Nerfstudio is a free, open-source project with modular tools and an API for creating, training and testing Neural Radiance Fields. Its included methods are Nerfacto, Instant-NGP, NeRF, Mip-NeRF, TensoRF and Splatfacto, its Gaussian Splatting implementation. Command-line tools support data processing, model training and evaluation, video rendering, viewing trained models and exporting them. A web viewer can display training in real time, let users interact with scenes, render custom camera trajectories and create videos from trained models. Share links let others view training progress, but they are publicly accessible and can add latency. Documented capture-to-render workflows use COLMAP, Polycam or Record3D to turn phone video into a 3D render. Installation options include pip, source and Docker; Docker requires NVIDIA GPU drivers capable of CUDA 11.8, and the quickstart requires an NVIDIA video card with CUDA installed. Launched in October 2022, Nerfstudio is developed by Berkeley students and community contributors. Windows installation is less tested and more fragile than Linux.
Who it is for
Nerfstudio suits developers and researchers working with NeRF or Gaussian Splatting workflows who can use its command-line tools and GPU requirements. Linux users may have a smoother documented installation path than Windows users.
What is good
- Free and open-source
- Includes six NeRF and Gaussian Splatting methods
- Web viewer shows training in real time
- Capture workflows include COLMAP, Polycam and Record3D
- Offers pip, source and Docker installation options
What to know first
- Quickstart requires an NVIDIA video card with CUDA
- Docker requires NVIDIA GPU drivers capable of CUDA 11.8
- Windows installation is less tested and more fragile
- Shared viewer links are public and can add latency
Verdict
Nerfstudio offers an end-to-end set of tools for training, viewing and exporting NeRF scenes. Its GPU requirements and less-tested Windows installation are important constraints to consider.
Compared on AI 3D scanning software
- Free plan
- Yes
- Capture input
- both
- Mobile platforms
- both
- Export formats
- PLY, OBJ, PNG, JPEG
- Textured mesh output
- Yes
- Measurement tools
- No
- Web app
- Yes
- API access
- Yes
