Keep the referenced files reachable. Dropping a metadata file by itself does not provide the scene.

Before handing the scene over

Keep the source, selected delivery copy and conversion notes together. Publish the tour, open the actual client link, and inspect the first few views on mobile. That last check catches problems introduced by hosting or page layout after the raw file passed review.

For the next step, read Gaussian splat hosting or how to embed a tour.