Splat Virtual Tour Software, Turn 3DGS Scenes Into Guided Walkthroughs
Learn how splat virtual tour software turns Gaussian splats and 3DGS scenes into guided walkthroughs with waypoints, hotspots, embeds, CTAs, and analytics.
In this guide
Build a browser tour from a Gaussian splat, connect rooms with hotspots, add panoramas and floor plans, then publish a link or embed for your client.
The short version
Splat virtual tour software takes a Gaussian splat or 3DGS scene and turns it into a guided browser experience. That means visitors can open a link, start from a useful view, move through planned stops, read context, and take an action.
Already have a splat? Open the tour workspace and use your existing scene. Start with a clear opening view, add the rooms or stops visitors need, then publish and test the link on a phone.
Spatial Studio by Real Horizons can also start from overlapping phone video, 360 footage, drone media, or photo sets. Generate the splat in the cloud or on a supported Mac, inspect the reconstruction, then combine it with panoramas, floor plans, maps, and media in the browser editor.
Raw splat vs virtual tour
| Raw splat | Splat virtual tour |
|---|---|
| Opens a 3D scene | Opens a guided experience |
| Often needs explanation | Starts from a clear view |
| Freeform navigation | Waypoints and room stops |
| Limited business context | Hotspots, labels, CTA, embeds |
| Hard to measure | Views and action tracking |
| Useful for technical review | Useful for visitors and clients |
If the audience is a developer, creator, or capture operator, a raw viewer may be enough. If the audience is a buyer, guest, visitor, stakeholder, or client, a guided tour is usually better.
What a good splat tour needs
A clear start view
The first camera position should explain the space quickly. Do not make the visitor rotate around looking for context.
Guided waypoints
Waypoints turn a scene into a path. Use them for rooms, amenities, views, entrances, exterior context, and important stops.
Hotspots
Hotspots carry the details that photos and free movement cannot explain on their own. Use them for finishes, upgrades, room notes, sales context, historical details, accessibility notes, and instructions.
Mobile checks
Many visitors will open the tour on a phone. If the first interaction is heavy or confusing, they will leave before the tour has a chance to help.
A next step
The tour should connect to an action:
- Contact the agent.
- Book a showing.
- Open a listing.
- Request a venue visit.
- Share the tour.
- Start a project.
Without that next step, the tour may impress people without moving them forward.
Where splat tours work well
A guided tour is useful when someone needs to understand how rooms, routes or amenities connect before visiting.
| Use case | Why it fits |
|---|---|
| Real estate listings | Buyers can understand layout and finish before a showing. |
| Model units | Developers can present rooms, views, and upgrades through one link. |
| Hotels and resorts | Guests can inspect rooms, amenities, and access before booking. |
| Venues | Event teams can show flow, capacity, and setup areas. |
| Heritage spaces | Visitors can explore with guided context and labels. |
| Campuses | Teams can explain facilities, routes, and public areas. |
Choose the stops around the visitor's questions. A venue planner may need the route from the entrance to the event space; a home buyer may need to see how bedrooms connect to living areas.
Splat tours vs 360 tours
360 tours are still useful. They are often fast, familiar, and light. A fixed panorama can work well for smaller rooms or simple documentation.
Splat tours become more useful when a visitor needs depth, parallax, and a stronger feeling of moving through the place.
| Question | 360 tour | Splat tour |
|---|---|---|
| Need fast room coverage? | Strong | Depends on capture workflow |
| Need depth and movement? | Limited | Strong |
| Need fixed scan points? | Strong | Optional |
| Need photorealistic spatial feel? | Moderate | Strong when capture is good |
| Need guided publishing? | Depends on platform | Core requirement |
The practical answer is often mixed. Use photos and 360s where they are efficient. Use splats where the space benefits from a walkable feel.
Splat tours vs Matterport
Check the deliverable your client requires. A Matterport space, a measured floor plan, and a hosted Gaussian splat tour serve different requirements. Flexible capture and a walkable scene are useful only if the result also meets the client’s measurement, access, and delivery needs.
