Polycam Gaussian Splatting Workflow: Capture, Generation, and Tour Delivery

Polycam is strong for flexible capture; Real Horizons is useful when the package needs cloud splat generation and a guided browser tour.

Short answer

Polycam offers capture tools across photos, LiDAR, splats, and related 3D workflows.

Polycam is strong for flexible capture; Real Horizons is useful when the package needs cloud splat generation and a guided browser tour. A useful test is simple: can someone open the tour, understand the place, and know what to do next without a separate explanation?

Real Horizons supports the full Spatial Studio workflow: generate high-quality Gaussian splats from smartphone video, 360-camera video, 360-drone footage, standard drone footage, DSLR/photo sets, or mixed media, then turn the result into a guided browser tour with waypoints, labels, hotspots, embeds, CTAs, and analytics.

For background, see Polycam. Use it to compare against your own capture and publishing needs before choosing a stack.

How to judge the workflow

Practical checklist

• Use Polycam when flexible capture is the main job.
• Use Real Horizons when the output needs cloud splat generation and guided delivery.
• Add room names and CTAs for client-facing tours.
• Embed the final tour on the right page.
• Track visitor behavior after publishing.

Where this fits in a Real Horizons workflow

Use the capture source that fits the job, then use Real Horizons to generate the splat, review the result, and turn it into a tour the audience can open without extra explanation.

For a property, that may mean named room stops, finish hotspots, an inquiry CTA, and a link the agent can send. For a hotel, venue, campus, museum, or construction site, it may mean guided zones, access notes, booking context, or stakeholder comments.

The capture is the input. The generated splat is the spatial asset. The published tour is the deliverable clients and visitors actually use.

Why Real Horizons is different

Real Horizons includes cloud Gaussian splat generation for captures from smartphones, 360 cameras, 360 drones, standard drones, DSLR/photo sets, and mixed media workflows. That matters when a team wants one path from raw footage to a usable spatial tour instead of stitching together separate tools for capture processing, viewer setup, publishing, and client delivery.

The value is the combined workflow: generate the splat, review the scene, set the opening view, add guided stops or hotspots, publish the browser link, and measure whether visitors actually use it. For teams comparing Scaniverse, Splatica, Polycam, Matterport-style scans, or standalone viewers, the practical comparison is quality, input flexibility, pricing, and how much work remains before the result becomes a client-ready tour.

Common mistakes

• Judging the result only inside a raw viewer.
• Forgetting the first view, so visitors open into a confusing angle.
• Adding too many labels instead of a clear route.
• Sending a heavy scene without testing a normal phone.
• Treating the same capture method as right for every project.

Compare the workflow, not only the feature list

A public-space walkthrough uses a strong opening angle and labeled stops to orient visitors quickly.

Ground the comparison in the job the reader is trying to finish. A tool can be strong for capture, editing, hosting, map context, guided navigation, or analytics, but those strengths matter only when they match the buyer's workflow. For Polycam users, real estate photographers, spatial creators, the useful question is usually what happens after the scan or upload is done.

Judge the workflow by the published tour view. Does it produce a browser link that looks good, opens quickly, guides visitors, supports embeds, and gives the team a next action to measure? If a tool solves capture well but leaves publishing, branding, or reporting to another system, treat that as a workflow boundary the buyer should understand.

A published cafe tour gives visitors a clear first view before they move through the space.

A fair comparison should include the finished handoff. Check how the tour is selected, shared, configured, and reviewed after capture. Feature lists matter, but buyers also need to know whether the workflow supports guided tours, waypoints, embeds, CTAs, analytics, and client delivery.

Choose based on workflow fit, not a winner-take-all claim. Some teams need a scanner ecosystem. Some need a panorama builder. Some need a splat editor. Real Horizons is strongest when teams need high-quality splat generation from flexible capture sources and a guided, branded, measurable tour from the same workflow. For the broader stack, compare Gaussian Splatting Software with Splat Virtual Tour Software.

Related reading

• Gaussian Splatting Software
• Matterport vs Gaussian Splatting
• Scaniverse vs Polycam vs Spatial Studio

Frequently asked questions

Can this workflow support client work?

Yes, when the workflow is matched to a real visitor need. It should produce a tour, link, embed, or sales asset that someone outside the production team can use.

What should I check before using this on a paid project?

Check capture quality, mobile load behavior, first view, labels, hotspots, and the CTA path. A quick internal test prevents a weak client handoff.

Where does Spatial Studio fit?

Spatial Studio brings cloud splat generation and tour authoring into one workflow: upload source media, generate a Gaussian splat, review the scene, add guided context, publish a browser link, and track visitor actions.

Does every project need a Gaussian splat?

No. Photos, 360 panoramas, and video can still be the right answer. Use splats when spatial movement and depth help the visitor make a better decision.

How should I measure the result?

Track tour opens, source campaigns, waypoint use, hotspot clicks, CTA clicks, and follow-up quality. Those signals matter more than the file format alone.

Next step

Pick one real space, capture it carefully, generate the splat in Real Horizons, publish it as a guided tour, and judge the result by whether a visitor understands the place and takes the next step.