
threejs-fundamentals
Three.js scene setup, cameras, renderer, Object3D hierarchy, coordinate systems. Use when setting up 3D scenes, creating cameras, configuring renderers, managing object hierarchies, or working with transforms.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/calesthio/openmontage --skill threejs-fundamentals- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads threejs-fundamentals automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Three.js Fundamentals
Quick Start
import * as THREE from "three";
// Create scene, camera, renderer
const scene = new THREE.Scene();
const camera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera(
75,
window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight,
0.1,
1000,
);
const renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer({ antialias: true });
renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight);
renderer.setPixelRatio(Math.min(window.devicePixelRatio, 2));
document.body.appendChild(renderer.domElement);
// Add a mesh
const geometry = new THREE.BoxGeometry(1, 1, 1);
const material = new THREE.MeshStandardMaterial({ color: 0x00ff00 });
const cube = new THREE.Mesh(geometry, material);
scene.add(cube);
// Add light
scene.add(new THREE.AmbientLight(0xffffff, 0.5));
const dirLight = new THREE.DirectionalLight(0xffffff, 1);
dirLight.position.set(5, 5, 5);
scene.add(dirLight);
camera.position.z = 5;
// Animation loop
function animate() {
requestAnimationFrame(animate);
cube.rotation.x += 0.01;
cube.rotation.y += 0.01;
renderer.render(scene, camera);
}
animate();
// Handle resize
window.addEventListener("resize", () => {
camera.aspect = window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight;
camera.updateProjectionMatrix();
renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight);
});
Core Classes
Scene
Container for all 3D objects, lights, and cameras.
const scene = new THREE.Scene();
scene.background = new THREE.Color(0x000000); // Solid color
scene.background = texture; // Skybox texture
scene.background = cubeTexture; // Cubemap
scene.environment = envMap; // Environment map for PBR
scene.fog = new THREE.Fog(0xffffff, 1, 100); // Linear fog
scene.fog = new THREE.FogExp2(0xffffff, 0.02); // Exponential fog
Cameras
PerspectiveCamera - Most common, simulates human eye.
// PerspectiveCamera(fov, aspect, near, far)
const camera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera(
75, // Field of view (degrees)
window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight, // Aspect ratio
0.1, // Near clipping plane
1000, // Far clipping plane
);
camera.position.set(0, 5, 10);
camera.lookAt(0, 0, 0);
camera.updateProjectionMatrix(); // Call after changing fov, aspect, near, far
OrthographicCamera - No perspective distortion, good for 2D/isometric.
// OrthographicCamera(left, right, top, bottom, near, far)
const aspect = window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight;
const frustumSize = 10;
const camera = new THREE.OrthographicCamera(
(frustumSize * aspect) / -2,
(frustumSize * aspect) / 2,
frustumSize / 2,
frustumSize / -2,
0.1,
1000,
);
ArrayCamera - Multiple viewports with sub-cameras.
const cameras = [];
for (let i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
const subcamera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera(40, 1, 0.1, 100);
subcamera.viewport = new THREE.Vector4(
Math.floor(i % 2) * 0.5,
Math.floor(i / 2) * 0.5,
0.5,
0.5,
);
cameras.push(subcamera);
}
const arrayCamera = new THREE.ArrayCamera(cameras);
CubeCamera - Renders environment maps for reflections.
const cubeRenderTarget = new THREE.WebGLCubeRenderTarget(256);
const cubeCamera = new THREE.CubeCamera(0.1, 1000, cubeRenderTarget);
scene.add(cubeCamera);
// Use for reflections
material.envMap = cubeRenderTarget.texture;
// Update each frame (expensive!)
cubeCamera.position.copy(reflectiveMesh.position);
cubeCamera.update(renderer, scene);
WebGLRenderer
const renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer({
canvas: document.querySelector("#canvas"), // Optional existing canvas
antialias: true, // Smooth edges
alpha: true, // Transparent background
powerPreference: "high-performance", // GPU hint
preserveDrawingBuffer: true, // For screenshots
});
renderer.setSize(width, height);
renderer.setPixelRatio(Math.min(window.devicePixelRatio, 2));
// Tone mapping
renderer.toneMapping = THREE.ACESFilmicToneMapping;
renderer.toneMappingExposure = 1.0;
// Color space (Three.js r152+)
renderer.outputColorSpace = THREE.SRGBColorSpace;
// Shadows
renderer.shadowMap.enabled = true;
renderer.shadowMap.type = THREE.PCFSoftShadowMap;
// Clear color
renderer.setClearColor(0x000000, 1);
// Render
renderer.render(scene, camera);
Object3D
Base class for all 3D objects. Mesh, Group, Light, Camera all extend Object3D.
