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You can use Insta360 360-degree footage as input for Gaussian Splatting, but for Nerfstudio’s documented Splatfacto workflow you must first convert its equirectangular sphere into perspective views and estimate camera poses. Capture sharp, overlapping views from multiple positions, keep the original full-sphere files, and process them with a pipeline that supports equirectangular input.
Can you use Insta360 360 footage for Gaussian Splatting?
Yes. A 360 camera records an equirectangular image: a flattened representation of the full sphere around the camera. Nerfstudio documents processing 360 images and videos, including footage from cameras such as Insta360, into perspective samples for reconstruction. Its Splatfacto model then uses perspective views and camera poses; it does not support equirectangular or fisheye rendering.
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That means a raw spherical file is not the right direct input for the cited Splatfacto workflow. The practical chain is: record 360 media, convert it into perspective views and estimate poses, then train the Gaussian Splat. Nerfstudio’s custom-data guide covers processing custom image and video data, and its Splatfacto documentation explains the perspective-camera requirement.
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How to capture useful Insta360 footage
Choose a detailed scene and cover it from different positions
Give image-matching software visible texture and detail to recognize, and move around the subject or environment so sampled frames overlap substantially and reveal surfaces from more than one viewpoint. Nerfstudio’s guidance is to “capture overlapping, non-blurry images.” It does not set a universal overlap percentage, movement speed, route, shutter speed, or exposure recipe; those depend on the scene and capture conditions.
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Move steadily enough to keep frames sharp
Move slowly and steadily enough to avoid motion blur in the frames that will be sampled. A stabilized-looking video is not a substitute for sharp source frames: Insta360 describes FlowState as reducing shakiness, while Nerfstudio recommends non-blurry reconstruction input. Coverage and sharpness matter together; one orbit or a single direction may leave surfaces unseen or poorly matched.
For Nerfstudio’s 360-video route, keep the camera above the holder
Nerfstudio recommends holding the camera on top of your head for its documented 360-video processing workflow. This puts the camera holder or support near the bottom of the spherical frame, where the workflow can crop it. This is specific to that documented route, not a universal mounting requirement for every reconstruction tool.
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Keep the original full-sphere files
Record in the camera’s 360 mode and preserve the original files. Insta360 distinguishes a full 360 sphere from a reframed flat export: reframing selects a limited view instead of retaining all directions. For a workflow expecting spherical source footage, use the full 360/equirectangular version rather than a social-media reframe as the reconstruction source. Keep the highest-resolution, highest-bitrate original available until final exports are made.
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Convert equirectangular media into perspective views
Use a processing path that understands equirectangular input and can produce perspective camera views plus camera poses. Nerfstudio documents `ns-process-data` with COLMAP for custom video, image, and 360 equirectangular data; COLMAP estimates poses as part of the documented processing route. Its custom-data documentation describes the supported inputs and commands.
Processing equirectangular images
For image sets, Nerfstudio’s documented route accepts the equirectangular camera type, crop factors, and a choice of 8 or 14 perspective samples per source image. Eight is the stated default and is described as sufficient for most uses; try 14 if the reconstruction lacks detail or COLMAP has trouble aligning views. These are software processing parameters, not camera capture settings.
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- FLAGSHIP 8K50FPS 360 VIDEO: Hit record on our 360 action camera and capture your world in stunning native 8K50fps video. Every view, every highlight, every moment, exactly as it happened.
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Processing 360 video
For video, follow Nerfstudio’s documented 360-video processing path and its crop option where needed to remove the lower frame area containing the holder or support. If alignment is weak or the result is blurry, inspect the source frames and scene coverage before increasing the number of perspective samples: additional samples do not repair missing viewpoints or motion blur.
Train Splatfacto with the processed dataset
Once processing has produced perspective images and estimated camera poses, train the selected Gaussian Splatting implementation with that dataset. Nerfstudio says Splatfacto works better when initialized from structure-from-motion (SfM) points, such as those generated by COLMAP. Its rasterizer assumes a perspective camera and currently does not support equirectangular or fisheye rendering, so use the processed perspective views rather than feeding raw spherical projections directly.
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Check stabilization and export settings for your model
Stabilization and export behavior vary by Insta360 model and shooting mode. Some workflows apply stabilization in-camera; others may use post-production stabilization. Insta360 describes FlowState as reducing shakiness, but its compatibility guidance is model- and mode-dependent. Check the workflow for your exact camera and mode before choosing stabilization or export settings, and retain the original camera files. The Insta360 X-series stabilization compatibility page lists those differences.
360 camera or conventional perspective camera?
| Consideration | 360 Insta360 capture | Conventional perspective capture |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Records all directions around the camera in one recording, with pixels distributed across the sphere. | Records the camera’s pointed view; additional views require pointing and capturing from other directions. |
| Compatibility with Nerfstudio Splatfacto | Requires conversion from equirectangular source into perspective views and poses. | Starts closer to Splatfacto’s expected perspective representation, though it still needs a suitable dataset and camera poses. |
| Capture and cleanup | Can reduce the need to aim at each view, but the holder, pole, stitching, or crop may need attention. | Avoids a spherical-to-perspective conversion step, but requires capturing the desired viewpoints. |
| Source preservation | Keep the original sphere; a flat reframe discards directions outside the selected view. | Preserve the original perspective images used for processing. |
These are workflow trade-offs, not evidence that one camera type always produces better splats. The choice depends on whether all-direction capture is useful for your scene and whether you are prepared to process the spherical footage into the format your reconstruction pipeline expects.
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