For a deeper comparison, use the dedicated guide: Matterport vs Gaussian Splatting.
How to build and deliver a tour in Spatial Studio
- Prepare the input. Use overlapping video or photos to generate a splat, or import a splat you already have. A fixed 360 panorama can be added directly to the tour. Follow the video preparation guide if reconstruction is the next step.
- Inspect the scene. Check glass, thin furniture, moving subjects, and gaps between rooms. Use the public splat viewer for a quick file check. Missing capture coverage may need a reshoot rather than more editing.
- Build the route. Set an opening view, connect scenes with hotspots or portals, and add saved views, floor plans, maps, and supporting media. Review labels and CTA destinations against the client brief.
- Preview and publish. Test desktop and mobile navigation, then publish a snapshot. Draft edits do not change that snapshot until you publish again.
- Deliver the link or embed. Send the hosted URL or add its iframe to the client’s site. Test the actual embed and the direct link outside the editor, including on a phone.
- Record the handoff. Agree who maintains the project, how long it stays online, what revisions are included, and where the source files are stored. Use the hosting checklist to review the deliverable.
Browse published Spatial Studio tours to inspect real examples of the viewing experience. These examples demonstrate the output; they do not establish a result for your own capture.
Downloading a scene and delivering a tour
Spatial Studio’s generated-splat downloads include SOG, SPZ, PLY, compressed PLY, and experimental GLB. Browser conversion has a 512 MiB source-file safety limit; larger scenes should use the recommended SOG download. Check the target tool’s format support before promising an editable file to a client.
Those downloads contain the splat scene. A hosted tour also has navigation, panoramas, media, hotspots, and reporting. Downloading a splat does not package the complete tour for offline viewing or self-hosting. If the client requires either, verify the complete deliverable before choosing the workflow.
What to measure
Measure whether the tour helps people move forward:
- Did visitors open the tour?
- Did they move beyond the first view?
- Which room or stop got attention?
- Did they click the CTA?
- Did the tour support a booking, inquiry, showing, or sales conversation?
Review navigation and CTA clicks alongside the client’s own inquiry or booking records. Tour activity alone does not establish a sale.
FAQ
What is a splat virtual tour?
It is a guided browser experience built around a Gaussian splat or 3DGS scene. It usually includes waypoints, hotspots, labels, and sharing tools.
If you only need to open a .ply, .sog, .spz, or other raw splat file, start with the Gaussian Splat Viewer. Use tour software when the file needs a guided link, embed, CTA, and visitor reporting.
Is a 3DGS virtual tour different from a Gaussian splat tour?
In most commercial conversations, people use those phrases for the same kind of experience: a tour built around a 3D Gaussian Splatting scene.
Can a splat tour be embedded on a website?
Yes, when the publishing platform supports embeds. This is useful for listings, landing pages, venue pages, and campaign pages.
Do visitors need special software?
A browser-based tour should open from a normal web link. That is one of the main reasons to publish the scene as a tour instead of sending a file.
Can I use this for real estate?
Yes. Use it to show room connections, finishes, views, and exterior context. Review whether the capture gives buyers the detail they need before a showing.
Next step
If you already have a splat, turn it into a guided tour. If you are starting from capture, generate the splat and plan the route around what the visitor needs to understand.
Buyer and creator resources
Next step
Build a splat tour
Use the guide with your own project, or inspect a published example before starting.
Continue reading
Related articles
3D Tours
Video to Gaussian Splat: Phone, 360, and Drone Workflow for 3DGS Tours
Turn phone, 360, or drone video into a Gaussian splat with capture checks, source tradeoffs, cleanup steps, publishing guidance, and 3DGS tour delivery.
Read article3D Tours
Gaussian Splatting for Real Estate Virtual Tours
A practical guide to Gaussian splatting for real estate: capture, Matterport comparison, guided tour UX, package pricing, and lead measurement.
Read article