const obj = new THREE.Object3D();
// Transform
obj.position.set(x, y, z);
obj.rotation.set(x, y, z); // Euler angles (radians)
obj.quaternion.set(x, y, z, w); // Quaternion rotation
obj.scale.set(x, y, z);
// Local vs World transforms
obj.getWorldPosition(targetVector);
obj.getWorldQuaternion(targetQuaternion);
obj.getWorldDirection(targetVector);
// Hierarchy
obj.add(child);
obj.remove(child);
obj.parent;
obj.children;
// Visibility
obj.visible = false;
// Layers (for selective rendering/raycasting)
obj.layers.set(1);
obj.layers.enable(2);
obj.layers.disable(0);
// Traverse hierarchy
obj.traverse((child) => {
if (child.isMesh) child.material.color.set(0xff0000);
});
// Matrix updates
obj.matrixAutoUpdate = true; // Default: auto-update matrices
obj.updateMatrix(); // Manual matrix update
obj.updateMatrixWorld(true); // Update world matrix recursively
Group
Empty container for organizing objects.
const group = new THREE.Group();
group.add(mesh1);
group.add(mesh2);
scene.add(group);
// Transform entire group
group.position.x = 5;
group.rotation.y = Math.PI / 4;
Mesh
Combines geometry and material.
const mesh = new THREE.Mesh(geometry, material);
// Multiple materials (one per geometry group)
const mesh = new THREE.Mesh(geometry, [material1, material2]);
// Useful properties
mesh.geometry;
mesh.material;
mesh.castShadow = true;
mesh.receiveShadow = true;
// Frustum culling
mesh.frustumCulled = true; // Default: skip if outside camera view
// Render order
mesh.renderOrder = 10; // Higher = rendered later
Coordinate System
Three.js uses a right-handed coordinate system:
- +X points right
- +Y points up
- +Z points toward viewer (out of screen)
// Axes helper
const axesHelper = new THREE.AxesHelper(5);
scene.add(axesHelper); // Red=X, Green=Y, Blue=Z
Math Utilities
Vector3
const v = new THREE.Vector3(x, y, z);
v.set(x, y, z);
v.copy(otherVector);
v.clone();
// Operations (modify in place)
v.add(v2);
v.sub(v2);
v.multiply(v2);
v.multiplyScalar(2);
v.divideScalar(2);
v.normalize();
v.negate();
v.clamp(min, max);
v.lerp(target, alpha);
// Calculations (return new value)
v.length();
v.lengthSq(); // Faster than length()
v.distanceTo(v2);
v.dot(v2);
v.cross(v2); // Modifies v
v.angleTo(v2);
// Transform
v.applyMatrix4(matrix);
v.applyQuaternion(q);
v.project(camera); // World to NDC
v.unproject(camera); // NDC to world
Matrix4
const m = new THREE.Matrix4();
m.identity();
m.copy(other);
m.clone();
// Build transforms
m.makeTranslation(x, y, z);
m.makeRotationX(theta);
m.makeRotationY(theta);
m.makeRotationZ(theta);
m.makeRotationFromQuaternion(q);
m.makeScale(x, y, z);
// Compose/decompose
m.compose(position, quaternion, scale);
m.decompose(position, quaternion, scale);
// Operations
m.multiply(m2); // m = m * m2
m.premultiply(m2); // m = m2 * m
m.invert();
m.transpose();
// Camera matrices
m.makePerspective(left, right, top, bottom, near, far);
m.makeOrthographic(left, right, top, bottom, near, far);
m.lookAt(eye, target, up);
Quaternion
const q = new THREE.Quaternion();
q.setFromEuler(euler);
q.setFromAxisAngle(axis, angle);
q.setFromRotationMatrix(matrix);
q.multiply(q2);
q.slerp(target, t); // Spherical interpolation
q.normalize();
q.invert();
Euler
const euler = new THREE.Euler(x, y, z, "XYZ"); // Order matters!
