# MeshSplats: Mesh-Based Rendering with Gaussian Splatting Initialization

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.07754 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.07754/

## Key facts

- Cited by 9 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 17 of its 20 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 11 Feb 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 17 of 17)

- [3D Gaussian Splatting for Real-Time Radiance Field Rendering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.04079/) (2023)
- [Instant Neural Graphics Primitives with a Multiresolution Hash Encoding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.05989/) (2022)
- [NeuS: Learning Neural Implicit Surfaces by Volume Rendering for Multi-view Reconstruction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.10689/) (2021)
- [Plenoxels: Radiance Fields without Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.05131/) (2021)
- [2D Gaussian Splatting for Geometrically Accurate Radiance Fields](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.17888/) (2024)
- [Mip-Splatting: Alias-free 3D Gaussian Splatting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.16493/) (2023)
- [SuGaR: Surface-Aligned Gaussian Splatting for Efficient 3D Mesh Reconstruction and High-Quality Mesh Rendering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.12775/) (2023)
- [Extracting Triangular 3D Models, Materials, and Lighting From Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.12503/) (2021)
- [GaussianShader: 3D Gaussian Splatting with Shading Functions for Reflective Surfaces](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.17977/) (2023)
- [3D Gaussian Ray Tracing: Fast Tracing of Particle Scenes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.07090/) (2024)
- [PermutoSDF: Fast Multi-View Reconstruction with Implicit Surfaces using Permutohedral Lattices](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.12562/) (2022)
- [3D Gaussian Splatting with Deferred Reflection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.18454/) (2024)
- [IRGS: Inter-Reflective Gaussian Splatting with 2D Gaussian Ray Tracing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.15867/) (2024)
- [EnvGS: Modeling View-Dependent Appearance with Environment Gaussian](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.15215/) (2024)
- [LinPrim: Linear Primitives for Differentiable Volumetric Rendering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.16312/) (2025)
- [3iGS: Factorised Tensorial Illumination for 3D Gaussian Splatting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.03753/) (2024)
- [RaySplats: Ray Tracing based Gaussian Splatting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.19196/) (2025)

## Built on by (most cited first, 9 of 9)

- [2D Triangle Splatting for Direct Differentiable Mesh Training](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.18575/) (2025)
- [GenRecon: Bridging Generative Priors for Multi-View 3D Scene Reconstruction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.23888/) (2026)
- [GS-Verse: Mesh-based Gaussian Splatting for Physics-aware Interaction in Virtual Reality](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.11878/) (2025)
- [DVSM: Decoder-only View Synthesis Model Done Right](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.29891/) (2026)
- [REdiSplats: Ray Tracing for Editable Gaussian Splatting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.12284/) (2025)
- [EAG-PT: Emission-Aware Gaussians and Path Tracing for Diffuse Indoor Scene Reconstruction and Editing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.23065/) (2026)
- [SynthRender and I-AsSET: Open-Source Framework and Dataset for Bidirectional Sim-Real Transfer in Industrial Object Perception](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.21141/) (2026)
- [COREA: Coupled Relightable 3D Gaussians and SDFs for Efficient Normal Alignment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.07107/) (2025)
- [HybridSplat: Fast Reflection-baked Gaussian Tracing using Hybrid Splatting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.08334/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Gaussian Splatting (GS) is a recent and pivotal technique in 3D computer graphics. GS-based algorithms almost always bypass classical methods such as ray tracing, which offer numerous inherent advantages for rendering. For example, ray tracing can handle incoherent rays for advanced lighting effects, including shadows and reflections. To address this limitation, we introduce MeshSplats, a method which converts GS to a mesh-like format. Following the completion of training, MeshSplats transforms Gaussian elements into mesh faces, enabling rendering using ray tracing methods with all their associated benefits. Our model can be utilized immediately following transformation, yielding a mesh of slightly reduced reconstruction quality without additional training. Furthermore, we can enhance the quality by applying a dedicated optimization algorithm that operates on mesh faces rather than Gaussian components. Importantly, MeshSplats acts as a wrapper, converting pre-trained GS models into a ray-traceable format. The efficacy of our method is substantiated by experimental results, underscoring its extensive applications in computer graphics and image processing.