3D trail capture · Michigan and the Great Lakes

Every trail, captured as it truly is.

We walk your trails, overlooks, waterfalls and boardwalks, then bring back photoreal 3D scenes tied to real coordinates. Made for park departments, land conservancies, trail crews and tourism boards.

Plan a capture See how it works

Why

A trail is never finished. Roots lift, banks slump, bridges weather, and one spring flood can rewrite a switchback. A photo shows one angle. A splat keeps the whole place, so you can walk it again from your desk and see what changed.

What we capture

The places people
come to see.

  • Overlooks

    The view at the top, in full depth.

  • Waterfalls

    Falls, cascades and the rock around them.

  • Boardwalks

    Bridges, boards and the ground beneath them.

  • Trailheads

    Parking, signage, access points and first impressions.

  • Erosion

    Gullies, slumps and trail braiding, documented in detail.

  • Landmarks

    Old growth, rock formations, ruins and markers worth keeping.

Who it’s for

For the people who
keep the path open.

  • Park departments
  • Land conservancies
  • Trail crews
  • Tourism boards

  1. Planning records

    A true to life 3D record of every segment, so crews scope work before they haul tools in, and archive what they left behind.

  2. Visitor previews

    Let visitors stand at the falls before they make the trip. Embed the scene on your own site, next to your trail maps.

  3. Accessibility previews

    Show the surface, slopes and obstacles as they really look, so each visitor can decide what’s within reach.

  4. Conservation records

    Compare scenes of the same ground side by side to see what changed, what grew back and what needs attention.

  5. Grant reporting

    Scenes of the finished work that funders can walk through themselves.

Industrial work

The same capture,
on working land.

Working sites get the same photoreal 3D capture, for planning, documentation or reporting.

  • Forestry

    Stands, haul roads and boundaries, recorded as they look today.

  • Utility corridors

    Rights of way, structures and access routes, seen in their full setting.

  • Mining

    Pits, faces, benches and stockpiles, documented in photoreal 3D.

  • Construction

    The site as it stands, on record for the whole project team.

  • Agriculture

    Fields, drainage, barns and outbuildings, captured as they are.

  • Storm damage

    Downed trees, washouts, damaged structures: a clear record for insurers.

More on industrial work

How it works

How a capture works.

  1. 01

    Capture

    We walk the site with professional cameras and fly it by drone where the canopy allows. Aerial capture covers open ground, along with views over the canopy.

  2. 02

    Process

    Thousands of frames become millions of soft 3D Gaussians: a photoreal scene you can move through freely.

  3. 03

    Georeference

    We tie each scene to real world coordinates and scale, so it lines up with your survey data.

  4. 04

    Deliver

    A shareable web viewer plus the files your GIS, planning and marketing teams already use.

Deliverables

What lands
in your hands.

We scope each project to how you’ll use it. A typical delivery includes:

Web viewer
A link or embed that runs in any modern browser, desktop or phone. No app required.
Splat files
Source scenes in common formats (.ply, .splat, .ksplat) for your own viewers.
Georeferenced exports
Point clouds in real world coordinates, with reference imagery, GIS ready for planning work.
Flythroughs
Rendered stills or flythrough video for reports, presentations and social posts.

Engagements

Start with one place.
Or a whole system.

Single feature

One overlook, waterfall, bridge or trailhead, delivered as a shareable scene.

Ask for a quote →

Trail segment

A continuous stretch of trail with its key features, georeferenced end to end.

Ask for a quote →

Questions

Good to
know.

What is a Gaussian splat?

A 3D scene made of millions of small, soft, colored points (3D Gaussians) built from photos. Unlike a mesh, it keeps the look of real light on leaves, bark and rock. It renders in real time, even in a web browser, like the scene at the top of this page.

Where do you work?

TrailSplat LLC works across Michigan and the Great Lakes. Ask about projects farther away.

Do you fly drones?

Yes. We combine aerial capture over open ground with on foot capture under the canopy, where paths are narrow.

How long does a capture take?

It depends on the site, terrain, weather and light. A single feature is often a short visit; larger projects are planned with you. You’ll get a schedule with your quote.

Can visitors view it on their phones?

Yes. Web viewers run in modern mobile browsers, and we can prepare lighter versions for slower connections at the trailhead.

What does it cost?

Every site is different, so pricing is by quote. Send a note about the place and what you need it for. You’ll hear back with options.

Contact

Tell us about
your trail.

Where it is, roughly how long, and what you need it for. You’ll get a capture plan with a quote.

Prefer email? info@trailsplat.com

TrailSplat LLC · Michigan and the Great Lakes