euler.setFromQuaternion(q);
euler.setFromRotationMatrix(m);
// Rotation orders: 'XYZ', 'YXZ', 'ZXY', 'XZY', 'YZX', 'ZYX'
Color
const color = new THREE.Color(0xff0000);
const color = new THREE.Color("red");
const color = new THREE.Color("rgb(255, 0, 0)");
const color = new THREE.Color("#ff0000");
color.setHex(0x00ff00);
color.setRGB(r, g, b); // 0-1 range
color.setHSL(h, s, l); // 0-1 range
color.lerp(otherColor, alpha);
color.multiply(otherColor);
color.multiplyScalar(2);
MathUtils
THREE.MathUtils.clamp(value, min, max);
THREE.MathUtils.lerp(start, end, alpha);
THREE.MathUtils.mapLinear(value, inMin, inMax, outMin, outMax);
THREE.MathUtils.degToRad(degrees);
THREE.MathUtils.radToDeg(radians);
THREE.MathUtils.randFloat(min, max);
THREE.MathUtils.randInt(min, max);
THREE.MathUtils.smoothstep(x, min, max);
THREE.MathUtils.smootherstep(x, min, max);
Common Patterns
Proper Cleanup
function dispose() {
// Dispose geometries
mesh.geometry.dispose();
// Dispose materials
if (Array.isArray(mesh.material)) {
mesh.material.forEach((m) => m.dispose());
} else {
mesh.material.dispose();
}
// Dispose textures
texture.dispose();
// Remove from scene
scene.remove(mesh);
// Dispose renderer
renderer.dispose();
}
Clock for Animation
const clock = new THREE.Clock();
function animate() {
const delta = clock.getDelta(); // Time since last frame (seconds)
const elapsed = clock.getElapsedTime(); // Total time (seconds)
mesh.rotation.y += delta * 0.5; // Consistent speed regardless of framerate
requestAnimationFrame(animate);
renderer.render(scene, camera);
}
Responsive Canvas
function onWindowResize() {
const width = window.innerWidth;
const height = window.innerHeight;
camera.aspect = width / height;
camera.updateProjectionMatrix();
renderer.setSize(width, height);
renderer.setPixelRatio(Math.min(window.devicePixelRatio, 2));
}
window.addEventListener("resize", onWindowResize);
Loading Manager
const manager = new THREE.LoadingManager();
manager.onStart = (url, loaded, total) => console.log("Started loading");
manager.onLoad = () => console.log("All loaded");
manager.onProgress = (url, loaded, total) => console.log(`${loaded}/${total}`);
manager.onError = (url) => console.error(`Error loading ${url}`);
const textureLoader = new THREE.TextureLoader(manager);
const gltfLoader = new GLTFLoader(manager);
Performance Tips
- Limit draw calls: Merge geometries, use instancing, atlas textures
- Frustum culling: Enabled by default, ensure bounding boxes are correct
- LOD (Level of Detail): Use
THREE.LODfor distance-based mesh switching - Object pooling: Reuse objects instead of creating/destroying
- Avoid
getWorldPositionin loops: Cache results
// Merge static geometries
import { mergeGeometries } from "three/examples/jsm/utils/BufferGeometryUtils.js";
const merged = mergeGeometries([geo1, geo2, geo3]);
// LOD
const lod = new THREE.LOD();
lod.addLevel(highDetailMesh, 0);
lod.addLevel(medDetailMesh, 50);
lod.addLevel(lowDetailMesh, 100);
scene.add(lod);
See Also
threejs-geometry- Geometry creation and manipulationthreejs-materials- Material types and propertiesthreejs-lighting- Light types and shadows
FAQ
What does the threejs-fundamentals skill do?
Three.js scene setup, cameras, renderer, Object3D hierarchy, coordinate systems. Use when setting up 3D scenes, creating cameras, configuring renderers, managing object hierarchies, or working with transforms.
How do I install threejs-fundamentals?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/calesthio/openmontage --skill threejs-fundamentals in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/threejs-fundamentals/ (personal) or .claude/skills/threejs-fundamentals/ (project).
Which AI agents can use threejs-fundamentals?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is threejs-fundamentals safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains threejs-fundamentals?
It is published by calesthio in calesthio/openmontage. It has 1,063 recorded installs.
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