Photogrammetry vs LiDAR vs 3DGS — Which to Use

Three methods, three different jobs

Photogrammetry, LiDAR, and 3D Gaussian Splatting all produce 3D data, but they answer different questions. LiDAR is about measurement. 3DGS is about visual realism. Photogrammetry sits in between, trading hardware cost for capture discipline. Picking the right one starts with the deliverable, not the device.

Side by side

	Photogrammetry	LiDAR	3DGS
Captures with	Overlapping photos	Laser distance measurement	Photos / video + training
Metric accuracy	Variable — depends on capture	High, directly scaled	Not measurement-grade
Speed on site	Slow capture, heavy processing	Fast with handheld SLAM	Fast capture, GPU processing
Lighting needs	Good, even lighting	Works in low light	Good lighting helps
Best for	Objects, facades, budget capture	Scan-to-BIM, as-built, survey reference	Photoreal walkthroughs, media, XR

How to choose

Need measurements? Use LiDAR. A handheld SLAM scanner like the Lixel K2 gives scaled, accurate point clouds fast.
Need photorealism? Use 3DGS — captured with the PortalCam or a K2 workflow — for browser-viewable, immersive scenes.
On a tight hardware budget for a small object or facade? Photogrammetry can work, if you can control lighting and capture overlap.

You do not have to pick just one. A single XGRIDS capture can feed both a measurable point cloud and a 3DGS scene, so the same site visit serves the engineers and the marketing team. Volumet rents the hardware; the outputs are yours to produce.

Related pages

Keep exploring.

XGRIDS Lixel K2

The handheld SLAM LiDAR scanner for accurate, scaled point clouds.

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XGRIDS PortalCam

The 3DGS camera for photorealistic, browser-viewable scenes.

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3DGS spatial modelling

How to produce 3D Gaussian Splatting scenes with rented hardware.

View page

Capture methods, answered.

What is the difference between photogrammetry and LiDAR?

LiDAR measures distance directly with a laser, producing accurate, scaled 3D geometry even in low light. Photogrammetry reconstructs 3D from overlapping photos, so it is cheaper to start but depends on lighting, texture, and capture discipline for accuracy.

What is 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS)?

3DGS is a photorealistic, image-based scene representation that renders smoothly in a browser. It is excellent for visual realism and walkthroughs, but it is not a measurement-grade geometry format on its own.

Which should I use for Scan-to-BIM?

LiDAR — typically a handheld SLAM scanner like the XGRIDS Lixel K2 — because Scan-to-BIM needs accurate, scaled point-cloud reference. 3DGS and photogrammetry are better suited to visual deliverables.

Can one capture produce more than one output?

Often, yes. The Lixel K2, for example, can support point cloud, mesh, and 3DGS outputs from a single walk, depending on the processing workflow.

Not sure which fits your project?

Tell us the deliverable you need and the site. We will recommend the right device from the fleet and confirm availability.

Request rental availability