diff --git a/openpgl/directional/vmm/AdaptiveSplitandMergeFactory.h b/openpgl/directional/vmm/AdaptiveSplitandMergeFactory.h
index 98e9ef6b..0bea6916 100644
--- a/openpgl/directional/vmm/AdaptiveSplitandMergeFactory.h
+++ b/openpgl/directional/vmm/AdaptiveSplitandMergeFactory.h
@@ -35,8 +35,8 @@ struct AdaptiveSplitAndMergeFactory
     {
         typename WeightedEMFactory::Configuration weightedEMCfg;
 
-        float splittingThreshold{0.75f};
-        float mergingThreshold{0.00625f};
+        float splittingThreshold{0.5f};
+        float mergingThreshold{0.025f};
 
         bool useSplitAndMerge{true};
 
diff --git a/openpgl/directional/vmm/ParallaxAwareVonMisesFisherWeightedEMFactory.h b/openpgl/directional/vmm/ParallaxAwareVonMisesFisherWeightedEMFactory.h
index 0e282a0a..25f74d06 100644
--- a/openpgl/directional/vmm/ParallaxAwareVonMisesFisherWeightedEMFactory.h
+++ b/openpgl/directional/vmm/ParallaxAwareVonMisesFisherWeightedEMFactory.h
@@ -38,14 +38,14 @@ struct ParallaxAwareVonMisesFisherWeightedEMFactory
 
         float maxKappa{OPENPGL_MAX_KAPPA};
         float maxMeanCosine{KappaToMeanCosine<float>(OPENPGL_MAX_KAPPA)};
-        float convergenceThreshold{0.0025f};
+        float convergenceThreshold{0.005f};
 
         // MAP prior parameters
         // weight prior
-        float weightPrior{0.1f};
+        float weightPrior{0.01f};
 
         // concentration/meanCosine prior
-        float meanCosinePriorStrength{0.1f};
+        float meanCosinePriorStrength{0.2f};
         float meanCosinePrior{0.0f};
 
         void init();
diff --git a/openpgl/directional/vmm/VMMChiSquareComponentSplitter.h b/openpgl/directional/vmm/VMMChiSquareComponentSplitter.h
index 5bbc2eb9..100f2bae 100644
--- a/openpgl/directional/vmm/VMMChiSquareComponentSplitter.h
+++ b/openpgl/directional/vmm/VMMChiSquareComponentSplitter.h
@@ -252,16 +252,16 @@ void VonMisesFisherChiSquareComponentSplitter<TVMMFactory>::PerformSplitting(VMM
             {
                 // std::cout << "split[" << k << "]: idx:" << splitComps[k].componentIndex << "\t chi2: " << splitComps[k].chiSquareEst << std::endl;
 #ifndef OPENPGL_USE_THREE_SPLIT
-                bool splitSucess = SplitComponent(vmm, splitStatistics, suffStatistics, splitComps[k].componentIndex);
+                bool splitSuccess = SplitComponent(vmm, splitStatistics, suffStatistics, splitComps[k].componentIndex);
                 mask.setToTrue(splitComps[k].componentIndex);
                 mask.setToTrue(vmm._numComponents - 1);
 #else
-                bool splitSucess = SplitComponentIntoThree(vmm, splitStatistics, suffStatistics, splitComps[k].componentIndex);
+                bool splitSuccess = SplitComponentIntoThree(vmm, splitStatistics, suffStatistics, splitComps[k].componentIndex);
                 mask.setToTrue(splitComps[k].componentIndex);
                 mask.setToTrue(vmm._numComponents - 2);
                 mask.setToTrue(vmm._numComponents - 1);
 #endif
-                if (splitSucess)
+                if (splitSuccess)
                 {
                     stopSplitting = false;
                 }
@@ -330,22 +330,22 @@ void VonMisesFisherChiSquareComponentSplitter<TVMMFactory>::PerformRecursiveSpli
             if (splitComps[k].chiSquareEst > splitThreshold && vmm._numComponents < VMM::MaxComponents)
             {
 #ifndef OPENPGL_USE_THREE_SPLIT
-                bool splitSucess = SplitComponent(vmm, splitStatistics, tempSuffStatistics, splitComps[k].componentIndex);
-                if (splitSucess)
+                bool splitSuccess = SplitComponent(vmm, splitStatistics, tempSuffStatistics, splitComps[k].componentIndex);
+                if (splitSuccess)
                 {
                     mask.setToTrue(splitComps[k].componentIndex);
                     mask.setToTrue(vmm._numComponents - 1);
                 }
 #else
-                bool splitSucess = SplitComponentIntoThree(vmm, splitStatistics, tempSuffStatistics, splitComps[k].componentIndex);
-                if (splitSucess)
+                bool splitSuccess = SplitComponentIntoThree(vmm, splitStatistics, tempSuffStatistics, splitComps[k].componentIndex);
+                if (splitSuccess)
                 {
                     mask.setToTrue(splitComps[k].componentIndex);
                     mask.setToTrue(vmm._numComponents - 1);
                     mask.setToTrue(vmm._numComponents - 2);
                 }
 #endif
-                if (splitSucess)
+                if (splitSuccess)
                 {
                     numSplits++;
                 }
diff --git a/openpgl/include/openpgl/config.h b/openpgl/include/openpgl/config.h
index f48bfe70..240333a7 100644
--- a/openpgl/include/openpgl/config.h
+++ b/openpgl/include/openpgl/config.h
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ extern "C"
 
         // weighted EM arguments
         size_t initK{PGL_VMM_MAX_COMPONENTS / 2};
-        float initKappa{0.5f};
+        float initKappa{5.0f};
 
         size_t maxK{PGL_VMM_MAX_COMPONENTS};
         size_t maxEMIterrations{100};