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Arnold rendering

Render Gaussian splat objects with Arnold for Maya when Arnold is installed and loaded.

Before you start

  1. Install Arnold for Maya for your Maya year and load it in the Plug-in Manager.
  2. Import (or open) a scene that contains a Gaussian splat object.
  3. Set the renderer to Arnold.

Maya 2027+

Newer Maya years can use Arnold’s native Gaussian splat path when available. That creates a world-level *_arnoldHold with *_arnoldGS under it (same sibling pattern as V-Ray - not parented under the locator). Older years use the plugin’s Arnold support. Either way, look controls live on the splat shape in the Attribute Editor.

world
    ├── cactus_splat
    │   └── cactus_splatShape            ← viewport / Attribute Editor look
    └── cactus_splatShape_arnoldHold     ← follows the splat automatically
        └── cactus_splatShape_arnoldGS   ← Arnold beauty (native path)

Ray depth

Render Settings → Arnold Renderer → Ray Depth

Setting Guidance
Transparency Depth The plugin raises this to at least 128 if it is lower. Dense clouds need far more than Maya’s default of 10. Raise further if the cloud still looks hollow.
Total / Transmission Depth Raised to at least 64 when needed.
Diffuse / Specular Start around Diffuse 2, Specular 0 for pure splat lookdev.

Sampling

Setting Starting point
Camera (AA) 6-8
Diffuse 3-4
Specular 0

Use adaptive sampling for cleaner edges on finals if you like.

Object controls that matter

On the splat shape:

Control Tip
SH Degree Higher = more view-dependent lighting (and cost).
Splat Size Keep near 1.0 unless you intentionally want larger blobs.
Opacity Adjust Lower if beauty is too bright; raise if too faint.
Primitive Percent 100% for finals; lower for quick tests.
Show Planes Leave off for normal looks.

On the transform, keep Arnold Opaque off (aiOpaque = 0). Import usually sets this for you.

Common problems

Problem Try this
Blocky / noisy edges Raise Camera AA
Too bright Lower Opacity Adjust (try 0.5-0.7)
Too faint / disappearing Transparency Depth ≥ 128; Opaque off; raise Opacity Adjust
Slow Lower Primitive Percent; ease sampling
Flat “card” look Show Planes off; Splat Size near 1.0
Wrong orientation Check Up Axis on the shape

What to expect

Arnold is excellent for integrating splats with Maya lighting and cameras. It will not always match a dedicated splat viewer pixel-for-pixel - treat it as a strong production look, then refine opacity, size, and sampling.