MCPInstall

threejs-materials

Three.js materials - PBR, basic, phong, shader materials, material properties. Use when styling meshes, working with textures, creating custom shaders, or optimizing material performance.

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Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/calesthio/openmontage --skill threejs-materials
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads threejs-materials automatically when relevant.

  3. 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 Materials

Quick Start

import * as THREE from "three";

// PBR material (recommended for realistic rendering)
const material = new THREE.MeshStandardMaterial({
  color: 0x00ff00,
  roughness: 0.5,
  metalness: 0.5,
});

const mesh = new THREE.Mesh(geometry, material);

Material Types Overview

MaterialUse CaseLighting
MeshBasicMaterialUnlit, flat colors, wireframesNo
MeshLambertMaterialMatte surfaces, performanceYes (diffuse only)
MeshPhongMaterialShiny surfaces, specular highlightsYes
MeshStandardMaterialPBR, realistic materialsYes (PBR)
MeshPhysicalMaterialAdvanced PBR, clearcoat, transmissionYes (PBR+)
MeshToonMaterialCel-shaded, cartoon lookYes (toon)
MeshNormalMaterialDebug normalsNo
MeshDepthMaterialDepth visualizationNo
ShaderMaterialCustom GLSL shadersCustom
RawShaderMaterialFull shader controlCustom

MeshBasicMaterial

No lighting calculations. Fast, always visible.

const material = new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial({
  color: 0xff0000,
  transparent: true,
  opacity: 0.5,
  side: THREE.DoubleSide, // FrontSide, BackSide, DoubleSide
  wireframe: false,
  map: texture, // Color/diffuse texture
  alphaMap: alphaTexture, // Transparency texture
  envMap: envTexture, // Reflection texture
  reflectivity: 1, // Env map intensity
  fog: true, // Affected by scene fog
});

MeshLambertMaterial

Diffuse-only lighting. Fast, no specular highlights.

const material = new THREE.MeshLambertMaterial({
  color: 0x00ff00,
  emissive: 0x111111, // Self-illumination color
  emissiveIntensity: 1,
  map: texture,
  emissiveMap: emissiveTexture,
  envMap: envTexture,
  reflectivity: 0.5,
});

MeshPhongMaterial

Specular highlights. Good for shiny, plastic-like surfaces.

const material = new THREE.MeshPhongMaterial({
  color: 0x0000ff,
  specular: 0xffffff, // Highlight color
  shininess: 100, // Highlight sharpness (0-1000)
  emissive: 0x000000,
  flatShading: false, // Flat vs smooth shading
  map: texture,
  specularMap: specTexture, // Per-pixel shininess
  normalMap: normalTexture,
  normalScale: new THREE.Vector2(1, 1),
  bumpMap: bumpTexture,
  bumpScale: 1,
  displacementMap: dispTexture,
  displacementScale: 1,
});

MeshStandardMaterial (PBR)

Physically-based rendering. Recommended for realistic results.

const material = new THREE.MeshStandardMaterial({
  color: 0xffffff,
  roughness: 0.5, // 0 = mirror, 1 = diffuse
  metalness: 0.0, // 0 = dielectric, 1 = metal

  // Textures
  map: colorTexture, // Albedo/base color
  roughnessMap: roughTexture, // Per-pixel roughness
  metalnessMap: metalTexture, // Per-pixel metalness
  normalMap: normalTexture, // Surface detail
  normalScale: new THREE.Vector2(1, 1),
  aoMap: aoTexture, // Ambient occlusion (uses uv2!)
  aoMapIntensity: 1,
  displacementMap: dispTexture, // Vertex displacement
  displacementScale: 0.1,
  displacementBias: 0,

  // Emissive
  emissive: 0x000000,
  emissiveIntensity: 1,
  emissiveMap: emissiveTexture,

  // Environment
  envMap: envTexture,
  envMapIntensity: 1,

  // Other
  flatShading: false,
  wireframe: false,
  fog: true,
});

// Note: aoMap requires second UV channel
geometry.setAttribute("uv2", geometry.attributes.uv);

MeshPhysicalMaterial (Advanced PBR)

Extends MeshStandardMaterial with advanced features.

const material = new THREE.MeshPhysicalMaterial({
  // All MeshStandardMaterial properties plus:

  // Clearcoat (car paint, lacquer)
  clearcoat: 1.0, // 0-1 clearcoat layer strength
  clearcoatRoughness: 0.1,
  clearcoatMap: ccTexture,
  clearcoatRoughnessMap: ccrTexture,
  clearcoatNormalMap: ccnTexture,
  clearcoatNormalScale: new THREE.Vector2(1, 1),

  // Transmission (glass, water)
  transmission: 1.0, // 0 = opaque, 1 = fully transparent
  transmissionMap: transTexture,
  thickness: 0.5, // Volume thickness for refraction
  thicknessMap: thickTexture,
  attenuationDistance: 1, // Absorption distance
  attenuationColor: new THREE.Color(0xffffff),

