How to Download 3js: A Beginner's Guide
If you are interested in creating 3D graphics for your website, you might have heard of 3js, a JavaScript library that makes it easy to create and display animated 3D computer graphics in a web browser. But how do you download and use 3js in your projects? In this article, we will show you how to download 3js, how to include it in your HTML file, how to create a simple 3D scene, and some examples of what you can do with 3js.
What is 3js and Why Use It?
3js is a JavaScript library for creating 3D graphics in the browser
WebGL is a low-level graphics API that allows you to access the graphics hardware of your computer using JavaScript, and render the output to a webpage in a <canvas> element. However, WebGL is not very easy to use, as it requires a lot of code and mathematical knowledge. That's where 3js comes in. 3js is a library that abstracts away the complexity of WebGL, and provides many features and APIs for drawing 3D scenes in your browser. With 3js, you can create realistic lighting, shadows, textures, materials, animations, interactions, and more.
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3js provides many features and benefits for web developers and designers
Some of the advantages of using 3js are:
It is easy to learn and use, especially if you already know some JavaScript.
It has great documentation with plenty of examples and tutorials.
It is open source and free to use.
It does not require any third-party plugin or client to run the code.
It is supported by almost all modern browsers.
It hides the various details of WebGL, so you can focus on the creative part.
It allows you to create stunning 3D graphics that can enhance your website's user experience and engagement.
How to Include 3js in Your Projects
Download the 3js files from GitHub or use a CDN
The first step is to get the 3js files that you need for your project. There are two ways to do this:
Download them from GitHub. You can download the entire 3js GitHub repo as a zip file from . Inside the zip file, you will find two folders that contain the necessary files: build/ and examples/jsm/. The build/ folder contains the core file of 3js, called three.module.js, which has all the basic classes and functions that you need. The examples/jsm/ folder contains many plugins and modules that extend the functionality of 3js, such as loaders, controls, effects, etc. You can copy these folders to your project directory, and use them as needed.
Use a CDN. A CDN (Content Delivery Network) is a service that hosts and delivers files over the internet. You can use a CDN to load the 3js files directly from a URL, without downloading them to your computer. This way, you can save some bandwidth and storage space, and also benefit from the CDN's caching and performance optimization. One of the most popular CDNs for 3js is of jsDelivr.
Once you have the 3js files, either downloaded or from a CDN, you can include them in your HTML file using the <script> tag. For example:
<script type="module"> // Import the core file of 3js import * as THREE from './build/three.module.js'; // Or use a CDN link // import * as THREE from ' // Import any plugins or modules you need import OrbitControls from './examples/jsm/controls/OrbitControls.js'; // Or use a CDN link // import OrbitControls from ' </script>
Import the 3js core and any plugins you need
The next step is to import the 3js core and any plugins or modules you need for your project. You can do this using the ES6 module syntax, which allows you to import and export variables, functions, classes, etc. from different files. For example, if you want to use the OrbitControls plugin, which lets you rotate and zoom the camera with the mouse, you can import it like this:
import OrbitControls from './examples/jsm/controls/OrbitControls.js';
You can also import everything from a file using the * symbol, and give it an alias using the as keyword. For example, if you want to import everything from the 3js core file, you can do this:
import * as THREE from './build/three.module.js';
This way, you can access all the classes and functions of 3js using the THREE prefix. For example, to create a vector object, you can do this:
let vector = new THREE.Vector3(1, 2, 3);
Create a scene, a camera, a renderer, and some objects
The basic components of a 3js project are:
A scene, which is a container for all the objects and lights that you want to render.
A camera, which defines the perspective and position from which you view the scene.
A renderer, which is an object that takes the scene and the camera as input, and renders them to a <canvas> element on your webpage.
Some objects, such as geometries (shapes), materials (colors and textures), meshes (combinations of geometries and materials), lights (sources of illumination), etc.
To create these components, you can use the following code:
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// Create a scene let scene = new THREE.Scene(); // Create a camera let camera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera(75, window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight, 0.1, 1000); camera.position.set(0, 0, 5); // Create a renderer let renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer(); renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight); document.body.appendChild(renderer.domElement); // Create some objects let geometry = new THREE.BoxGeometry(1, 1, 1); // A cube shape let material = new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial(color: 0x00ff00); // A green color let cube = new THREE.Mesh(geometry, material); // A mesh that combines the shape and color // Add the cube to the scene scene.add(cube); // Create a light let light = new THREE.DirectionalLight(0xffffff, 1); // A white light with full intensity light.position.set(1, 1, 1); // Set the light position scene.add(light); // Add the light to the scene
Add animation and interactivity with JavaScript
Now that you have created the basic components of your 3js project, you can add some animation and interactivity to make it more dynamic and engaging. For example, you can make the cube rotate, or make the camera move with the mouse. To do this, you need to use some JavaScript code that runs in a loop, and updates the scene and the camera every frame. You can use the requestAnimationFrame function, which is a browser API that tells the browser to run a callback function before the next repaint. For example, you can use the following code:
// Define a function that updates the scene and the camera every frame function animate() // Request the browser to run this function before the next repaint requestAnimationFrame(animate); // Rotate the cube by a small amount cube.rotation.x += 0.01; cube.rotation.y += 0.01; // Render the scene and the camera renderer.render(scene, camera); // Call the animate function once to start the loop animate();
This will make the cube spin around its axes, and render it to the canvas element. You can also add some event listeners to capture the user input, such as mouse movement or keyboard presses, and use them to change the camera position or orientation. For example, you can use the OrbitControls plugin that we imported earlier, which allows you to rotate and zoom the camera with the mouse. To use it, you just need to create an instance of it, and pass it the camera and the renderer's DOM element. For example:
// Create an instance of OrbitControls let controls = new OrbitControls(camera, renderer.domElement); // Update the controls every frame function animate() requestAnimationFrame(animate); cube.rotation.x += 0.01; cube.rotation.y += 0.01; controls.update(); // Add this line renderer.render(scene, camera);
This will make the camera follow your mouse movements, and let you zoom in and out with the scroll wheel.
