# Converting 3DGS PLY to 3D Tiles via Cesium Ion REST API

**URL:** <https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003>\
**Category:** Cesium ion\
**Created:** [July 11, 2025, 1:11pm UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003 "2025-07-11T13:11:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 18\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![cccCesium](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/user_avatar/community.cesium.com/ccccesium/32/1987_2.png) [@cccCesium](https://community.cesium.com/u/cccCesium)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 1:11pm UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003/1 "2025-07-11T13:11:28Z")

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Hello Cesium Support Team,

I would like to ask whether it is currently possible to convert a 3DGS ply file to 3D Tiles using the Cesium Ion REST API. If not, is this functionality planned for future support?

Thank you

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**Author:** ![Fordi](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/user_avatar/community.cesium.com/fordi/32/23255_2.png) [@Fordi](https://community.cesium.com/u/Fordi)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 6:35pm UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003/2 "2025-07-11T18:35:19Z")

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The Ion REST API supports everything the Ion application does, which, as of very recently, does include 3D gaussian splats in PLY form.

Here’s the upload documentation to get you started. [https://cesium.com/learn/ion/rest-api/#operation/postAssets](https://cesium.com/learn/ion/rest-api/#operation/postAssets)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cccCesium](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/user_avatar/community.cesium.com/ccccesium/32/1987_2.png) [@cccCesium](https://community.cesium.com/u/cccCesium)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2025, 12:32pm UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003/3 "2025-07-12T12:32:25Z")

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Hello Fordi and the Cesium Support Team,

Thank you for your response.

I reviewed the linked page, but I couldn’t find any documentation regarding the `sourceType` setting for converting PLY data into 3D Tiles using 3D Gaussian splats. Is there an updated version of the documentation that includes this information?

Thank you

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cccCesium](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/user_avatar/community.cesium.com/ccccesium/32/1987_2.png) [@cccCesium](https://community.cesium.com/u/cccCesium)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 6:57am UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003/5 "2025-07-14T06:57:00Z")

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Hello,

I looked at the URL you provided, but there was no description of what to specify as the option (sourceType) when creating a 3DGS using the REST API, so I don’t understand.  
I would appreciate it if you could tell me.

Best Regards,

2025年7月12日(土) 3:45 Bryan Elliott via Cesium Community \<[notifications@cesium.discoursemail.com](mailto:notifications@cesium.discoursemail.com)\>:

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**Author:** ![Marco13](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/user_avatar/community.cesium.com/marco13/32/2757_2.png) [@Marco13](https://community.cesium.com/u/Marco13)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 1:41pm UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003/6 "2025-07-14T13:41:14Z")

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To my understanding, the `sourceType` should be `POINT_CLOUD`. And I _think_ that ion will automatically handle `.ply` files accordingly, and try to treat them as Gaussian splats. (Some details of the documentation indeed have to be updated)

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**Author:** ![Ankit\_Trehan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/user_avatar/community.cesium.com/ankit_trehan/32/14038_2.png) [@Ankit\_Trehan](https://community.cesium.com/u/Ankit_Trehan)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 6:22pm UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003/7 "2025-07-14T18:22:44Z")

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Hi,

I apologize for any confusion that was caused, the REST API documentation is out of date. I have created an update to address this. If your source PLY file has gaussian splat data, you can specify the source type as `POINT_CLOUD` and pass a `gaussianSplats: true` value in the options object along with it.

Thanks,  
Ankit

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cccCesium](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/user_avatar/community.cesium.com/ccccesium/32/1987_2.png) [@cccCesium](https://community.cesium.com/u/cccCesium)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 12:42am UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003/8 "2025-07-15T00:42:04Z")

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Hello,

Thank you for the additional information.  
I was able to convert the PLY file.

However, it seems that the converted 3DTiles data is tilted 90 degrees to the side.

Is it possible to fix this using the API conversion options, etc.?

Best Regards,

2025年7月15日(火) 3:32 Ankit Trehan via Cesium Community \<[notifications@cesium.discoursemail.com](mailto:notifications@cesium.discoursemail.com)\>:

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ankit\_Trehan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/user_avatar/community.cesium.com/ankit_trehan/32/14038_2.png) [@Ankit\_Trehan](https://community.cesium.com/u/Ankit_Trehan)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 2:25pm UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003/9 "2025-07-15T14:25:09Z")

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Hi,

Would you be able to share any screenshots of what you are seeing? I can pass that feedback along to the tiling team.

Thanks,  
Ankit

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cccCesium](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/user_avatar/community.cesium.com/ccccesium/32/1987_2.png) [@cccCesium](https://community.cesium.com/u/cccCesium)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2025, 12:29am UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003/10 "2025-07-16T00:29:03Z")

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Hello,

My 3dgs data is  
(home view)

 ![image.png](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/original/3X/2/4/246c67e0d9146b286170018376d75fc8d4ed0f7d.jpeg)

(left side view)

 ![image.png](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/original/3X/8/9/89633e74f93f2415acb18be6b11deabd8785d1ef.jpeg)

The tree rotates sideways.

2025年7月15日(火) 23:35 Ankit Trehan via Cesium Community \<[notifications@cesium.discoursemail.com](mailto:notifications@cesium.discoursemail.com)\>:

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ankit\_Trehan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/user_avatar/community.cesium.com/ankit_trehan/32/14038_2.png) [@Ankit\_Trehan](https://community.cesium.com/u/Ankit_Trehan)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2025, 7:05pm UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003/11 "2025-07-16T19:05:39Z")

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Hi,

Thank you for providing me with this information. I have opened an issue with the tilers team for them to take a look at. I apologize for not asking this earlier but could you please also share the asset id for the above asset.

