VR Planica: Gaussian Splatting Workflows for Immersive Storytelling

Gaussian Splatting recently gained a lot of interest for 3D digitization of real-world objects and scenes. Easy-to-use tools are available to professionals, academics, and lay users for 3D asset creation and visualization. However, application in productions such as XR experiences and corresponding workflows have not been studied in detail so far. We present VR Planica, a pioneering experience that applies Gaussian Splatting for immersive storytelling in a journalistic context, where users are immersed into a real environment. We evaluate available tools and present our production workflow. Finally, results of an initial user study are presented.