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VoxelKei

VoxelKei/SplatThumb

Windows Explorer thumbnail handler that previews 3D Gaussian Splatting PLY files and Spatialograph Maker projects without opening them.

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What is it?

SplatThumb adds thumbnails for 3D Gaussian Splatting .ply files to Windows Explorer. It recognises splat scenes from the file header, including standard INRIA layout and PlayCanvas / SuperSplat compressed PLY, and leaves meshes and point clouds to Windows. Files are only read, with no network access or telemetry.

For each file, you can choose the view by turning the subject like a turntable from a context menu entry. The chosen view is stored in the user profile, keyed by file contents, and never written into the file. Large scenes are sampled to 50,000 to 400,000 splats, set globally or per file, to keep thumbnails fast. Thumbnails that take longer than 3 seconds fall back to the standard icon.

The project also shows the saved preview image in Spatialograph Maker (.spgm) project files. It is a Windows-only C++ project with an MSI installer that installs per user, and a CLI for classifying files and rendering PNG previews.

Key features

  • 01Shows thumbnails for standard INRIA and PlayCanvas / SuperSplat compressed PLY files.
  • 02Lets you pick a per-file view by rotating the subject in a small window.
  • 03Samples large scenes to 50,000–400,000 splats for faster thumbnails.
  • 04Reads files only, with no network access or telemetry.
  • 05Restores any previously registered thumbnail handler on uninstall.
  • 06Displays the saved preview in Spatialograph Maker .spgm projects.

Use cases

  • Browsing folders of 3D Gaussian Splatting training outputs in Explorer to find the right scene.
  • Checking which splat scene a file contains before opening it in a viewer.
  • Previewing Spatialograph Maker projects without launching the editor.

Quick start

  1. 1

    Download the SplatThumb MSI installer from the releases page

  2. 2

    Run the MSI installer (installs for your user account, no admin rights needed)

  3. 3

    To build from source, run this in a Developer PowerShell for VS 2022 in the repository folder

    cmake --workflow --preset msvc-debug

Things to know

  • Windows 10/11 x64 only.
  • Preview v0.4, and the installer is not code-signed yet, so SmartScreen may warn.
  • Only standard and PlayCanvas/SuperSplat compressed PLY files get splat thumbnails; formats such as .spz, .splat and .sog are not supported.

In collections

Windows apps and utilities

Topics

#3d-gaussian-splatting#windows#thumbnails#shell-extension#ply#3d-visualization#3dgs#gaussian-splatting

FAQ

What is SplatThumb?
Windows Explorer thumbnail handler that previews 3D Gaussian Splatting PLY files and Spatialograph Maker projects without opening them. SplatThumb adds thumbnails for 3D Gaussian Splatting .ply files to Windows Explorer. It recognises splat scenes from the file header, including standard INRIA layout and PlayCanvas / SuperSplat compressed PLY, and leaves meshes and point clouds to Windows. Files are only read, with no network access or telemetry.
Is SplatThumb free to use? What license does it have?
SplatThumb is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is SplatThumb still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to SplatThumb was on Nov 4, 2026.
What can I use SplatThumb for?
Browsing folders of 3D Gaussian Splatting training outputs in Explorer to find the right scene. Checking which splat scene a file contains before opening it in a viewer. Previewing Spatialograph Maker projects without launching the editor.
How do I install SplatThumb?
Download the SplatThumb MSI installer from the releases page Run the MSI installer (installs for your user account, no admin rights needed) To build from source, run this in a Developer PowerShell for VS 2022 in the repository folder: cmake --workflow --preset msvc-debug
Where can I get SplatThumb?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/VoxelKei/SplatThumb

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