Thanks,  
Ankit

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cccCesium](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/user_avatar/community.cesium.com/ccccesium/32/1987_2.png) [@cccCesium](https://community.cesium.com/u/cccCesium)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 12:26am UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003/12 "2025-07-17T00:26:32Z")

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Hello,

Asset ID : 3546820

Best Regards

2025年7月17日(木) 4:15 Ankit Trehan via Cesium Community \<[notifications@cesium.discoursemail.com](mailto:notifications@cesium.discoursemail.com)\>:

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cccCesium](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/user_avatar/community.cesium.com/ccccesium/32/1987_2.png) [@cccCesium](https://community.cesium.com/u/cccCesium)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 9:28am UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003/13 "2025-07-17T09:28:15Z")

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Hello,

Additional question:

I tried to archive the assets I created using the REST API, but it didn’t work.  
（404 Client Error: Not Found for url: [https://api.cesium.com/v1/archives](https://api.cesium.com/v1/archives)）

It’s mentioned in the API documentation, but is it not possible to use it?

What should I do?

Best Regards,

2025年7月17日(木) 9:26 畑中達也 \<[ccccesium2020@gmail.com](mailto:ccccesium2020@gmail.com)\>:

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ankit\_Trehan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/user_avatar/community.cesium.com/ankit_trehan/32/14038_2.png) [@Ankit\_Trehan](https://community.cesium.com/u/Ankit_Trehan)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 2:55pm UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003/14 "2025-07-17T14:55:40Z")

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Hi,

That is the correct endpoint for creating archives and you should be able to create one. Can you share which options you are supplying to the API with your post request?

Thanks,  
Ankit

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cccCesium](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/user_avatar/community.cesium.com/ccccesium/32/1987_2.png) [@cccCesium](https://community.cesium.com/u/cccCesium)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 12:40am UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003/15 "2025-07-18T00:40:46Z")

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Hello,

My code(python) is below,

ACCESS\_TOKEN = “XXXXXX”

ASSET\_ID = 3546820

HEADERS = {  
“Authorization”: f"Bearer {ACCESS\_TOKEN}",  
“Content-Type”: “application/json”  
}

ARCHIVE\_API\_URL = “[https://api.cesium.com/v1/archives](https://api.cesium.com/v1/archives)”

payload = {  
“type”: “FULL”,  
“assetIds”: [asset\_id],  
“format”: “TILESET”  
}

response = requests.post(ARCHIVE\_API\_URL, json=payload, headers=HEADERS)

By the way, I also created an asset in the same way, and it worked without any problems.

Best Regards,

2025年7月18日(金) 0:05 Ankit Trehan via Cesium Community \<[notifications@cesium.discoursemail.com](mailto:notifications@cesium.discoursemail.com)\>:

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ankit\_Trehan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/user_avatar/community.cesium.com/ankit_trehan/32/14038_2.png) [@Ankit\_Trehan](https://community.cesium.com/u/Ankit_Trehan)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 5:34pm UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003/16 "2025-07-21T17:34:33Z")

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Hi,

Thanks for providing me the options for your request. Looking at the request, you are trying to create a `FULL` archive of your data. The format for that should be `ZIP` since that is the only one supported currently for full archives.

The tileset option is for a clip archive. You can read more about the options here [Ion REST API documentation – Cesium](https://cesium.com/learn/ion/rest-api/#operation/postArchives)

Thanks,  
Ankit

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cccCesium](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/user_avatar/community.cesium.com/ccccesium/32/1987_2.png) [@cccCesium](https://community.cesium.com/u/cccCesium)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 12:27am UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003/17 "2025-07-22T00:27:40Z")

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Hello,

I also tried ZIP, but got the same error.

404 Client Error: Not Found for url: [https://api.cesium.com/v1/archives](https://api.cesium.com/v1/archives)

2025年7月22日(火) 2:44 Ankit Trehan via Cesium Community \<[notifications@cesium.discoursemail.com](mailto:notifications@cesium.discoursemail.com)\>:

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ankit\_Trehan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/user_avatar/community.cesium.com/ankit_trehan/32/14038_2.png) [@Ankit\_Trehan](https://community.cesium.com/u/Ankit_Trehan)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 1:38pm UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003/18 "2025-07-22T13:38:46Z")

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Hi,

After checking the codebase, I think this issue might be related to your token. Can you double check that the token has a `archives:write` scope? The API is returning a 404 but should be returning an invalid credentials error to make it more obvious.

Thanks,  
Ankit

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cccCesium](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/cesium/user_avatar/community.cesium.com/ccccesium/32/1987_2.png) [@cccCesium](https://community.cesium.com/u/cccCesium)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 12:40am UTC](https://community.cesium.com/t/converting-3dgs-ply-to-3d-tiles-via-cesium-ion-rest-api/42003/19 "2025-07-23T00:40:33Z")

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Hello,

Thank you.  
After reviewing the access token, it was successful.

Because it was a token with the authority to create assets, I mistakenly thought that archiving would also be possible.  
I created a token with the authority to archive again and it was successful.

Regards,

2025年7月22日(火) 22:48 Ankit Trehan via Cesium Community \<[notifications@cesium.discoursemail.com](mailto:notifications@cesium.discoursemail.com)\>: