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Learn Three.js

Learn Three.js

By : Jos Dirksen
3 (4)
Buy this Book
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Learn Three.js

Learn Three.js

3 (4)
By: Jos Dirksen
Buy this Book

Overview of this book

WebGL makes it possible to create 3D graphics in the browser without having to use plugins such as Flash and Java. Programming WebGL, however, is difficult and complex. With Three.js, it is possible to create stunning 3D graphics in an intuitive manner using JavaScript, without having to learn WebGL. With this book, you’ll learn how to create and animate beautiful looking 3D scenes directly in your browser-utilizing the full potential of WebGL and modern browsers. It starts with the basic concepts and building blocks used in Three.js. From there on, it will expand on these subjects using extensive examples and code samples. You will learn to create, or load, from externally created models, realistic looking 3D objects using materials and textures. You’ll find out how to easily control the camera using the Three.js built-in in camera controls, which will enable you to fly or walk around the 3D scene you created. You will then use the HTML5 video and canvas elements as a material for your 3D objects and to animate your models. Finally, you will learn to use morph and skeleton-based animation, and even how to add physics, such as gravity and collision detection, to your scene. After reading this book, you’ll know everything that is required to create 3D animated graphics using Three.js.
Table of Contents (14 chapters)
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Preface
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Preface
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Who this book is for
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What this book covers
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To get the most out of this book
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Get in touch
Free Chapter
1
Creating Your First 3D Scene with Three.js
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Creating Your First 3D Scene with Three.js
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Requirements for using Three.js
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Getting the source code
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Creating the HTML skeleton
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Rendering and viewing a 3D object
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Adding materials, lights, and shadows
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Expanding your first scene with animations
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Using dat.GUI to make experimenting easier
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Automatically resize the output when the browser size changes
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Summary
2
The Basic Components that Make Up a Three.js Application
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The Basic Components that Make Up a Three.js Application
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Creating a scene
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Geometries and meshes
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Different cameras for different uses
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Summary
3
Working with Light Sources in Three.js
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Working with Light Sources in Three.js
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The different kinds of lighting provided by Three.js
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Basic lights
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Special lights
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Summary
4
Working with Three.js Materials
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Working with Three.js Materials
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Understanding common material properties
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Starting with a simple mesh
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Advanced materials
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Materials you can use for a line geometry
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Summary
5
Learning to Work with Geometries
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Learning to Work with Geometries
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The basic geometries provided by Three.js
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Summary
6
Advanced Geometries and Binary Operations
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Advanced Geometries and Binary Operations
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THREE.ConvexGeometry
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THREE.LatheGeometry
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Creating a geometry by extruding
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THREE.ParametricGeometry
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Creating 3D text
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Using binary operations to combine meshes
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Summary
7
Points and Sprites
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Points and Sprites
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Understanding points
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THREE.Points and THREE.PointsMaterial
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Working with sprite maps
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Creating THREE.Points from an advanced geometry
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Summary
8
Creating and Loading Advanced Meshes and Geometries
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Creating and Loading Advanced Meshes and Geometries
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Geometry grouping and merging
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Loading geometries from external resources
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Importing from 3D file formats
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Summary
9
Animations and Moving the Camera
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Animations and Moving the Camera
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Basic animations
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Working with the camera
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Morphing and skeletal animation
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Creating animations using external models
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Summary
10
Loading and Working with Textures
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Loading and Working with Textures
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Using textures in materials
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Advanced usage of textures
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Rendering to a canvas and using it as a texture
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Using the output from a video as a texture
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Summary
11
Render Postprocessing
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Render Postprocessing
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Setting up Three.js for postprocessing
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Postprocessing passes
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Using THREE.ShaderPass for custom effects
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Creating custom postprocessing shaders
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Summary
12
Adding Physics and Sounds to Your Scene
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Adding Physics and Sounds to Your Scene
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Creating a basic Three.js scene with physics
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Physi.js material properties
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Physi.js supported shapes
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Using constraints to limit the movement of objects
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Add sound sources to your scene
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Summary
13
Other Books You May Enjoy
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Other Books You May Enjoy
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To get the most out of this book

To get the most out of this book, you need to know a little bit of JavaScript and follow the instructions in the first chapter to set up a local web server and get the samples for this book.

Download the example code files

You can download the example code files for this book from your account at www.packtpub.com. If you purchased this book elsewhere, you can visit www.packtpub.com/support and register to have the files emailed directly to you.

You can download the code files by following these steps:

  1. Log in or register at www.packtpub.com.
  2. Select the SUPPORT tab.
  3. Click on Code Downloads & Errata.
  4. Enter the name of the book in the Search box and follow the onscreen instructions.

Once the file is downloaded, please make sure that you unzip or extract the folder using the latest version of:

  • WinRAR/7-Zip for Windows
  • Zipeg/iZip/UnRarX for Mac
  • 7-Zip/PeaZip for Linux

The code bundle for the book is also hosted on GitHub at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Learn-Three.js-Third-Edition. In case there's an update to the code, it will be updated on the existing GitHub repository.

We also have other code bundles from our rich catalog of books and videos available at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/. Check them out!

Download the color images

Conventions used

There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.

CodeInText: Indicates code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles. Here is an example: "The learning-threejs-third directory will now contain all the examples that are used throughout this book."

A block of code is set as follows:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
    <title>Example 01.01 - Basic skeleton</title>
    <meta charset="UTF-8" />
    <script type="text/javascript" charset="UTF-8" src="../../libs/three/three.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" charset="UTF-8" src="../../libs/three/controls/TrackballControls.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="./js/01-01.js"></script>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="../../css/default.css">
</head>

When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the relevant lines or items are set in bold:

var scene = new THREE.Scene();
var camera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera(45, window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight, 0.1, 1000);
var renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer();
renderer.setClearColor(new THREE.Color(0x000000));
renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight);

Any command-line input or output is written as follows:

chrome.exe --disable-web-security

Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see onscreen. For example, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in the text like this. Here is an example: "When you hit the addCube button, a new object is created."

Warnings or important notes appear like this.
Tips and tricks appear like this.

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