Postshot for Gaussian Splatting: A Quick-Start Guide
Tutorial · 2026-06-04 · 6 min read · by SplatMart Team
Postshot is a fast desktop app for training Gaussian splats and NeRFs on your own machine. Here's what it does, who it's for, and how a basic workflow looks.
Postshot is a desktop application for training Gaussian splats (and NeRFs) on your own computer. Instead of uploading footage to a cloud service, you drop in your photos or video and Postshot processes the splat locally on your GPU — which gives you speed, privacy, and more control over the result. It's become a popular choice for creators who want to move beyond beginner cloud apps.
What is Postshot?
Postshot takes a set of images or a video of a scene and reconstructs it into a Gaussian splat you can preview, refine, and export. Because it runs on your machine, processing speed depends on your GPU rather than a server queue, and your footage never leaves your computer.
Who is Postshot for?
- Creators who make splats often and want faster, local processing.
- Anyone who prefers keeping footage private rather than uploading to the cloud.
- Users who want more control over training settings and quality than a one-tap app offers.
If you're brand new to splatting, a cloud app like Luma AI is a gentler start. Postshot is the natural next step once you want more speed and control. New to the concept entirely? Start with what Gaussian splatting is.
What you need
- A Windows PC with a reasonably capable NVIDIA GPU (local training is GPU-bound).
- A good capture — overlapping photos or a slow, steady video covering the subject from many angles.
- The Postshot app installed.
A basic Postshot workflow
1. Capture
Film or photograph your subject with full coverage and even lighting, the same way you would for any splat — slow movement, lots of overlap, nothing moving in the scene. See our capture guide for technique.
2. Import and train
Create a project, import your images or video, and start training. Postshot solves the camera positions and optimises the Gaussians, showing you progress as it goes. Local GPU processing means you're not waiting in a cloud queue.
3. Review and refine
Inspect the splat for floaters and weak areas. You can adjust settings and retrain, or crop the scene to clean up the bounds.
4. Export
Export your splat as a standard file (such as .ply) so you can view it, bring it into a game engine, or share it. For the differences between splat formats, see our file-formats guide.
Postshot vs cloud apps
- Postshot — local, fast on a good GPU, private, more control; needs capable hardware.
- Luma AI / Polycam — cloud-based, beginner-friendly, work from a phone; less control and your footage is uploaded.
Whichever tool you use, capturing a polished splat takes practice. If you need a finished asset now, SplatMart sells ready-to-use splats you can download and drop into your project.
Frequently asked questions
What is Postshot used for?
Postshot is a desktop app for training Gaussian splats and NeRFs locally on your own GPU, from photos or video. It's used by creators who want faster, private, more controllable splat processing than cloud apps offer.
Is Postshot free?
Postshot has offered free access during its development, with terms that can change over time — check the current licensing before relying on it commercially.
Do I need a powerful GPU for Postshot?
Yes. Because training runs locally, a capable NVIDIA GPU makes a big difference to speed and the size of scene you can process. Cloud apps are the alternative if you don't have one.
What can Postshot export?
It exports trained splats in standard formats (such as .ply) so you can view them, use them in engines like Unreal or Unity, or share them.