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SIGGRAPH 2026's message: splatting is infrastructure now

A speaker on stage at SIGGRAPH 2026 in Los Angeles

Photo: SIGGRAPH 2026 · Research

Daniel Habib

Daniel Habib

Jul 23, 2026-Research

SIGGRAPH 2026 wrapped its first Los Angeles edition since 2023 with more than 9,500 attendees from 69 countries — and a papers program that treated gaussian splatting as core graphics infrastructure.

The big picture: Splatting has escaped novel view synthesis. This year's program pushed gaussian primitives into displays, physics, and simulation — the surest sign a technique has become a foundation others build on.

Zoom in:

  • CoherentRaster brought 3DGS to light-field displays.
  • GauSmoke reconstructed smoke with hybrid physics-optical splatting.
  • LagrangianSplats moved gaussian primitives with divergence-free transport for fluid simulation.
  • Organizers highlighted AI, robotics, neural rendering, and immersive storytelling as the through-lines, and debuted an inaugural Games Summit.
  • Disney Research Fellow and Walt Disney Imagineering inventor Lanny Smoot delivered the keynote on July 20.

Go deeper:

  • SIGGRAPH 2026 unites global computer graphics community in Los Angeles
  • PR Newswire: SIGGRAPH 2026 returns to Los Angeles
⟵ Back to the brief

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