PlayCanvas has released version 2.15.0 of its open source 3D engine, introducing a set of enhancements that refine real time Gaussian Splatting workflows, expand shader customization, and improve rendering performance across both WebGL and WebGPU. The update builds on the engine’s ongoing support for 3D Gaussian Splatting.

A highlight of the release is unified GSplat support for rendering to shadow maps. This enables Gaussian splat assets to participate in scene shadows alongside traditional mesh geometry, which can improve visual integration and perception of depth in hybrid scenes where point based radiance fields are mixed with conventional 3D elements. The timing is ironic given the just announced bitbybit update.

On the workflow side, the engine introduces an updated GsplatShaderEffect script that adopts a simpler material API, lowering the barrier for developers to apply shader effects to splat data without complex configuration. The behavior of the splatBudget API has also been improved. Where budgets previously tended to increase only, the system now allows LOD budgets to both grow and diminish in response to runtime conditions. This API was additionally migrated into the official GSplat component for more intuitive access.

Shader extensibility continues to expand with the addition of a gsplatModifyVS customization chunk, giving developers explicit control over vertex stage splat modifications. The underlying work buffer for GSplat uniforms has been restructured to store components directly, simplifying data flows and removing a longstanding Android specific workaround.

Beyond Gaussian Splatting, the release continues PlayCanvas’s work to broaden glTF compatibility. Version 2.15 adds support for several KHR_materials_* extensions, emissive strength, specular, unlit, IOR, dispersion, transmission, volume, sheen, anisotropy, and iridescence. Given the standards body for gltf are moving towards a release for gaussian splatting standards, this is also interesting timing.

New features like compute pipeline creation caching for WebGPU and optimized texture tracking with set based dirty marking further contribute to overall runtime efficiency. Improvements to WebGPU texture format tier support and the introduction of WebGPU TextureView access expand the engine’s versatility in handling advanced graphics tasks.

The release also includes dozens of bug fixes and quality of life updates throughout the engine, ranging from security enhancements to more robust typed array return values on WebGPU, pinpointed glTF exporter corrections, and refinements to annotation systems and component behaviors.

PlayCanvas continues to lead in the gaussian splatting ecosystem. The engine remains open sourced and MIT Licensed. The full changelog can be accessed here.