Some Examples of 3js Projects
Low Poly Earth by Sam Saccone
This is a beautiful example of how to create a low-poly model of Earth using 3js. It uses a sphere geometry with a low number of vertices, and applies a texture map of Earth's surface to it. It also adds some atmospheric effects using a particle system and a glow effect. You can see it live .
Interactive Particles Text by Stívali Serna
This is a fun example of how to create an interactive text effect using 3js. It uses a text geometry with a custom font, and converts each vertex into a particle. It then adds some physics and forces to make the particles move and react to the mouse. You can see it live .
ThreeJS Animated Rocket by Yuki
This is an impressive example of how to create an animated rocket using 3js. It uses a model loader to load a rocket model from a file, and applies some materials and textures to it. It also adds some flames and smoke effects using a sprite animation and a shader material. You can see it live .
Conclusion and Resources
3js is a powerful and easy-to-use library for web 3D graphics
In this article, we have shown you how to download 3js, how to include it in your HTML file, how to create a simple 3D scene, and some examples of what you can do with 3js. We hope that this article has inspired you to try out 3js for your own projects, and create some amazing 3D graphics for your website.
You can download 3js from GitHub or use a CDN, and import it in your HTML file
To get started with 3js, you need to get the 3js files that you need for your project. You can either download them from GitHub or use a CDN link. Then, you need to import them in your HTML file using the <script> tag with the ES6 module syntax. For example:
<script type="module"> import * as THREE from './build/three.module.js'; import OrbitControls from './examples/jsm/controls/OrbitControls.js'; </script>
You can create amazing 3D scenes with 3js by following some basic steps
To create a 3D scene with 3js, you need to create a scene, a camera, a renderer, and some objects. You can use the built-in classes and functions of 3js to create different types of geometries, materials, meshes, lights, etc. You can also use some plugins and modules to add more features and effects to your scene. You can then add some animation and interactivity to your scene using JavaScript code that runs in a loop, and updates the scene and the camera every frame. You can also use some event listeners to capture the user input and change the camera position or orientation.
You can find more examples, tutorials, and documentation on the official website and other sources
If you want to learn more about 3js and see more examples of what you can do with it, you can visit the official website of 3js at . There you can find the documentation, which explains all the classes and functions of 3js in detail, and the examples, which showcase many different types of 3D scenes and effects that you can create with 3js. You can also find some tutorials on how to use 3js for various purposes, such as creating a game, a VR experience, a data visualization, etc. You can also check out some other sources of learning and inspiration for 3js, such as:
, a series of articles that teach you the basics of 3js.
, a course that covers everything you need to know about 3js.
, a platform where you can see and edit many 3js projects created by other developers.
, where you can find many videos that explain and demonstrate how to use 3js.
FAQs
What are the requirements for using 3js?
To use 3js, you need a modern browser that supports WebGL and ES6 modules. You also need a text editor or an IDE to write your HTML and JavaScript code. You can also use some tools like npm or webpack to manage your dependencies and bundle your code.
How do I debug my 3js code?
To debug your 3js code, you can use the browser's developer tools, which allow you to inspect the elements, console, sources, network, performance, etc. of your webpage. You can also use some libraries like to create user interfaces or display statistics for your scene.
How do I optimize my 3js performance?
To optimize your 3js performance, you need to consider some factors that affect the rendering speed and quality of your scene, such as:
The number and complexity of objects, geometries, materials, textures, lights, shadows, etc.
The size and resolution of the canvas element and the window.
The device and browser capabilities and settings.
The user input and interaction.
You can use some techniques to improve your performance, such as:
Using simpler geometries and materials, or reducing the number of vertices and faces.
Using power-of-two textures, or compressing and resizing them.
Using instancing or merging to draw multiple objects with one draw call.
Using LOD (level of detail) or frustum culling to hide or simplify objects that are far away or out of view.
Using requestAnimationFrame or setTimeout to control the frame rate.
Using web workers or offscreen canvas to run some tasks in parallel.
How do I export my 3js project?
To export your 3js project, you need to bundle all your files into a single folder or file that you can upload to your server or host. You can use some tools like npm or webpack to manage your dependencies and bundle your code. You can also use some plugins like to export your 3D models and scenes to different formats.
How do I learn more about 3js?
To learn more about 3js, you can visit the official website of 3js at , where you can find the documentation, the examples, and the tutorials. You can also check out some other sources of learning and inspiration for 3js, such as:
, a series of articles that teach you the basics of 3js.
, a course that covers everything you need to know about 3js.
, a platform where you can see and edit many 3js projects created by other developers.
, where you can find many videos that explain and demonstrate how to use 3js.
I hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new. If you have any questions or feedback, please let me know in the comments below. Thank you for reading! 44f88ac181
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