Spark Story supports the following 3D file formats for locations:
- USD — Universal Scene Description
- USDZ — Compressed USD package
- PLY — Polygon file format (commonly used for Gaussian splats and photogrammetry scans)
- SPLAT — Compressed 8-bit splat format
- SPZ — Compressed Gaussian splat format
Adding location files
From the Outliner panel, click Add, then File. The Assets Library opens with filter tabs for Location, Object, and Audio. To bring in a new environment, click Upload in the upper right and select your file. To reuse something already in the production, click an existing asset tile.
Upload vs Load Locally
- Upload writes the file to your production library. Every teammate in the production gains access to it.
- Load Locally loads a file from your local drive for the current session only. Collaborators opening the same scene will not see it.
Use Load Locally for quick personal tests. Use Upload for anything the team needs.
Orientation and scale
Fixing orientation
After importing, fix orientation in the Location Settings panel:
- Invert Up (Flip 180°) — Toggle if the splat loaded upside down.
- Z-Up (Blender/3ds Max) — Toggle if the splat came out of Blender or 3ds Max with the wrong up axis.
- Position and Rotation fields — Type values into the X, Y, Z fields for finer correction.
Setting scale
Click Add Reference in the Scale Reference section. Two methods are available:
- Ruler tool — Click two points on a feature whose real-world size you know (for example, the top of a doorway and the floor). Spark displays the measured distance in your chosen unit. If the reading is wrong, type the correct real-world dimension into the field and Spark rescales the splat to match.
- Six-foot human figure — Drop it into the scene and compare the splat against a known human height.
Scale controls
Once a reference is added, the scale controls become active. The row reads x0.1, -1, -0.1, numeric field, +0.1, +1, x10. Use x0.1 and x10 for large jumps, the +/-1 and +/-0.1 buttons for fine steps, or type a value directly into the field.
Scale errors cascade. Every camera distance, lens choice, and composited actor downstream depends on scale being correct. Getting it right at upload saves rework later.
Collision mesh
Optionally, add a collision mesh by clicking Select GLB file. The collision mesh defines physics collision boundaries for the location.
Splat size guidance
Spark Story handles very large splats. Files up to 7 GB have rendered in the browser with no hard maximum confirmed. Lightcraft Spark on iPhone or iPad caps at roughly 5 million splats per scene — if your splat exceeds that count, the scene will not load on the phone. Keep a downsampled version for mobile previs.
File caching
Imported files are cached for faster loading on subsequent visits. Large assets may take a moment to load the first time they are added to a scene. 
