Viewport and Attribute Editor¶
Select the Gaussian splat shape in the Attribute Editor (not only the transform) to control viewport look and render-related settings.
Gaussian Splat File¶
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| File path | Source capture used when Embed In Scene is off, and as a reload reference when embed is on. Browse accepts common splat formats. |
| Embed In Scene | On (default): store the capture inside the Maya scene. Off: keep a small scene that reloads from disk. |
| Splat Count | Read-only number of splats currently loaded. |
Selection¶
- Selecting a splat shows a wire box with corner brackets, not a green per-point highlight.
- Individual splat points are not selectable.
- Press F to frame the full capture.
Viewport¶
These controls affect Viewport 2.0. They do not permanently change the file until you export.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Draw Mode (Arnold) | How the native Arnold preview path draws when available (Maya 2027+). |
| Up Axis | Orientation for the capture: Y up, Z up, -Y up, or -Z up. Remaps viewport points and the selection frame, and is baked into the temp files Arnold and V-Ray read. |
| Opacity | Global viewport opacity. |
| Alpha Min | Hides very faint splats. Raise to thin haze. |
| Tint Color | Multiplies splat colors. |
| Intensity | Brightness. |
| RGB Primaries | How splat colors are interpreted: Default, sRGB, ACEScg, or Raw. |
| Density | How many points to draw. Lower for faster navigation. |
| Viewport Primitives Limit | Soft draw budget for large clouds. |
Splat Size (under Rendering) also scales viewport point size.
Rendering¶
Arnold vs V-Ray
SH Degree, Opacity Adjust, Primitive Percent, and Self Shadow mainly affect Arnold and the viewport.
With V-Ray on Maya 2025-2027, Intensity, Tint, RGB Primaries, Splat Size, visibility, and Cast Shadows also drive V-Ray.
V-Ray beauty is base color only - changing SH Degree will not change the V-Ray look. See V-Ray Rendering.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| SH Degree | How much view-dependent lighting to use in the viewport / Arnold (0-3). Lower is flatter and cheaper. |
| Splat Size | Overall Gaussian size for viewport and renderers. Keep near 1.0 for accuracy. |
| Opacity Adjust | Arnold opacity multiplier. |
| Primitive Percent | Percentage of splats sent to Arnold. Lower for faster test renders. |
| Visible In Reflections / Refractions | Whether splats appear in reflections / refractions for supported renderers. |
| Cast Shadows | Whether splats cast shadows. |
| Self Shadow | Arnold self-shadowing. |
Debug¶
Collapsed by default. Useful while diagnosing Arnold looks (Final, Color, Opacity, and related views). Leave Show Planes off for normal beauty.
Performance tips¶
- Drop Density while framing, then raise it for final checks.
- Lower Viewport Primitives Limit if the viewport stutters on huge clouds.
- Use Alpha Min to remove near-invisible splats.
- Turn Embed In Scene off when you want small Maya files and are happy keeping the capture on disk.
- Expect some transparent overlap differences vs dedicated splat viewers - that is normal in Maya’s viewport.