Photogrammetry, LiDAR, and 3D Gaussian Splatting all produce 3D data, but they answer different questions. LiDAR is about measurement. 3DGS is about visual realism. Photogrammetry sits in between, trading hardware cost for capture discipline. Picking the right one starts with the deliverable, not the device.
Side by side
- Photogrammetry captures with overlapping photos. Accuracy is variable and depends on capture discipline; it needs good, even lighting, slow capture, and heavy processing. Best for objects, facades, and budget capture.
- LiDAR captures with direct laser distance measurement. Geometry is high accuracy and directly scaled, it works in low light, and handheld SLAM makes it fast on site. Best for Scan-to-BIM, as-built documentation, and survey reference.
- 3DGS reconstructs a scene from photos or video plus training. It is fast to capture with GPU-based processing, benefits from good lighting, and is not measurement-grade. Best for photoreal walkthroughs, media, and XR.
How to choose
- Need measurements? Use LiDAR. A handheld SLAM scanner like the Lixel K2 gives scaled, accurate point clouds fast.
- Need photorealism? Use 3DGS, captured with the PortalCam or a K2 workflow, for browser-viewable, immersive scenes.
- On a tight hardware budget for a small object or facade? Photogrammetry can work, if you can control lighting and capture overlap.
You do not have to pick just one. A single XGRIDS capture can feed both a measurable point cloud and a 3DGS scene, so the same site visit serves the engineers and the marketing team. Volumet rents the hardware; the outputs are yours to produce.