threejs

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Builds 3D web experiences with Three.js, WebGPU rendering, TSL shaders, and React Three Fiber. Covers scene setup, asset optimization, performance tuning, and React 19 integration. Use when creating 3D scenes, setting up WebGPU rendering, writing TSL shaders, optimizing draw calls, or integrating Three.js with React and Next.js.

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Three.js

Overview

Guides building high-performance 3D web experiences with Three.js, WebGPU-first rendering, TSL (Three Shader Language), and React Three Fiber. Covers scene architecture, asset compression, draw call budgets, and React 19 / Next.js integration patterns.
When to use: Creating 3D scenes, WebGPU rendering setup, TSL shader authoring, asset optimization (Draco/KTX2), React Three Fiber composition, Next.js streaming for 3D content, loading GLTF models, setting up lighting and shadows, animation playback and blending.
When NOT to use: 2D canvas animations (use Canvas API), simple SVG graphics, server-side rendering without client hydration, projects targeting pre-2022 hardware exclusively.

Quick Reference

PatternAPI / ApproachKey Points
WebGPU renderer
import * as THREE from 'three/webgpu'
Must
await renderer.init()
before first render
R3F canvas
<Canvas gl={...}>
with Suspense
Wrap in
<Suspense>
for streaming support
Frame updates
useFrame((state, delta) => ...)
Mutate refs directly; never use
setState
TSL shaders
import { ... } from 'three/tsl'
Node-based; compiles to WGSL or GLSL
Instancing
<instancedMesh>
with matrix updates
Single draw call for repeated geometry
Batched mesh
BatchedMesh
(r156+)
Different geometries sharing one material
Draco compression
gltf-pipeline -i in.gltf -o out.glb -d
Up to 90% geometry size reduction
KTX2 texturesBasis Universal via
toktx
Stays compressed in VRAM
LOD
THREE.LOD
with distance thresholds
Swap detail levels by camera distance
On-demand render
<Canvas frameloop="demand">
Only render when scene state changes
Cleanup
.dispose()
on unmount
Geometries, materials, and textures
Compute shaders
Fn(() => {...})().compute(count)
GPU-side physics, particles, flocking
Lighting
DirectionalLight
,
SpotLight
,
HemisphereLight
Enable
shadowMap
on renderer +
castShadow
on light
GLTF loading
GLTFLoader
+
DRACOLoader
Draco for geometry compression; traverse for shadows
Animation
AnimationMixer
+
clipAction()
Update with
clock.getDelta()
every frame
Crossfade
action.fadeOut()
/
action.fadeIn()
Weight-based blending between walk/run/idle
Environment maps
RGBELoader
+
PMREMGenerator
Set
scene.environment
for PBR reflections
Raycasting
Raycaster.setFromCamera(pointer, cam)
Mouse/touch picking; use
recursive: true
for GLTF
Morph targets
mesh.morphTargetInfluences[index]
Facial animation, blend shapes from GLTF

Common Mistakes

MistakeCorrect Pattern
Allocating
new THREE.Vector3()
or
new THREE.Color()
inside
useFrame
Pre-allocate outside the loop to avoid GC pressure every frame
Using
requestAnimationFrame
manually in React projects
Use R3F's
useFrame
hook for frame-by-frame updates
Not awaiting
renderer.init()
for WebGPU
Always
await renderer.init()
before the first render to avoid race conditions
Loading assets without
<Suspense>
boundaries
Wrap
<Canvas>
in
<Suspense>
to prevent main thread blocking
Using high-poly models for background or distant elementsUse LOD (Level of Detail) or Impostors to reduce draw calls
Using
setState
inside render loop for animations
Mutate refs directly via
useFrame
for frame-by-frame updates
Speed tied to frame rate (
rotation += 0.01
)
Multiply by
delta
for frame-rate-independent motion
Not using
clock.getDelta()
for
mixer.update()
Always pass delta time to
mixer.update(delta)
for correct animation speed
Forgetting to dispose loaded GLTF modelsTraverse and dispose geometries, materials, and textures on removal
Shadow map enabled on renderer but not on the lightSet both
renderer.shadowMap.enabled
and
light.castShadow = true
Large
far/near
ratio on camera
Keep ratio small to avoid z-fighting; set
near
as large as possible

Delegation

  • Asset and scene graph exploration: Use
    Explore
    agent
  • Multi-file scene refactoring and optimization passes: Use
    Task
    agent
  • 3D architecture and rendering pipeline planning: Use
    Plan
    agent

References

  • Scene, lighting, and model loading
  • Animation system and blending
  • Performance and asset optimization
  • WebGPU and TSL shader patterns
  • React Three Fiber patterns and Next.js integration