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France.TV Lab: François, can you remind us of the origins of the SplatTool project?
François Desrichard: The development of SplatTool is closely tied to our core expertise: virtual production. In this approach to special effects, we aim to reduce post-production workload by preparing certain elements during pre-production, particularly 3D virtual sets that are blended with real footage during filming. In this context, teams need to visualize the virtual set as early as possible—right after our graphic artists create it. This early and accessible exploration of 3D environments is at the heart of the SplatTool project.
France.TV Lab: How has SplatTool evolved since the collaboration with CentraleSupélec students ended?
François Desrichard: The first step was transitioning from an open demonstration prototype to a secure version. This involved implementing user accounts and a project-based system with specific access rights for each user’s uploaded resources. Next, we developed a tool to automatically transfer our library of 3D sets onto the platform. The challenge was to generate lightweight versions—comparable in size to a short video and viewable on smartphones—while preserving as much detail and realism as possible.
France.TV Lab: What feedback have you received from directors who tested the tool?
François Desrichard: Directors particularly appreciated the storyboarding features in SplatTool—the ability to prepare shots while immersed in the virtual set. Some are already familiar with the technologies we use, such as Gaussian Splatting, which they employ to quickly digitize real-world environments. They’ve now requested more interactive features, such as opening doors or hiding virtual walls to position the camera behind them.
France.TV Lab: What are the next steps in the tool’s development?
François Desrichard: One of our top priorities is to address the interactivity requested by directors. This will involve supporting animations: moving characters and objects, complex camera movements with focus adjustments, and more. We also plan to add indicators showing how the virtual set integrates with the real-world shooting environment—by representing real furniture where possible and providing an accurate floor plan to navigate the space and plot camera movements.
ABOUT FRANCE TV STUDIO
france.tv studio is an audiovisual production company that has been exercising its expertise for nearly 40 years in various areas: production (fiction, documentary, live broadcasts, and events), accessibility (with subtitling and audio description activities), dubbing, multilingual subtitling, self-promotion, as well as journalistic content production, virtual production, animation, and studio rental through its subsidiaries.
ABOUT LES TONTONS TRUQUEURS
LTT is a pioneering company in virtual production. With the deployment of on-set pre-visualization technology on the daily series of France TV, Un Si Grand Soleil, and the production of over 6 seasons and 1400 episodes, Les Tontons have gained serious experience and an industrialized vision of the processes. From set construction to the delivery of the final altered image, the LTT studio offers a full range of tools specific to virtual production on its Vendargues sets. The ambition has always been to achieve a solution that combines artistic perfection and technological efficiency.
