Getting Started¶

Welcome to the 3D Gaussian Splatting pipeline for time-series plant phenotyping!

What You'll Learn¶

This manual will guide you through:

✅ Complete environment setup - CUDA, COLMAP, 3DGS
✅ Video capture and processing - Best practices for data collection
✅ Pipeline execution - Step-by-step reconstruction workflow
✅ Quality evaluation - Metrics and validation
✅ Trait extraction - Automated plant measurement

Who This Manual Is For¶

Beginners¶

New to 3D reconstruction? Start here: 1. System Requirements - Check if your hardware is compatible 2. Quick Start - Get running in 30 minutes 3. Video Requirements - Learn data capture

Active Users¶

Already familiar with the basics? 1. Pipeline Overview - Understand the workflow 2. Dataset Details - See our validated configuration 3. Troubleshooting - Fix common issues

Researchers¶

Looking for technical details? 1. My Research - Original contributions 2. Parameters - Optimal settings 3. Results & Validation - Quality metrics

Prerequisites¶

Before starting, you should have:

Basic Linux knowledge - Command line familiarity
Python experience - Basic understanding preferred
NVIDIA GPU - Required for CUDA acceleration
Time commitment - 2-3 hours for initial setup

Learning Path¶

Path 1: Quick Setup (30 minutes)¶

Perfect for getting started quickly:

Quick Start → Test Run → Verify Results

Path 2: Complete Setup (2-3 hours)¶

Comprehensive installation and testing:

System Requirements → Environment Setup → 
Data Preparation → Pipeline Execution

Path 3: Research Focus (1 week)¶

Deep dive into methods and optimization:

Complete Setup → My Research → 
Parameters → Advanced Topics

Pipeline at a Glance¶

Animated walkthrough of all 6 pipeline stages with real data thumbnails

What Makes This Different?¶

This pipeline is validated on real greenhouse data:

✅ 22 capture dates over 49 days
✅ PSNR: 23.71 dB - High quality reconstruction
✅ 100% success rate - Robust pipeline
✅ Scale-invariant measurement - 18.2pp (2.86×) improvement over direct PLY measurement

Quick Links¶

Task	Link
Install everything	Quick Start
Check requirements	System Requirements
Capture videos	Video Requirements
Run pipeline	Pipeline Overview
Fix problems	Troubleshooting
See results	My Research

Support¶

Need help?

Common Issues: Check Troubleshooting Guide
Lab Support: Contact Mineno Laboratory
Documentation: Browse this manual
Feedback: Submit via GitHub issues

Next Steps¶

Ready to begin?

Check System Requirements - Verify hardware compatibility
Quick Start Guide - Install and test (30 min)
Capture Your Data - Learn best practices

Last updated: April 14, 2026