Skill detail
threejs-webgl
Comprehensive Three.js skill for building interactive 3D scenes, WebGL/WebGPU applications, product configurators, and 3D visualizations with scenes, cameras, meshes, materials, lights, and animations.
Why we recommend it: Three.js 3D web development covers scenes, meshes, materials, and animation, usable for 3D design work though web-rendering focused.
Inspect before use
Read the source instructions and check the requirements before you install this skill.
SKILL.md
The saved excerpt is a snapshot from when this skill was listed. The external source remains the complete and most current version.
---
name: threejs-webgl
description: Comprehensive skill for Three.js 3D web development. Use this skill when building interactive 3D scenes, WebGL/WebGPU applications, product configurators, 3D visualizations, or immersive web experiences. Triggers on tasks involving Three.js, 3D rendering, scenes, cameras, meshes, materials, lights, animations, textures, or WebGL/WebGPU rendering.
---
# Three.js WebGL/WebGPU Development
## Overview
Three.js is the industry-standard JavaScript library for creating 3D graphics in web browsers using WebGL and WebGPU. This skill provides comprehensive guidance for building performant, interactive 3D experiences including scenes, cameras, renderers, geometries, materials, lights, textures, and animations.
## Core Concepts
### Scene Graph Architecture
Three.js uses a hierarchical scene graph where all 3D objects are organized in a tree structure:
```javascript
Scene
├── Camera
├── Lights
│ ├── AmbientLight
│ ├── DirectionalLight
│ └── PointLight
├── Meshes
│ ├── Mesh (Geometry + Material)
│ └── InstancedMesh
└── Groups
```
### Essential Components
Every Three.js application requires these core elements:
1. **Scene**: Container for all 3D objects
2. **Camera**: Defines the viewing perspective
3. **Renderer**: Draws the scene to canvas (WebGL or WebGPU)
4. **Geometry**: Defines the shape of objects
5. **Material**: Defines the surface appearance
6. **Mesh**: Combines geometry and material
## Quick Start Pattern
### Basic Scene Setup
```javascript
import * as THREE from 'three';
import { OrbitControls } from 'three/addons/controls/OrbitControls.js';
// Scene, Camera, Renderer
const scene = new THREE.Scene();
scene.background = new THREE.Color(0x333333);
const camera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera(
75, // FOV
window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight, // Aspect ratio
0.1, // Near clipping plane
1000 // Far clipping plane
);
camera.position.set(0, 2, 5);
const renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer({ antialias: true });
renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight);
renderer.setPixelRatio(window.devicePixelRatio);
renderer.shadowMap.enabled = true;
document.body.appendChild(renderer.domElement);
// Lighting
const ambientLight = new THREE.AmbientLight(0xffffff, 0.5);
scene.add(ambientLight);
const directionalLight = new THREE.DirectionalLight(0xffffff, 1);
directionalLight.position.set(5, 10, 7.5);
directionalLight.castShadow = true;
scene.add(directionalLight);
// Controls
const controls = new OrbitControls(camera, renderer.domElement);
controls.enableDamping = true;
controls.dampingFactor = 0.05;
// Animation Loop
function animate() {
requestAnimationFrame(animate);
controls.update();
renderer.render(scene, camera);
}
animate();
// Handle Resize
window.addEventListener('resize', () => {
camera.aspect = window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight;
camera.updateProjectionMatrix();
renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight);
});
```
### WebGPU Setup (Modern Alternative)
```javascript
import * as THREE from 'three/webgpu';
const renderer = new THREE.WebGPURenderer({ antialias: true });
renderer.setPixelRatio(window.devicePixelRatio);
renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight);
renderer.setAnimationLoop(animate);
renderer.toneMapping = THREE.LinearToneMapping;
renderer.toneMappingExposure = 1;
document.body.appendChild(renderer.domElement);
```
## Common Patterns
### 1. Creating Meshes with Materials
```javascript
// Basic Mesh
const geometry = new THREE.BoxGeometry(1, 1, 1);
const material = new THREE.MeshStandardMaterial({
color: 0x00ff00,
roughness: 0.5,
metalness: 0.5
});
const cube = new THREE.Mesh(geometry, material);
scene.add(cube);
// Textured Mesh
const loader = new THREE.TextureLoader();
const texture = loader.load('texture.jpg');
texture.colorSpace = THREE.SRGBColorSpace;
const texturedMaterial = new THREE.MeshStandardMaterial({
map: texture
});
const mesh = new THREE.Mesh(geometry, texturedMaterial);
sceRead the full source on GitHub (opens external page)