Polycam vs. Luma AI: Which Capture App Produces Better Splats?

Comparison · 2025-05-14 · 12 min read · by SplatMart Team

We ran a side-by-side comparison of Polycam Pro and Luma AI across five scene types — architecture, nature, objects, food, and characters. Here's what we found.

We captured five identical scenes using both Polycam Pro and Luma AI on an iPhone 15 Pro, then trained .splat files from each capture. Here's what we found.

Architecture

Polycam produced sharper edges on hard surfaces like brick and concrete. Luma AI handled reflective glass better, with fewer floaters near windows.

Nature

Both apps struggled with moving foliage. Luma AI's motion-aware processing gave it a slight edge in windy outdoor conditions.

Verdict

For architectural captures, use Polycam. For organic scenes or anything with motion, Luma AI is the better choice. Both produce SplatMart-ready exports.

Frequently asked questions

Is Polycam or Luma AI better for Gaussian splatting?

Polycam tends to be sharper on hard architectural edges, while Luma AI handles reflective and outdoor/organic scenes with fewer floaters. For most architecture, choose Polycam; for organic or moving scenes, choose Luma AI. Both export splats you can use elsewhere.

Do Polycam and Luma AI both export Gaussian splats?

Yes. Both can produce Gaussian splat exports (.ply / .splat) from a phone capture, which you can open in a viewer or game engine.

Which is easier for beginners?

Both are beginner-friendly cloud apps that work from a phone. Luma AI is often cited as especially approachable; Polycam offers a broad feature set. Try both on the same scene and compare.