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Documentation

3DGS/4DGS UE5 Plugin documentation

Install MLSLabsGaussianSplattingRenderer-UE for Unreal Engine 5.5, import static 3DGS and dynamic 4DGS captures, drive playback from Sequencer, and package to Windows. Content mirrors the project README — the authoritative source is on GitHub.

View on GitHubDownload the plugin

Getting started

System requirements

The plugin uses a custom low-level rendering pipeline (non-Niagara) to hold high frame rates even with millions of Gaussians. Confirm your hardware meets these requirements first.

RequirementSpec
Operating systemWindows 10 or 11 (64-bit)
Unreal EngineUE 5.5.x
Graphics APIDirectX 12
GPUNVIDIA GPU with Shader Model 7.5 or higher (Turing architecture and above)
Minimum hardwareNVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 or better
Recommended hardwareNVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti or better

Demo data is available from the repository TestData directory — download .ply files there and import them for real-time rendering.

Installation

Install the plugin

  1. Open the GitHub Release page — Select the plugin version that matches your engine version, then download the zip file.
  2. Unzip into the engine's Plugins folder — For project packaging, unzip into your engine install path under Plugins\Marketplace (create the Marketplace directory if it doesn't exist), or unzip directly into your project's Plugins\ folder. To ensure successful packaging, place the MLSLabsRenderer folder in your UE 5.5 engine directory.
  3. Enable the plugin — Open Unreal Editor, enable MLSLabsRenderer in Edit → Plugins, and restart the editor.
  4. Run Setup Environment — After launching, open the environment setup prompt or click the Setup Environment button in the navigation bar, then click Install Dependencies.
  5. Install the LibTorch dependency — The plugin downloads and installs the LibTorch package — wait for it to complete. If the download fails, grab libtorch-win-shared-with-deps-2.7.0+cu128.zip from download.pytorch.org and extract it to the target directory.
  6. Restart the editor — Click to restart automatically once installation finishes. If the automatic restart fails, restart manually — this step is required, otherwise the plugin won't load correctly.

Compatibility note: this plugin conflicts with the Jawset Postshot UE5 plugin — back the Postshot plugin up to a directory outside Plugins, or into Plugins\Marketplace. Need a license? See the free plan.

Quick start

Import static 3D Gaussian Splatting models

Open Unreal Editor, create a new Demo project and a new Level, then import a static capture.

  1. Import a single file — Click Import single 3D Gaussian Splatting file on the navigation bar, then select your .ply file.
  2. Drag the asset into the level — Drag the generated Blueprint asset into the viewport — the scene renders immediately.
  3. Position the capture — Adjust position with the Move, Rotate and Scale gizmos. Note: the Splat Data Path is an absolute path — if you move the project or clone it to a new machine, update the path to your local .ply file.

Volumetric video

Import animated Gaussian Splatting (4DGS)

Dynamic captures — street traffic, crowds, water, moving camera passes — load as frame sequences and play back like media.

  1. Import multiple files — Click Import multiple 3D Gaussian Splatting files and select your .ply files. Selecting two or more loads the entire sequence in that directory.
  2. Drag the animation asset into the level — Drag the animation Blueprint asset into the viewport — the first frame renders. Frame Count shows the total loaded frames.
  3. Add a Volume Actor component — With the actor selected, press F to focus, then click Add in the Details panel and add the Volume Actor component.
  4. Play the sequence — Click the Play (Run) button on the top navigation bar — the volumetric video (4DGS) plays.

Sequencer

Keyframe control via UE Sequencer

Drive 4DGS playback from the timeline — scrub, trim and keyframe like footage.

  1. Create a Level Sequence — Create a new Level Sequence asset.
  2. Add the animated actor — Add the selected Animation Gaussian Splatting Actor to the Sequencer.
  3. Add the AnimSplattingComponent — Add AnimSplattingComponent to the track.
  4. Add Frame Index to the track — Add the Frame Index property to the track.
  5. Keyframe playback — Add keyframes to the Frame Index track to control playback as needed.

Packaging

Package for Windows

The plugin ships as a Shipping package — configure the build accordingly.

RequirementSpec
Build configurationShipping (the plugin is provided as a Shipping package)
Build environmentVisual Studio 2022, MSVC v143 x64
Splat data on targetAfter packaging, keep the .ply files at the same absolute data path on the target machine for the app to run correctly

FAQ

Documentation questions

Which Unreal Engine version does the plugin support?

UE 5.5.x on Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), DirectX 12, on an NVIDIA GPU with Shader Model 7.5 or higher (Turing architecture and above). Minimum hardware is an RTX 2060; RTX 4070 Ti is recommended.

Do I need to write code to use the plugin?

No. The standard workflow uses the editor's import buttons, the navigation bar and Sequencer — no code is required.

What performance should I expect?

High-performance static 3DGS holds 50+ FPS with 7M+ Gaussians, and dynamic 4DGS playback runs at 100+ FPS with 100K+ Gaussians, both tested on an NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti.

Can I use captures from my own pipeline?

Yes. The plugin imports standard .ply Gaussian Splatting exports and plays 4DGS frame sequences from a directory.

Does the plugin work in packaged builds?

Yes — set the build configuration to Shipping with Visual Studio 2022 / MSVC v143 x64, and keep the .ply files at the same absolute data path on the target machine.

View the full README on GitHub

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