  // Refraction
  ior: 1.5, // Index of refraction (1-2.333)

  // Sheen (fabric, velvet)
  sheen: 1.0,
  sheenRoughness: 0.5,
  sheenColor: new THREE.Color(0xffffff),
  sheenColorMap: sheenTexture,
  sheenRoughnessMap: sheenRoughTexture,

  // Iridescence (soap bubbles, oil slicks)
  iridescence: 1.0,
  iridescenceIOR: 1.3,
  iridescenceThicknessRange: [100, 400],
  iridescenceMap: iridTexture,
  iridescenceThicknessMap: iridThickTexture,

  // Anisotropy (brushed metal)
  anisotropy: 1.0,
  anisotropyRotation: 0,
  anisotropyMap: anisoTexture,

  // Specular
  specularIntensity: 1,
  specularColor: new THREE.Color(0xffffff),
  specularIntensityMap: specIntTexture,
  specularColorMap: specColorTexture,
});

Glass Material Example

const glass = new THREE.MeshPhysicalMaterial({
  color: 0xffffff,
  metalness: 0,
  roughness: 0,
  transmission: 1,
  thickness: 0.5,
  ior: 1.5,
  envMapIntensity: 1,
});

Car Paint Example

const carPaint = new THREE.MeshPhysicalMaterial({
  color: 0xff0000,
  metalness: 0.9,
  roughness: 0.5,
  clearcoat: 1,
  clearcoatRoughness: 0.1,
});

MeshToonMaterial

Cel-shaded cartoon look.

const material = new THREE.MeshToonMaterial({
  color: 0x00ff00,
  gradientMap: gradientTexture, // Optional: custom shading gradient
});

// Create step gradient texture
const colors = new Uint8Array([0, 128, 255]);
const gradientMap = new THREE.DataTexture(colors, 3, 1, THREE.RedFormat);
gradientMap.minFilter = THREE.NearestFilter;
gradientMap.magFilter = THREE.NearestFilter;
gradientMap.needsUpdate = true;

MeshNormalMaterial

Visualize surface normals. Useful for debugging.

const material = new THREE.MeshNormalMaterial({
  flatShading: false,
  wireframe: false,
});

MeshDepthMaterial

Render depth values. Used for shadow maps, DOF effects.

const material = new THREE.MeshDepthMaterial({
  depthPacking: THREE.RGBADepthPacking,
});

PointsMaterial

For point clouds.

const material = new THREE.PointsMaterial({
  color: 0xffffff,
  size: 0.1,
  sizeAttenuation: true, // Scale with distance
  map: pointTexture,
  alphaMap: alphaTexture,
  transparent: true,
  alphaTest: 0.5, // Discard pixels below threshold
  vertexColors: true, // Use per-vertex colors
});

const points = new THREE.Points(geometry, material);

LineBasicMaterial & LineDashedMaterial

// Solid lines
const lineMaterial = new THREE.LineBasicMaterial({
  color: 0xffffff,
  linewidth: 1, // Note: >1 only works on some systems
  linecap: "round",
  linejoin: "round",
});

// Dashed lines
const dashedMaterial = new THREE.LineDashedMaterial({
  color: 0xffffff,
  dashSize: 0.5,
  gapSize: 0.25,
  scale: 1,
});

// Required for dashed lines
const line = new THREE.Line(geometry, dashedMaterial);
line.computeLineDistances();

ShaderMaterial

Custom GLSL shaders with Three.js uniforms.

const material = new THREE.ShaderMaterial({
  uniforms: {
    time: { value: 0 },
    color: { value: new THREE.Color(0xff0000) },
    texture1: { value: texture },
  },
  vertexShader: `
    varying vec2 vUv;
    uniform float time;

    void main() {
      vUv = uv;
      vec3 pos = position;
      pos.z += sin(pos.x * 10.0 + time) * 0.1;
      gl_Position = projectionMatrix * modelViewMatrix * vec4(pos, 1.0);
    }
  `,
  fragmentShader: `
    varying vec2 vUv;
    uniform vec3 color;
    uniform sampler2D texture1;

    void main() {
      // Use texture2D() for GLSL 1.0, texture() for GLSL 3.0 (glslVersion: THREE.GLSL3)
      vec4 texColor = texture2D(texture1, vUv);
      gl_FragColor = vec4(color * texColor.rgb, 1.0);
    }
  `,
  transparent: true,
  side: THREE.DoubleSide,
});

// Update uniform in animation loop
material.uniforms.time.value = clock.getElapsedTime();

Built-in Uniforms (auto-provided)

// Vertex shader
uniform mat4 modelMatrix;         // Object to world
uniform mat4 modelViewMatrix;     // Object to camera
uniform mat4 projectionMatrix;    // Camera projection
uniform mat4 viewMatrix;          // World to camera
uniform mat3 normalMatrix;        // For transforming normals
uniform vec3 cameraPosition;      // Camera world position

