One of the most powerful tools in Gaussian Splatting is getting a big update and new home with the announcement of GSOPs 2.6. It will now be going underneath a brand new company, CG Nomads. David and Ruben, the two creators of GSOPs and founders of CG Nomads have been hard at work bringing compelling new capabilities.

New features coming to GSOPs include support for 2DGS and an even easier way to install. They have removed some dependencies and also removed the example data from the initial download. They recommend doing a fresh clone and installation to clear the way for future updates. 

The update also includes several bug fixes and UX improvements. 

But the most anticipated addition is the support for Karma and Solaris Renderer within Houdini. Karma is a USD hydra delegate (renderer) which supports raytracing (Solaris is just the higher level toolset for USD in Houdini). There is a new Gaussian Splats Import LOP node, specifically for the two. By proxy, this adds support to mix traditional CG content and Gaussian splats in the same render. There are also the huge benefits of this enabling both Relighting, shadows, and reflections.

Just recently we saw XK Studio demo GSOPs on the official Houdini YouTube channel. The work that David, Ruben, and the community have put in have begun to catch the attention of more and more companies and a large user base. These new additions in 2.6 only continue to build out the gaussian splatting capabilities of the powerful simulator and ecosystem. For people looking for a platform to learn, I would highly recommend Houdini.

GSOPs will continue to be free and permissibly licensed. Consider supporting the work of David and Ruben through their BuyMeACoffee and contributing to the repository. By becoming a supporter to the GSOPs platform, you will receive Early Access to upcoming features, in addition to enabling this great work to occur. 

More information about CG Nomads can be found on their website, YouTube, or Linkedin.