DomeGS: Perceptually Consistent Background Completion for Unbounded 3D Gaussian Splatting in Virtual Reality

Abstract

The growing need for high-quality 3D content remains among the most prevalent challenges in virtual reality (VR). Recently, novel view synthesis techniques have enabled rapid content creation, with 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) emerging as one of the most promising methods for generating high-fidelity 3D scenes. However, using 3DGS to reconstruct unbounded outdoor scenes can leave horizons incomplete due to missing data or a lack of distant geometric constraints. Such incompleteness can break immersion, compromising VR's core characteristic. A typical workaround in traditional VR systems is a textured cube (skybox) or sphere (skydome) surrounding the environment to create the illusion of a distant background. However, these approaches struggle to blend seamlessly with the reconstructed 3DGS geometry. To address these issues, we introduce the DomeGS framework, which incorporates the skydome concept not as a flat background shell, but as a part of the reconstructed Gaussian Splatting 3D scene. By integrating the horizon and sky into the 3DGS representation, our method provides a unified, scene-consistent environment bridging foregrounds and backgrounds for greater realism. Experimental evaluation with N=36 users demonstrates that DomeGS significantly increases spatial presence (p=0.042) and realism (p=0.042) compared to the skybox baseline.