Technology Comparison

3D Gaussian Splatting vs NeRF: Neural Rendering Methods Compared

An expert comparison to help you choose the right equipment for your project.

Feature	3D Gaussian Splatting	NeRF (Neural Radiance Fields)
Training Time	2-7 minutes	18-20 hours
Rendering Speed	100+ FPS (real-time)	~5 FPS (historical)
Memory Usage	1-2 GB typical	200-500 MB
Quality (PSNR)	25-33 dB	25-31 dB
Editability	Explicit (easy)	Implicit (difficult)
DJI Terra	Supported (V5.0+)	-
Service Pricing	Included in DJI Terra; Open-source implementations available	Open-source implementations; Research-focused

Option A Neural Rendering (Inria)

3D Gaussian Splatting

Real-Time Photorealistic Rendering

3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) is a breakthrough neural rendering technique introduced at SIGGRAPH 2023 that represents 3D scenes as collections of anisotropic Gaussian ellipsoids. It enables real-time photorealistic rendering at over 100 FPS without requiring neural network inference during rendering.

Pros

Real-time rendering (100+ FPS)
Training in minutes, not hours
Explicit representation allows editing
Higher visual quality (25-33 dB PSNR)
GPU-efficient tile-based rasterization
DJI Terra native support

Cons

Higher memory requirements than mesh
Viewer compatibility still evolving
Not suitable for engineering measurements
Newer technology with less tooling
Larger file sizes than NeRF

Best For

Virtual toursReal estate marketingConstruction visualizationComplex structure documentation

Option B Neural Rendering (UC Berkeley)

NeRF (Neural Radiance Fields)

Pioneering Neural Scene Representation

Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF), introduced in 2020, represents 3D scenes as continuous volumetric functions learned by a neural network. It produces high-quality novel views but requires long training times and cannot render in real-time on standard hardware.

Pros

Compact representation (lower storage)
Good for research applications
Pioneering technology with wide adoption
Continuous volumetric representation
Works well for view interpolation

Cons

Very long training times (18+ hours)
Not real-time on standard hardware
Implicit representation hard to edit
Requires neural network for rendering
Quality limited compared to 3DGS

Best For

Research applicationsVR/AR experiencesView synthesis researchAcademic projects

Our Expert Verdict

Winner: 3D Gaussian Splatting

3D Gaussian Splatting has largely superseded NeRF for practical applications. It offers real-time rendering (100+ FPS vs 5 FPS), trains in minutes instead of hours, and produces equal or better visual quality. NeRF remains relevant for research.

Choose 3D Gaussian Splatting if...

Choose 3D Gaussian Splatting for production work: virtual tours, construction visualization, real estate marketing, and any application requiring real-time interaction.

Choose NeRF (Neural Radiance Fields) if...

Choose NeRF for research projects, academic work, or situations where compact file size matters more than rendering speed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 3D Gaussian Splatting?

3DGS represents 3D scenes as collections of Gaussian ellipsoids with position, orientation, opacity, and color properties. These Gaussians are "splatted" (projected and blended) to render images, enabling real-time photorealistic visualization without neural network inference.

Why is 3DGS faster than NeRF?

NeRF requires running a neural network for every pixel during rendering. 3DGS uses explicit Gaussians that can be rendered using GPU rasterization—a much faster operation that enables 100+ FPS on consumer hardware.

Does DJI Terra support Gaussian Splatting?

Yes, DJI Terra V5.0+ supports 3D Gaussian Splatting. It processes aerial imagery 2× faster than traditional mesh reconstruction and handles 30,000+ photos with cluster processing.

Can I use 3DGS for engineering measurements?

No. 3D Gaussian Splatting is optimized for visualization, not measurement. For engineering work requiring precise measurements, use point clouds or survey-grade mesh outputs from photogrammetry or LiDAR.

When should I still use NeRF?

NeRF may still be preferred for academic research, situations requiring minimal storage, or when working with existing NeRF-based toolchains. For production work, 3DGS is now the better choice.

Which does THE FUTURE 3D use?

We use 3D Gaussian Splatting via DJI Terra for visualization deliverables—virtual tours, marketing content, and client presentations. For measurement-critical work, we deliver point clouds and survey-grade orthomosaics.

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