Threejs

by secondsky88378361314fMIT227 starsListed Oct 8, 2026Updated Oct 8, 2026Repository updated 10 days ago

Three.js 3D graphics library - scene setup, geometry, materials, lighting, textures, animation, loaders, shaders, postprocessing, interaction. Use when building 3D web experiences, creating WebGL visualizations, working with GLTF models, implementing custom shaders, or adding interactive 3D elements to web applications.

Instructions onlySoftware Development
AI-generated overview

Reference knowledge base for building 3D web experiences with the Three.js library, covering ten core domains with code examples.

What it does
Provides API references, best practices and working code snippets for Three.js across ten domains: fundamentals, geometry, materials, lighting, textures, animation, loaders, shaders, postprocessing and interaction. It routes the agent to one of ten reference files depending on the current task, such as scene setup, GLTF loading or custom GLSL effects. It also lists common patterns for disposal, responsive rendering and performance optimization.
When to use it
Use when building 3D web experiences or WebGL visualizations with Three.js, loading GLTF/GLB models, writing custom shaders or postprocessing effects, or adding interactive 3D elements such as raycasting and camera controls to a web application.
Requirements
No scripts or executables; the skill is instructions and reference documents only. Using the examples assumes a JavaScript/WebGL project with the three package (r160+ or later) and its addons, plus network access for loading external assets such as models, textures and HDR maps.

Three.js Skills

Overview

Comprehensive knowledge base for building 3D web experiences with Three.js. This skill provides accurate API references, best practices, and working code examples across all major Three.js domains.

Three.js version: r160+ (January 2024)

Quick Reference

Core Topics

This skill covers 10 essential Three.js domains:

  1. Fundamentals - Scene setup, cameras, renderer, Object3D hierarchy
  2. Geometry - Built-in shapes, BufferGeometry, custom geometry, instancing
  3. Materials - PBR materials, shader materials, material properties
  4. Lighting - Light types, shadows, environment lighting
  5. Textures - UV mapping, environment maps, render targets
  6. Animation - Keyframe animation, skeletal animation, animation mixing
  7. Loaders - GLTF/GLB loading, async patterns, caching
  8. Shaders - GLSL basics, ShaderMaterial, custom effects
  9. Postprocessing - EffectComposer, bloom, DOF, custom passes
  10. Interaction - Raycasting, camera controls, mouse/touch input

When to Load References

Load detailed reference files based on your current task:

  • Basic scene setup, cameras, renderer → Load references/threejs-fundamentals.md
  • Creating shapes, custom geometry, instancing → Load references/threejs-geometry.md
  • Material properties, PBR, shader materials → Load references/threejs-materials.md
  • Adding lights, configuring shadows → Load references/threejs-lighting.md
  • Texture loading, UV mapping, environment maps → Load references/threejs-textures.md
  • Animating objects, GLTF animations, mixing → Load references/threejs-animation.md
  • Loading GLTF/GLB models, Draco compression → Load references/threejs-loaders.md
  • Writing GLSL shaders, custom visual effects → Load references/threejs-shaders.md
  • Adding bloom, depth of field, screen effects → Load references/threejs-postprocessing.md
  • Raycasting, mouse picking, camera controls → Load references/threejs-interaction.md

Quick Start Examples

1. Fundamentals: Basic Scene

javascript
import * as THREE from 'three';
// Scene, camera, rendererconst scene = new THREE.Scene();const camera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera(75, window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight, 0.1, 1000);const renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer({ antialias: true });
renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight);renderer.setPixelRatio(Math.min(window.devicePixelRatio, 2));document.body.appendChild(renderer.domElement);
// Create cubeconst geometry = new THREE.BoxGeometry();const material = new THREE.MeshStandardMaterial({ color: 0x00ff00 });const cube = new THREE.Mesh(geometry, material);scene.add(cube);
// Add lightscene.add(new THREE.AmbientLight(0xffffff, 0.5));const dirLight = new THREE.DirectionalLight(0xffffff, 1);dirLight.position.set(5, 5, 5);scene.add(dirLight);
camera.position.z = 5;
// Animation loopfunction animate() {  requestAnimationFrame(animate);  cube.rotation.x += 0.01;  cube.rotation.y += 0.01;  renderer.render(scene, camera);}animate();
// Responsivewindow.addEventListener('resize', () => {  camera.aspect = window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight;  camera.updateProjectionMatrix();  renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight);});

2. Geometry: Creating Shapes

javascript
// Built-in geometriesconst box = new THREE.BoxGeometry(1, 1, 1);const sphere = new THREE.SphereGeometry(0.5, 32, 32);const plane = new THREE.PlaneGeometry(10, 10);
// Custom BufferGeometryconst geometry = new THREE.BufferGeometry();const vertices = new Float32Array([  -1, -1,  0,  // vertex 0   1, -1,  0,  // vertex 1   1,  1,  0,  // vertex 2  -1,  1,  0   // vertex 3]);geometry.setAttribute('position', new THREE.BufferAttribute(vertices, 3));
// Indices for trianglesconst indices = new Uint16Array([0, 1, 2, 0, 2, 3]);geometry.setIndex(new THREE.BufferAttribute(indices, 1));
// Instancing for many copiesconst count = 1000;const instancedMesh = new THREE.InstancedMesh(geometry, material, count);const dummy = new THREE.Object3D();
for (let i = 0; i < count; i++) {  dummy.position.set(    (Math.random() - 0.5) * 20,    (Math.random() - 0.5) * 20,    (Math.random() - 0.5) * 20  );  dummy.updateMatrix();  instancedMesh.setMatrixAt(i, dummy.matrix);}scene.add(instancedMesh);

