Relics without excavation
Ancient Assets collects ten 3D Gaussian Splatting models of historical and prehistoric objects. The selection contains two angel statues, a bone knife (No, not the first blade from supernatural, we haven’t found a good scan from that yet), one crown (Propably generic, but I’m not up on the yellow Press Royals paraphernalia), one gargoyle, one ancient ruins portal, three sabre-toothed tiger skulls and one T-Rex skull. Hell yes. Toot-Kitteh!
That gives artists a compact collection of skulls, statues, ruins and old weapons for crypts, museums, fantasy environments and archaeological scenes. The models use Gaussian Splat data rather than conventional polygon geometry. Spencer Dickerson created the assets. The free collection lets artists test splat workflows without capturing and processing their own source material first.
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Nearly real time, nearly painless
Gaussian Splats reproduce captured objects through collections of positioned and oriented Gaussian primitives. The files are fully “textured” (Technically not correct, but good enough for this explanation) and capable of responding to lights placed in a scene. The assets render nearly in real time – this makes them suitable for fast look development and interactive scene assembly.
Nearly real time remains dependent on the workstation, renderer, splat count and scene complexity. The lighting response also differs from a conventional object built with editable geometry, UV coordinates and a standard material network. Artists receive captured splat data rather than a traditional mesh with separate texture maps.
The pack provides a low-cost way to test those differences – and workflows – directly. Camera movement, close-ups, lighting changes and integration with other objects will reveal more than a beauty render on a download page.
SPZ keeps the baggage down
Every model ships in the SPZ format. SPZ stores compressed Gaussian Splat data and comes with an open-source C++ library for reading and writing files. SPZ files are typically around-ish ten times smaller than equivalent PLY files, with minimal visual differences. SPZ stores position, colour, opacity, scale, rotation and spherical harmonics data in a compressed representation. Quantisation reduces the storage requirements, while the reference implementation uses the MIT licence.
The smaller footprint can simplify downloads, storage and scene exchange. It does not guarantee application support. A compact file remains decorative luggage when the destination software cannot read the format. Coordinate conventions also require attention. The reference implementation uses an RUB coordinate system by default, following OpenGL and Three.js conventions. PLY files commonly use RDF. This is something we ran into HARD on the weekend. Therefore, passing it on.
Cinema 4D and Octane get SPZ
The supplied SPZ files can be used in Cinema 4D with Octane. That route lets artists work with the compressed delivery files without converting them to PLY first. The direct workflow removes one translation stage and reduces the chance of introducing incorrect conversion settings. The models can then join standard scene elements such as cameras and lights. This behaviour makes the pack relevant to motion design and look-development work that needs visually detailed props without conventional modelling and texturing.
After Effects needs one extra step
After Effects cannot import the supplied SPZ files directly in the described workflow. Artists must first convert them to PLY and then use a compatible Gaussian Splatting plug-in. The free SuperSplat converter handles the format change. Users can drag an SPZ file into the browser tool, choose PLY as the output format and start the conversion.
Conversion runs locally in the browesr. The files do not require an upload or server-side processing, which keeps source material on the workstation. The converter accepts PLY, SOG, KSplat, Splat and SPZ files. It can also transform and combine splats, while its decimation control reduces the splat count by merging similar Gaussians.
Conversion does not create an ordinary mesh. The PLY still contains Gaussian Splat data for a compatible importer. Artists expecting editable topology, UV maps or a rigged dinosaur may remain buried under disappointment.
SuperSplat does more than convert
Since we never played with that: The wider SuperSplat platform provides an open-source, engine-agnostic browser environment for editing and optimising Gaussian Splats. Its editor can inspect, edit, publish, share, download and browse splat scenes. This gives artists a convenient place to examine the free assets before moving them into another application.
The editor also gives productions a route for reducing or cleaning splat data when an asset contains more information than a particular shot requires.
Browser access lowers the setup requirement for quick inspection. Production teams still need to confirm that editing and export preserve the appearance and metadata required by the destination software.
Free still needs testing
Ancient Assets removes the capture and initial processing work for ten specialised objects. Direct SPZ support suits Cinema 4D and Octane users, while free PLY conversion opens a path into After Effects. The models also provide a practical introduction to the strengths and limitations of Gaussian Splats. They can render interactively, retain detailed captured surfaces and react to scene lighting in the demonstrated workflows.
New tools, formats and asset packs should always be tested before use in production. You don’t want your scene to go the way of the Dinos. Inaccessible for millions of years ;)
