StyleGaussian: Instant 3D Style Transfer with Gaussian Splatting (2403.07807v1)

Abstract: We introduce StyleGaussian, a novel 3D style transfer technique that allows instant transfer of any image's style to a 3D scene at 10 frames per second (fps). Leveraging 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS), StyleGaussian achieves style transfer without compromising its real-time rendering ability and multi-view consistency. It achieves instant style transfer with three steps: embedding, transfer, and decoding. Initially, 2D VGG scene features are embedded into reconstructed 3D Gaussians. Next, the embedded features are transformed according to a reference style image. Finally, the transformed features are decoded into the stylized RGB. StyleGaussian has two novel designs. The first is an efficient feature rendering strategy that first renders low-dimensional features and then maps them into high-dimensional features while embedding VGG features. It cuts the memory consumption significantly and enables 3DGS to render the high-dimensional memory-intensive features. The second is a K-nearest-neighbor-based 3D CNN. Working as the decoder for the stylized features, it eliminates the 2D CNN operations that compromise strict multi-view consistency. Extensive experiments show that StyleGaussian achieves instant 3D stylization with superior stylization quality while preserving real-time rendering and strict multi-view consistency. Project page: https://kunhao-liu.github.io/StyleGaussian/

• The paper introduces StyleGaussian, a novel method that achieves instant 3D style transfer at 10 fps while ensuring strict multi-view consistency.
• The paper employs a three-step process—embedding, transfer, and decoding—using a K-nearest-neighbor-based 3D CNN to reliably transform VGG features into stylized RGB outputs.
• The paper demonstrates significant improvements in rendering speed and memory efficiency, opening new avenues for interactive 3D editing and virtual reality applications.

Introducing StyleGaussian: A Novel Approach for Instant 3D Style Transfer

Overview of StyleGaussian

In a recent development within the domain of 3D style transfer, the introduction of StyleGaussian emerges as a significant advancement. StyleGaussian is designed to facilitate the instant transfer of style from a given image to a 3D scene, achieving this at a remarkable speed of 10 frames per second. One of the notable achievements of this method is its ability to maintain real-time rendering capabilities and ensure strict multi-view consistency throughout the process. The implementation of StyleGaussian hinges on a three-step procedure that includes embedding, transfer, and decoding stages. These steps collectively enable the embedding of 2D VGG scene features into a reconstructed 3D environment, transforming these features in alignment with a chosen reference style image, and finally, decoding the transformed features back into stylized RGB.

Key Innovations

Efficient Feature Rendering Strategy

A pivotal innovation in StyleGaussian is its efficient feature rendering strategy. This strategy is specifically designed to tackle the challenges associated with rendering high-dimensional features by initially rendering low-dimensional features. This allows for a subsequent mapping to high-dimensional features, which significantly reduces memory consumption and computational demand. Specifically, this is achieved by embedding VGG features into 3D Gaussians, thus enabling the rendering of high-dimensional, memory-intensive features through 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS).

K-nearest-neighbor-based 3D CNN

Another significant contribution is the development of a K-nearest-neighbor-based 3D Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). This decoder effectively maintains the strict multi-view consistency required for a faithful 3D stylization, by operating directly within the 3D space, thus avoiding the potential inconsistencies introduced by traditional 2D CNN operations. This is a crucial step towards ensuring that the stylized features can be decoded into RGB without compromising the quality and consistency of the 3D stylization.

Implications and Future Directions

The introduction of StyleGaussian not only addresses the pressing need for instant interactive 3D style transfer but also opens up new avenues for future research and application in AI. The method's ability to ensure real-time rendering and multi-view consistency without the need for test-time optimization marks a significant step forward in the field of 3D editing and virtual reality applications.

Practically, StyleGaussian’s approach can be leveraged in various applications ranging from virtual environment design to the creation of dynamic digital art. Its efficiency and effectiveness also suggest a potential role in enhancing user experiences in video games and interactive media by allowing for real-time stylization of 3D environments.

Theoretically, the innovation in feature rendering strategy and the utilization of a KNN-based 3D CNN decoder present a promising direction for further research. Future work could explore the extension of these techniques to other forms of 3D rendering and modeling tasks. Additionally, while the current implementation provides excellent performance and quality, exploring additional optimizations and variations of the StyleGaussian framework could yield even more versatile and powerful tools for 3D style transfer and editing.

Conclusion

The development of StyleGaussian represents a significant stride towards achieving instant 3D style transfer with strict adherence to multi-view consistency and real-time rendering capabilities. Through its novel feature rendering strategy and the application of a KNN-based 3D CNN decoder, StyleGaussian sets a new benchmark in the field of 3D style transfer. As we continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in 3D modeling and rendering, tools like StyleGaussian will undoubtedly play a central role in shaping the future of digital and virtual environment creation.