3. Materials: PBR Materials

javascript
// Standard PBR materialconst material = new THREE.MeshStandardMaterial({  color: 0xffffff,  metalness: 0.5,  roughness: 0.5,  map: colorTexture,  normalMap: normalTexture,  roughnessMap: roughnessTexture,  metalnessMap: metalnessTexture,  envMap: environmentMap,  envMapIntensity: 1});
// Physical material (advanced PBR)const glassMaterial = new THREE.MeshPhysicalMaterial({  color: 0xffffff,  metalness: 0,  roughness: 0,  transmission: 1,     // Glass transparency  thickness: 0.5,  ior: 1.5,           // Index of refraction  envMapIntensity: 1});
// Shader material (custom)const shaderMaterial = new THREE.ShaderMaterial({  uniforms: {    time: { value: 0 },    color: { value: new THREE.Color(0xff0000) }  },  vertexShader: `    varying vec2 vUv;    void main() {      vUv = uv;      gl_Position = projectionMatrix * modelViewMatrix * vec4(position, 1.0);    }  `,  fragmentShader: `    uniform float time;    uniform vec3 color;    varying vec2 vUv;
    void main() {      gl_FragColor = vec4(color * sin(vUv.x * 10.0 + time), 1.0);    }  `});

4. Lighting: Basic Lighting

javascript
// Ambient light (uniform everywhere)const ambient = new THREE.AmbientLight(0xffffff, 0.5);scene.add(ambient);
// Directional light (sun)const dirLight = new THREE.DirectionalLight(0xffffff, 1);dirLight.position.set(5, 10, 5);dirLight.castShadow = true;
// Shadow configurationdirLight.shadow.mapSize.width = 2048;dirLight.shadow.mapSize.height = 2048;dirLight.shadow.camera.left = -10;dirLight.shadow.camera.right = 10;dirLight.shadow.camera.top = 10;dirLight.shadow.camera.bottom = -10;scene.add(dirLight);
// Point light (bulb)const pointLight = new THREE.PointLight(0xffffff, 1, 100);pointLight.position.set(0, 5, 0);scene.add(pointLight);
// Enable shadows on rendererrenderer.shadowMap.enabled = true;renderer.shadowMap.type = THREE.PCFSoftShadowMap;
// Enable on objectsmesh.castShadow = true;mesh.receiveShadow = true;

5. Textures: Loading Textures

javascript
const loader = new THREE.TextureLoader();
// Load color textureconst colorTexture = loader.load('texture.jpg');colorTexture.colorSpace = THREE.SRGBColorSpace; // Important for color accuracy
// Configure texturecolorTexture.wrapS = THREE.RepeatWrapping;colorTexture.wrapT = THREE.RepeatWrapping;colorTexture.repeat.set(4, 4);
// HDR environment mapimport { RGBELoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/RGBELoader.js';
const rgbeLoader = new RGBELoader();rgbeLoader.load('environment.hdr', (texture) => {  texture.mapping = THREE.EquirectangularReflectionMapping;  scene.environment = texture;  scene.background = texture;});
// Cube texture (skybox)const cubeLoader = new THREE.CubeTextureLoader();const cubeTexture = cubeLoader.load([  'px.jpg', 'nx.jpg',  // +X, -X  'py.jpg', 'ny.jpg',  // +Y, -Y  'pz.jpg', 'nz.jpg'   // +Z, -Z]);scene.background = cubeTexture;

6. Animation: Simple Animation

javascript
import { GLTFLoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/GLTFLoader.js';
const loader = new GLTFLoader();loader.load('model.glb', (gltf) => {  const model = gltf.scene;  scene.add(model);
  // Create animation mixer  const mixer = new THREE.AnimationMixer(model);
  // Play all animations  gltf.animations.forEach((clip) => {    const action = mixer.clipAction(clip);    action.play();  });
  // Update in animation loop  const clock = new THREE.Clock();  function animate() {    requestAnimationFrame(animate);    const delta = clock.getDelta();    mixer.update(delta);    renderer.render(scene, camera);  }  animate();});
// Procedural animationfunction animate() {  const time = clock.getElapsedTime();  mesh.rotation.y = time;  mesh.position.y = Math.sin(time) * 0.5;  requestAnimationFrame(animate);  renderer.render(scene, camera);}