// Attributes
attribute vec3 position;
attribute vec3 normal;
attribute vec2 uv;

RawShaderMaterial

Full control - no built-in uniforms/attributes.

const material = new THREE.RawShaderMaterial({
  uniforms: {
    projectionMatrix: { value: camera.projectionMatrix },
    modelViewMatrix: { value: new THREE.Matrix4() },
  },
  vertexShader: `
    precision highp float;
    attribute vec3 position;
    uniform mat4 projectionMatrix;
    uniform mat4 modelViewMatrix;

    void main() {
      gl_Position = projectionMatrix * modelViewMatrix * vec4(position, 1.0);
    }
  `,
  fragmentShader: `
    precision highp float;

    void main() {
      gl_FragColor = vec4(1.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0);
    }
  `,
});

Common Material Properties

All materials share these base properties:

// Visibility
material.visible = true;
material.transparent = false;
material.opacity = 1.0;
material.alphaTest = 0; // Discard pixels with alpha < value

// Rendering
material.side = THREE.FrontSide; // FrontSide, BackSide, DoubleSide
material.depthTest = true;
material.depthWrite = true;
material.colorWrite = true;

// Blending
material.blending = THREE.NormalBlending;
// NormalBlending, AdditiveBlending, SubtractiveBlending, MultiplyBlending, CustomBlending

// Stencil
material.stencilWrite = false;
material.stencilFunc = THREE.AlwaysStencilFunc;
material.stencilRef = 0;
material.stencilMask = 0xff;

// Polygon offset (z-fighting fix)
material.polygonOffset = false;
material.polygonOffsetFactor = 0;
material.polygonOffsetUnits = 0;

// Misc
material.dithering = false;
material.toneMapped = true;

Multiple Materials

// Assign different materials to geometry groups
const geometry = new THREE.BoxGeometry(1, 1, 1);
const materials = [
  new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial({ color: 0xff0000 }), // right
  new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial({ color: 0x00ff00 }), // left
  new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial({ color: 0x0000ff }), // top
  new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial({ color: 0xffff00 }), // bottom
  new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial({ color: 0xff00ff }), // front
  new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial({ color: 0x00ffff }), // back
];
const mesh = new THREE.Mesh(geometry, materials);

// Custom groups
geometry.clearGroups();
geometry.addGroup(0, 6, 0); // start, count, materialIndex
geometry.addGroup(6, 6, 1);

Environment Maps

// Load cube texture
const cubeLoader = new THREE.CubeTextureLoader();
const envMap = cubeLoader.load([
  "px.jpg",
  "nx.jpg", // positive/negative X
  "py.jpg",
  "ny.jpg", // positive/negative Y
  "pz.jpg",
  "nz.jpg", // positive/negative Z
]);

// Apply to material
material.envMap = envMap;
material.envMapIntensity = 1;

// Or set as scene environment (affects all PBR materials)
scene.environment = envMap;

// HDR environment (recommended)
import { RGBELoader } from "three/examples/jsm/loaders/RGBELoader.js";
const rgbeLoader = new RGBELoader();
rgbeLoader.load("environment.hdr", (texture) => {
  texture.mapping = THREE.EquirectangularReflectionMapping;
  scene.environment = texture;
  scene.background = texture;
});

Material Cloning and Modification

// Clone material
const clone = material.clone();
clone.color.set(0x00ff00);

// Modify at runtime
material.color.set(0xff0000);
material.needsUpdate = true; // Only needed for some changes

// When needsUpdate is required:
// - Changing flat shading
// - Changing texture
// - Changing transparent
// - Custom shader code changes

Performance Tips

  1. Reuse materials: Same material = batched draw calls
  2. Avoid transparent when possible: Transparent materials require sorting
  3. Use alphaTest instead of transparency: When applicable, faster
  4. Choose simpler materials: Basic > Lambert > Phong > Standard > Physical
  5. Limit active lights: Each light adds shader complexity
// Material pooling
const materialCache = new Map();
function getMaterial(color) {
  const key = color.toString(16);
  if (!materialCache.has(key)) {
    materialCache.set(key, new THREE.MeshStandardMaterial({ color }));
  }
  return materialCache.get(key);
}

// Dispose when done
material.dispose();

See Also

  • threejs-textures - Texture loading and configuration
  • threejs-shaders - Custom shader development
  • threejs-lighting - Light interaction with materials

FAQ

What does the threejs-materials skill do?

Three.js materials - PBR, basic, phong, shader materials, material properties. Use when styling meshes, working with textures, creating custom shaders, or optimizing material performance.

How do I install threejs-materials?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/calesthio/openmontage --skill threejs-materials 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-materials/ (personal) or .claude/skills/threejs-materials/ (project).

Which AI agents can use threejs-materials?

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-materials 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-materials?

It is published by calesthio in calesthio/openmontage. It has 1,058 recorded installs.

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