Learning path
Immersive 3D, VR and AR
From choosing the right technology to capturing a real place, working with meshes and Gaussian splats, publishing it and training people with it.
- Length
- 13 articles · about 86 min
- Level
- Beginner to intermediate
- Before you start
- None to start. The publishing tutorial uses basic HTML, and the splat tutorial benefits from a graphics card or a cloud notebook.
Best for: Anyone considering immersive experiences, a digital twin, 3D capture or VR training
By the end
What you will be able to do
- Tell VR, AR and mixed reality apart, and choose the simplest option that works
- Explain what makes a digital twin different from a 3D model
- Plan and run a field capture of a real place with the right permissions and checks
- Choose between meshes, point clouds, NeRFs and Gaussian splats for a given job
- Capture a place and train, clean and view a Gaussian splat
- Choose file formats, optimise a heavy scan and publish it on the web with AR
- Plan a VR training programme with real measures
- Judge new 3D and spatial computing developments without chasing hype
The path
Read in this order
Concept · Beginner · 6 min read
VR, AR and mixed reality: which one do you need?
A simple way to choose between immersive technologies, based on where your users are and what they need to do.
You will learn
- VR replaces what you see. AR adds to it. Mixed reality adds digital objects that react to the real space.
- Choose by where the user is and what they must do, not by what looks most impressive.
Start here →
Concept · Beginner · 6 min read
Digital twins, explained: a living model of a real place
What a digital twin is, how it differs from a 3D model, what goes into one and when it is worth building.
You will learn
- A digital twin is a 3D model connected to real data, so it changes when the real place changes.
- A 3D model shows what a place looks like. A twin also shows what is happening there.
Read →
Concept · Intermediate · 6 min read
How cameras capture 3D: optics, parallax and photogrammetry
From the pinhole camera to drone mapping: how photographs become measurements, and what limits their accuracy.
You will learn
- A camera turns 3D space into a flat image. Photogrammetry reverses that, using many overlapping photos.
- Ground sample distance depends on flying height, pixel size and focal length: GSD = height × pixel pitch ÷ focal length.
Read →
Guide · Intermediate · 7 min read
Capturing a real place in 3D: a field checklist
Everything to decide, check and bring before you scan, photograph or fly, so you do not have to return to the site.
You will learn
- Decide what the model is for first. The purpose sets the detail, the accuracy and the method.
- Permissions, weather, light and safety are part of the plan, not afterthoughts.
Read →
Concept · Intermediate · 6 min read
Meshes, point clouds, NeRFs and Gaussian splats: how to choose a 3D representation
The four ways to store a real place in 3D, what each does best, and a simple way to decide which one your project needs.
You will learn
- Meshes are best when you need to edit, measure, light, collide with or simulate the object.
- Gaussian splats and NeRFs are best when you need photorealistic views of a real scene captured from photos.
Read →
Concept · Intermediate · 6 min read
Gaussian splatting explained: photoreal 3D from photos, in real time
How millions of soft blobs can reconstruct a scene, how a splat is trained and rendered, and where it works and fails.
You will learn
- A Gaussian splat scene is millions of soft, coloured, semi-transparent blobs, fitted to photographs by optimisation.
- It renders in real time because the graphics chip can draw and blend the blobs directly.
Read →
Tutorial · Intermediate · 7 min read
Capture a place and turn it into a Gaussian splat
Film a scene, train a splat with open-source tools, clean it and view it in your browser, with the pitfalls to avoid.
You will learn
- A steady, well-lit walk-around video is enough to start.
- Open-source tools handle camera solving, training and export from a few commands.
Read →
Concept · Intermediate · 6 min read
3D file formats explained: glTF, OBJ, point clouds and 3D Tiles
Which format to use for web, headsets, scans and city-scale data, and why units and axes can turn a perfect model upside down.
You will learn
- glTF (and its binary form GLB) is the best default for sharing 3D on the web and in AR.
- Scans produce point clouds and meshes, which need different formats and handling.
Read →
Guide · Intermediate · 6 min read
How to optimise 3D models for the web, phones and headsets
A practical routine to turn a heavy scan into a model that loads in seconds and runs smoothly, without losing what matters.
You will learn
- Set a budget for triangles, textures and file size before you start, based on your slowest target device.
- Most weight sits in textures and in unnecessary triangles. Reduce both, then compress.
Read →
Tutorial · Beginner · 11 min read
Publish a 3D model on the web, with AR on phones
Compress a GLB, show it on a web page with the model-viewer component, add annotations and let visitors place it in their room.
You will learn
- The model-viewer web component shows a GLB in a few lines of HTML, with no app and no build step.
- Compress the model first. A smaller file loads faster on every device.
Read →
Concept · Beginner · 6 min read
The human body in VR and mixed reality: perception, latency and comfort
Why some virtual worlds feel natural and others make people ill, and the science of eyes, balance and timing behind it.
You will learn
- Comfort in VR is largely a matter of biology: vision, balance and timing must agree.
- Delays between head movement and the displayed image are a major cause of discomfort, so frame rate and latency matter.
Read →
Guide · Intermediate · 7 min read
How to plan a VR training programme that people actually finish
From learning goals and scenarios to hardware, instructors and measurement, a step-by-step plan for training that changes behaviour.
You will learn
- Start from a performance gap and a measurable goal, not from the technology.
- Choose tasks where VR adds something: risk, cost, rarity or the need to practise in context.
Read →
Concept · Beginner · 6 min read
What is new in 3D and spatial computing: a field guide to the recent changes
Splats, smarter meshes, AI-made 3D, WebGPU, OpenUSD and mixed reality headsets: what is established, what is still changing and how to keep up.
You will learn
- Capture has changed most: Gaussian splats and neural methods now sit beside photogrammetry and laser scanning.
- Meshes are improving too, through virtual geometry, better tools and AI-assisted clean-up.
Read →
When you finish
Where to go next
Next path
Back to basics: the maths and science behind GeoAI, 3D and VR
AI can draft the code, the model and the scene. People are still needed to develop, fine-tune and put them in context, and that takes the fundamentals.
10 articles · 66 min
Next path
GeoAI: from zero to your first map
Learn the basics, work with free imagery and finish with a land cover map you tested honestly.
7 articles · 63 min
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