I’ve been exploring how different kinds of spatial information can be brought together in Rhino.
In this experiment, I used a 3D Gaussian Splat of Mont-Saint-Michel and combined it with GIS data in Rhino using Heron.
As the splat itself was not geographically positioned, I aligned its position, orientation and scale within a WGS84-based geographic context.
This brings together complementary forms of spatial information:
- Gaussian Splatting provides a visual representation of the existing environment
- GIS / Heron anchors that representation within its real-world geographic context
- Rhino provides precise geometry and an environment in which different spatial representations can be transformed, compared and combined
To explore what this combination might allow beyond visualisation, I introduced a Rhino model of Villa Savoye into the reconstructed context of Mont-Saint-Michel.
Villa Savoye was conceived for a very different setting at Poissy. Placing the same architectural form within the historical and geographic context of Mont-Saint-Michel provides a way to explore a broader spatial question:
What does it mean for architecture not to disturb a site?
Is disturbance only about physical contact with the ground, or can an intervention also affect the visual, historical and spatial relationships that define a place?
The aim is not to propose Villa Savoye at Mont-Saint-Michel, but to use Rhino × GIS × 3DGS to construct and explore a spatial relationship that would not normally exist.
This workflow may also be useful for historic buildings and ruins where detailed BIM or CAD models are unavailable, particularly for conservation and digital archiving. 3DGS can provide a visually rich record of an existing site, GIS can place that record within its geographic context, and Rhino allows it to be compared and combined with precise geometry.
I’m continuing to explore what other spatial possibilities might emerge at the intersection of Rhino, GIS and 3DGS.
Data / tools
- Rhino 8
- Grasshopper + Heron
- Rhino Gaussian Splatting
- Mont-Saint-Michel 3DGS: SuperSplat
- French administrative data: Admin Express COG, WGS84 / EPSG:4326
- Villa Savoye: internal reference model
The shudder might actually be the most relevant reaction to the experiment. I was interested in whether a place can be disturbed visually and spatially without being physically disturbed.