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VR Courtroom Training System Prototype

A real courtroom reconstructed with 3D Gaussian Splatting and viewable through a VR headset, for observing courtroom layout and setting in legal education.

Domain
Legal education
Technology
VR · 3D Gaussian Splatting
Collaboration
Graduate School of Law, NIDA

Overview

The VR Courtroom Training System is a 3D reproduction of a real courtroom, viewable and walkable through a VR headset. A real courtroom — the witness examination room — was photographed and filmed from all angles, and the scene was reconstructed with 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS).

The objective is to allow law students to observe the courtroom's layout and setting before attending one, in order to reduce confusion about roles and procedure. Viewing the scene in VR provides stereoscopic depth that a flat display does not. The system is built on a 3D platform so that features can be added later.

How it was built

  1. Scheduling Coordinated with the Graduate School of Law, NIDA, to arrange a date and time for filming at the court.
  2. Capture Photographed and filmed the real courtroom covering all viewing angles.
  3. 3D scene reconstruction Processed the captured footage with 3D Gaussian Splatting.
  4. VR development Imported the 3DGS scene into the VR system and built navigation.
  5. Testing Usability checks and demonstration.

Media

Demo video — the 3DGS-reconstructed courtroom.

Explore the scene in 3D

Interactive 3D Gaussian Splatting scene — drag to look around, scroll to zoom. Viewer hosted on SuperSplat.

3D Gaussian Splatting reconstruction of the courtroom, front view
The courtroom reconstructed with 3D Gaussian Splatting
Another view of the reconstructed courtroom
Another viewpoint inside the reconstructed scene
Point cloud of the courtroom during 3DGS processing
The courtroom's point cloud during reconstruction
Captured footage being organized and processed
Captured footage during processing

Current status

The system is a delivered prototype. On 28 April 2026, Asst. Prof. Tanatthep Tianprasit of the Graduate School of Law, NIDA, viewed the scene in VR and commented that the imagery is highly realistic, while recommending scale adjustments to better match real use.

Future work

  • Improve scene quality — lighting, model detail, and capture with cameras suited to 3DGS to reduce noise
  • Trial the system with target users and add more court types (e.g., Administrative, Military, and Constitutional Courts)
  • Add landmarks and training scenarios, including evidence examination in simulated scenes
  • Add multiplayer support and role-play (judge, lawyer, witness, court officers)