three.js glTF Loading

Load

.gltf

.glb

models and play their animations in three.js, including compressed geometry (DRACO/Meshopt) and textures (KTX2). Patterns target r165+, verified against r184.

When to use

Use to import a 3D model, add it to the scene, inspect its node hierarchy, and play baked/skinned animation clips with an
```
AnimationMixer
```
.

Use when files are

.gltf

.glb

, or code imports

GLTFLoader

DRACOLoader

KTX2Loader

from

three/addons/loaders/...

When not to use: creating the renderer/camera/loop →

threejs-scene-setup

. Tuning surface look, lights, or shadows on the loaded model →

threejs-materials-lighting

. Authoring/exporting the model itself (Blender) is out of scope; prefer glTF over OBJ/FBX for runtime.

Core workflow

Why glTF. It's a transmission format: binary vertex data, PBR materials, and animations are ready to render with minimal parsing. Prefer it over OBJ (no scene graph, no animation) and FBX (heavy) for the web.

Load with
GLTFLoader
.

loader.load(url, onLoad, onProgress, onError)

. The result

gltf

has

gltf.scene

(the

Object3D

root),

gltf.animations

(

AnimationClip[]

gltf.cameras

, and

gltf.asset

Add
gltf.scene
to your scene and frame it. Inspect the hierarchy with
```
traverse
```
/
```
getObjectByName
```
to find the parts you'll control.
Play animations with an
AnimationMixer
. One mixer per animated root;
```
mixer.clipAction(clip).play()
```
; advance with
```
mixer.update(delta)
```
every frame.
Decode compressed assets. Attach a
```
DRACOLoader
```
(and/or
```
KTX2Loader
```
+ Meshopt) so DRACO meshes and KTX2 textures load; point the decoders at their files.
Verify what loaded — log the scene graph and
```
gltf.animations
```
, and confirm the model is visible (right scale, lit) and the clip actually plays.

Patterns

1. Load a model and frame it

import { GLTFLoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/GLTFLoader.js';

const loader = new GLTFLoader();
loader.load(
  'assets/robot.glb',
  (gltf) => {
    const root = gltf.scene;
    scene.add(root);
    // Inspect: gltf.animations is an array of AnimationClip.
    console.log('clips:', gltf.animations.map((c) => c.name));
  },
  (event) => console.log(`${(event.loaded / event.total) * 100}% loaded`),
  (error) => console.error('glTF load failed:', error)
);

2. Play a skinned animation with AnimationMixer

import * as THREE from 'three';
import { GLTFLoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/GLTFLoader.js';

let mixer;                                  // declare outside so the loop can see it
const clock = new THREE.Clock();

new GLTFLoader().load('assets/character.glb', (gltf) => {
  scene.add(gltf.scene);
  mixer = new THREE.AnimationMixer(gltf.scene);          // one mixer per animated root
  const clip = THREE.AnimationClip.findByName(gltf.animations, 'Run')
            ?? gltf.animations[0];
  mixer.clipAction(clip).play();
});

renderer.setAnimationLoop(() => {
  const dt = clock.getDelta();
  if (mixer) mixer.update(dt);              // advance the animation by real seconds
  renderer.render(scene, camera);
});

3. Cross-fade between two clips

const actions = {};
mixer = new THREE.AnimationMixer(gltf.scene);
for (const clip of gltf.animations) {
  actions[clip.name] = mixer.clipAction(clip);
}
actions['Idle'].play();

function transitionTo(name, duration = 0.3) {
  const next = actions[name];
  next.reset().play();
  for (const [n, action] of Object.entries(actions)) {
    if (n !== name) action.crossFadeTo(next, duration, false);
  }
}

4. DRACO-compressed geometry

import { GLTFLoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/GLTFLoader.js';
import { DRACOLoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/DRACOLoader.js';

const draco = new DRACOLoader();
// Point at the decoder files you ship (or a pinned CDN copy of the same version).
draco.setDecoderPath('https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/three@0.184.0/examples/jsm/libs/draco/');

const loader = new GLTFLoader();
loader.setDRACOLoader(draco);
loader.load('assets/city-draco.glb', (gltf) => scene.add(gltf.scene));

5. Find and animate a named part

new GLTFLoader().load('assets/car.glb', (gltf) => {
  scene.add(gltf.scene);
  const wheels = [];
  gltf.scene.traverse((node) => {
    if (node.name.startsWith('Wheel')) wheels.push(node);
  });
  renderer.setAnimationLoop(() => {
    const dt = clock.getDelta();
    for (const w of wheels) w.rotation.x += dt * 4;
    renderer.render(scene, camera);
  });
});

Pitfalls

Model loads but is invisible → it has lit (PBR) materials and the scene has no light or environment. Add a light or
```
scene.environment
```
(see
```
threejs-materials-lighting
```
), and check scale — glTF is in metres, so a 0.01-scaled asset is tiny.
load
is async →
```
gltf
```
only exists inside the callback; declare
```
mixer
```
/refs outside and assign them in the callback, or use
```
await loader.loadAsync(url)
```
.
Animation never moves → you didn't call
```
mixer.update(delta)
```
each frame, or you passed milliseconds instead of seconds (use
```
clock.getDelta()
```
), or you forgot
```
action.play()
```
.
DRACO/KTX2 model fails → the decoder/transcoder path is wrong or version- mismatched.
```
setDecoderPath
```
/
```
setTranscoderPath
```
must point at files matching your three.js version.
Multiple mixers fighting → use one
```
AnimationMixer
```
per animated root and create all actions from it; don't make a new mixer per clip.
Baked-in transforms surprise you → exporters sometimes bake scale/rotation onto child nodes. Dump the hierarchy (names + position/rotation/scale) before relying on a node's local transform; re-export from the source if the rig is unusable.
Origins are off → re-parent a part under a fresh
```
Object3D
```
to give it a clean pivot rather than fighting baked offsets.

References

For the full decode/transcode setup (DRACO + Meshopt + KTX2 together),
```
loadAsync
```
- a
```
LoadingManager
```
  progress bar, reusing models with
```
SkeletonUtils.clone
```
  , and exporter guidance (apply transforms, one clean root), read
```
references/loaders-and-animation.md
```
  .

Related skills

```
threejs-scene-setup
```
— the renderer, camera, and loop this model renders into.
```
threejs-materials-lighting
```
— lighting/environment so PBR models look right.
```
fps-shooter
```
— a 3D genre that composes three.js skills.

threejs-gltf-loading

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content