# Real-time Global Illumination for Dynamic 3D Gaussian Scenes

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.17897 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.17897/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 18 of its 55 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 23 Mar 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 18 of 18)

- [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)
- [Mip-NeRF: A Multiscale Representation for Anti-Aliasing Neural Radiance Fields](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.13415/) (2021)
- [NeRD: Neural Reflectance Decomposition from Image Collections](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2012.03918/) (2020)
- [GaussianShader: 3D Gaussian Splatting with Shading Functions for Reflective Surfaces](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.17977/) (2023)
- [GS-IR: 3D Gaussian Splatting for Inverse Rendering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.16473/) (2023)
- [Relightable 3D Gaussians: Realistic Point Cloud Relighting with BRDF Decomposition and Ray Tracing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.16043/) (2023)
- [3D Gaussian Ray Tracing: Fast Tracing of Particle Scenes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.07090/) (2024)
- [Deep Reflectance Volumes: Relightable Reconstructions from Multi-View Photometric Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.09892/) (2020)
- [FlashGS: Efficient 3D Gaussian Splatting for Large-scale and High-resolution Rendering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.07967/) (2024)
- [3D Gaussian Splatting with Deferred Reflection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.18454/) (2024)
- [GS^3: Efficient Relighting with Triple Gaussian Splatting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.11419/) (2024)
- [Relighting Neural Radiance Fields with Shadow and Highlight Hints](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.13404/) (2023)
- [GI-GS: Global Illumination Decomposition on Gaussian Splatting for Inverse Rendering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.02619/) (2024)
- [Don't Splat your Gaussians: Volumetric Ray-Traced Primitives for Modeling and Rendering Scattering and Emissive Media](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.15425/) (2024)
- [AdR-Gaussian: Accelerating Gaussian Splatting with Adaptive Radius](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.08669/) (2024)
- [MirrorGaussian: Reflecting 3D Gaussians for Reconstructing Mirror Reflections](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.11921/) (2024)
- [PRTGS: Precomputed Radiance Transfer of Gaussian Splats for Real-Time High-Quality Relighting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.03538/) (2024)

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [LuxRemix: Lighting Decomposition and Remixing for Indoor Scenes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.15283/) (2026)
- [MatSpray: Fusing 2D Material World Knowledge on 3D Geometry](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.18314/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We present a real-time global illumination approach along with a pipeline for dynamic 3D Gaussian models and meshes. Building on a formulated surface light transport model for 3D Gaussians, we address key performance challenges with a fast compound stochastic ray-tracing algorithm and an optimized 3D Gaussian rasterizer. Our pipeline integrates multiple real-time techniques to accelerate performance and achieve high-quality lighting effects. Our approach enables real-time rendering of dynamic scenes with interactively editable materials and dynamic lighting of diverse multi-lights settings, capturing mutual multi-bounce light transport (indirect illumination) between 3D Gaussians and mesh. Additionally, we present a real-time renderer with an interactive user interface, validating our approach and demonstrating its practicality and high efficiency with over 40 fps in scenes including both 3D Gaussians and mesh. Furthermore, our work highlights the potential of 3D Gaussians in real-time applications with dynamic lighting, offering insights into performance and optimization.