Material-informed Gaussian Splatting for 3D World Reconstruction in a Digital Twin

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Huynh, Andy, Silva, João Malheiro, Caesar, Holger, Son, Tong Duy
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Huynh, Andy
Silva, João Malheiro
Caesar, Holger
Son, Tong Duy
author_facet Huynh, Andy
Silva, João Malheiro
Caesar, Holger
Son, Tong Duy
contents 3D reconstruction for Digital Twins often relies on LiDAR-based methods, which provide accurate geometry but lack the semantics and textures naturally captured by cameras. Traditional LiDAR-camera fusion approaches require complex calibration and still struggle with certain materials like glass, which are visible in images but poorly represented in point clouds. We propose a camera-only pipeline that reconstructs scenes using 3D Gaussian Splatting from multi-view images, extracts semantic material masks via vision models, converts Gaussian representations to mesh surfaces with projected material labels, and assigns physics-based material properties for accurate sensor simulation in modern graphics engines and simulators. This approach combines photorealistic reconstruction with physics-based material assignment, providing sensor simulation fidelity comparable to LiDAR-camera fusion while eliminating hardware complexity and calibration requirements. We validate our camera-only method using an internal dataset from an instrumented test vehicle, leveraging LiDAR as ground truth for reflectivity validation alongside image similarity metrics.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_20348
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Material-informed Gaussian Splatting for 3D World Reconstruction in a Digital Twin
Huynh, Andy
Silva, João Malheiro
Caesar, Holger
Son, Tong Duy
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Robotics
3D reconstruction for Digital Twins often relies on LiDAR-based methods, which provide accurate geometry but lack the semantics and textures naturally captured by cameras. Traditional LiDAR-camera fusion approaches require complex calibration and still struggle with certain materials like glass, which are visible in images but poorly represented in point clouds. We propose a camera-only pipeline that reconstructs scenes using 3D Gaussian Splatting from multi-view images, extracts semantic material masks via vision models, converts Gaussian representations to mesh surfaces with projected material labels, and assigns physics-based material properties for accurate sensor simulation in modern graphics engines and simulators. This approach combines photorealistic reconstruction with physics-based material assignment, providing sensor simulation fidelity comparable to LiDAR-camera fusion while eliminating hardware complexity and calibration requirements. We validate our camera-only method using an internal dataset from an instrumented test vehicle, leveraging LiDAR as ground truth for reflectivity validation alongside image similarity metrics.
title Material-informed Gaussian Splatting for 3D World Reconstruction in a Digital Twin
topic Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.20348