Efficient Density Control for 3D Gaussian Splatting (2411.10133v1)

Abstract: 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) excels in novel view synthesis, balancing advanced rendering quality with real-time performance. However, in trained scenes, a large number of Gaussians with low opacity significantly increase rendering costs. This issue arises due to flaws in the split and clone operations during the densification process, which lead to extensive Gaussian overlap and subsequent opacity reduction. To enhance the efficiency of Gaussian utilization, we improve the adaptive density control of 3DGS. First, we introduce a more efficient long-axis split operation to replace the original clone and split, which mitigates Gaussian overlap and improves densification efficiency.Second, we propose a simple adaptive pruning technique to reduce the number of low-opacity Gaussians. Finally, by dynamically lowering the splitting threshold and applying importance weighting, the efficiency of Gaussian utilization is further improved.We evaluate our proposed method on various challenging real-world datasets. Experimental results show that our Efficient Density Control (EDC) can enhance both the rendering speed and quality.

• The paper introduces a long-axis split method that minimizes Gaussian overlap to enhance visual fidelity in novel view synthesis.
• It applies adaptive pruning to remove redundant low-opacity Gaussians, reducing computational load without compromising detail.
• Dynamic thresholding is used to concentrate resources on error-prone regions, achieving state-of-the-art rendering metrics on real-world datasets.

Efficient Density Control for 3D Gaussian Splatting

The paper "Efficient Density Control for 3D Gaussian Splatting" introduces advancements in the domain of novel view synthesis (NVS) through the efficient utilization of Gaussian splatting technology. The focus is on optimizing rendering performance and quality by addressing inefficiencies inherent in traditional 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) methods. The authors propose several innovations, including a novel long-axis split operation, adaptive pruning techniques, and dynamic thresholding, which synergistically improve both the rendering speed and the visual fidelity of synthesized views.

3DGS is acknowledged for its capabilities in achieving real-time rendering performance, primarily by representing scenes with 3D Gaussian ellipsoids. Despite its computational efficiency, 3DGS suffers from an overproduction of low-opacity Gaussians, leading to increased rendering costs and redundant data. These redundant Gaussians predominantly result from suboptimal split and clone operations during the densification process.

The core contribution of this paper lies in the development of a long-axis split method that refines scene representation by reducing Gaussian overlap. By selecting the longest axis for splitting, this approach ensures minimal disruption to the original Gaussian shape and density distribution, eliminating excessive overlap and opacity reduction issues prevalent in previous methodologies. Additionally, the adaptation of an adaptive pruning technique further minimizes the presence of low-opacity Gaussians without compromising rendering quality. This is achieved by systematically removing less significant Gaussians every predetermined number of training iterations, balancing detailed reconstruction with computational efficiency.

The dynamic thresholding approach adjusts the splitting threshold based on the progression of training, allowing for a more intelligent allocation of computational resources. This method effectively prioritizes regions with higher errors for early densification, refining details incrementally and optimizing overall process efficiency. Importance weighting is another refinement introduced to stress critical regions during rendering. This weighting adjusts the densification process to ensure that significant scene components receive adequate Gaussian allocation, thus improving the rendering quality of complex or frequently-viewed areas.

Empirical evaluation on real-world datasets, including Mip-NeRF 360, Tanks and Temples, and Deep Blending, demonstrates the proposed Efficient Density Control (EDC) approach's superiority in both speed and quality compared to existing 3DGS techniques and other neural radiance field (NeRF) improvements. Notably, using a reduced number of Gaussians, EDC attains state-of-the-art rendering performance metrics, such as PSNR, SSIM, and LPIPS, affirming the potential of these innovations for widespread application in NVS tasks.

In conclusion, the enhancements introduced in this paper significantly push forward the potential applications of 3D Gaussian Splatting in fields that demand high-fidelity rendering, such as virtual reality and autonomous driving. The computational benefits, coupled with improved visual outcomes, suggest a promising avenue for future research exploration. Future directions might include extending the applicability of these techniques to dynamic scenes or real-time systems that require adaptive responses to changes in scene composition and viewer perspective.