7. Loaders: Loading GLTF Models

javascript
import { GLTFLoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/GLTFLoader.js';import { DRACOLoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/DRACOLoader.js';
// Setup Draco compression supportconst dracoLoader = new DRACOLoader();dracoLoader.setDecoderPath('https://www.gstatic.com/draco/versioned/decoders/1.5.6/');
const gltfLoader = new GLTFLoader();gltfLoader.setDRACOLoader(dracoLoader);
// Load modelgltfLoader.load('model.glb', (gltf) => {  const model = gltf.scene;
  // Enable shadows  model.traverse((child) => {    if (child.isMesh) {      child.castShadow = true;      child.receiveShadow = true;    }  });
  // Center and scale  const box = new THREE.Box3().setFromObject(model);  const center = box.getCenter(new THREE.Vector3());  model.position.sub(center);
  scene.add(model);});
// Async/Promise patternasync function loadModel(url) {  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {    gltfLoader.load(url, resolve, undefined, reject);  });}
const gltf = await loadModel('model.glb');scene.add(gltf.scene);

8. Shaders: Custom Shader Material

javascript
const material = new THREE.ShaderMaterial({  uniforms: {    time: { value: 0 },    amplitude: { value: 0.5 }  },  vertexShader: `    uniform float time;    uniform float amplitude;    varying vec2 vUv;
    void main() {      vUv = uv;      vec3 pos = position;
      // Wave displacement      pos.z += sin(pos.x * 5.0 + time) * amplitude;
      gl_Position = projectionMatrix * modelViewMatrix * vec4(pos, 1.0);    }  `,  fragmentShader: `    uniform float time;    varying vec2 vUv;
    void main() {      vec3 color = vec3(vUv, 0.5 + 0.5 * sin(time));      gl_FragColor = vec4(color, 1.0);    }  `});
// Update in animation loopfunction animate() {  material.uniforms.time.value = clock.getElapsedTime();  requestAnimationFrame(animate);  renderer.render(scene, camera);}

9. Postprocessing: Adding Bloom

javascript
import { EffectComposer } from 'three/addons/postprocessing/EffectComposer.js';import { RenderPass } from 'three/addons/postprocessing/RenderPass.js';import { UnrealBloomPass } from 'three/addons/postprocessing/UnrealBloomPass.js';
// Create composerconst composer = new EffectComposer(renderer);
// Render scene passconst renderPass = new RenderPass(scene, camera);composer.addPass(renderPass);
// Bloom passconst bloomPass = new UnrealBloomPass(  new THREE.Vector2(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight),  1.5,  // strength  0.4,  // radius  0.85  // threshold);composer.addPass(bloomPass);
// Use composer instead of rendererfunction animate() {  requestAnimationFrame(animate);  composer.render(); // NOT renderer.render()}
// Handle resizewindow.addEventListener('resize', () => {  camera.aspect = window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight;  camera.updateProjectionMatrix();  renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight);  composer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight);});

10. Interaction: Raycasting

javascript
import { OrbitControls } from 'three/addons/controls/OrbitControls.js';
// Camera controlsconst controls = new OrbitControls(camera, renderer.domElement);controls.enableDamping = true;
// Raycasting setupconst raycaster = new THREE.Raycaster();const mouse = new THREE.Vector2();
function onMouseClick(event) {  // Convert mouse to normalized coordinates  mouse.x = (event.clientX / window.innerWidth) * 2 - 1;  mouse.y = -(event.clientY / window.innerHeight) * 2 + 1;
  // Raycast from camera  raycaster.setFromCamera(mouse, camera);  const intersects = raycaster.intersectObjects(scene.children, true);
  if (intersects.length > 0) {    const object = intersects[0].object;    console.log('Clicked:', object);    console.log('Point:', intersects[0].point);
    // Highlight selected object    object.material.emissive.set(0x444444);  }}
window.addEventListener('click', onMouseClick);
// Update controls in animation loopfunction animate() {  requestAnimationFrame(animate);  controls.update(); // Required if enableDamping is true  renderer.render(scene, camera);}

Common Patterns

Proper Disposal

javascript
// Dispose geometries, materials, texturesgeometry.dispose();material.dispose();texture.dispose();
// Remove from scenescene.remove(mesh);
// Dispose rendererrenderer.dispose();

Responsive Rendering

javascript
window.addEventListener('resize', () => {  camera.aspect = window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight;  camera.updateProjectionMatrix();  renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight);  renderer.setPixelRatio(Math.min(window.devicePixelRatio, 2));});

Performance Optimization

  • Use instancing for repeated objects (InstancedMesh)
  • Enable frustum culling (enabled by default)
  • Dispose of unused resources
  • Use proper LOD (Level of Detail) for complex scenes
  • Minimize draw calls by merging geometries
  • Limit active lights (each light adds shader complexity)
  • Use texture atlases to reduce texture switches

Version Information

Three.js version: r160+ (January 2024) Import format: ES6 modules (three, three/addons/*) Verified: 2024-01

See Also

Source and attribution

Source:secondsky/claude-skillsinplugins/threejs/skills/threejsat commit8837836

License: MIT

Content belongs to its original authors. SourceWeft indexes it from a public repository.

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