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mrdoob/three.js

🔥 Hot★ 112,545JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5ActiveLicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

JavaScript library for creating interactive 3D graphics in web browsers without writing low-level graphics code.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((three.js))
    What it does
      3D scenes in browser
      Interactive graphics
      WebGL rendering
    Core concepts
      Scene container
      Camera viewpoint
      Geometry shapes
      Materials surfaces
    Use cases
      Product viewers
      Data visualization
      Browser games
      AR and VR
    Tech stack
      JavaScript
      WebGL
      WebGPU
    Getting started
      Documentation
      Example gallery
      Community forum

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Build an interactive product viewer where customers can rotate and inspect 3D models from any angle.

USE CASE 2

Create a data visualization with depth and spatial relationships, like a 3D scatter plot or network graph.

USE CASE 3

Develop a browser-based game or interactive experience with 3D environments and moving objects.

USE CASE 4

Build an augmented reality or virtual reality experience that runs directly in a web browser.

Tech stack

JavaScriptWebGLWebGPUSVGCSS3D

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min
Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

In plain English

three.js is a JavaScript library for creating and displaying three-dimensional graphics inside a web browser. The problem it solves is that drawing 3D content from scratch with browser APIs is very low-level and verbose; three.js wraps that complexity in a friendlier set of building blocks so developers can put 3D scenes on a web page without writing raw graphics code. The way it works follows the standard pieces of a 3D scene. You create a scene, which is the world your objects live in, and a camera that defines what part of the world is visible. You add objects to the scene built from a geometry, which is the shape, and a material, which is what the surface looks like. A renderer then draws everything to the page on every animation frame, and you change object properties like rotation over time to make things move. The README states the goal is an easy-to-use, lightweight, cross-browser, general-purpose 3D library. The current builds include WebGL and WebGPU renderers, with SVG and CSS3D renderers available as add-ons. The topics list mentions augmented reality, virtual reality, and Web Audio as related areas. You would use three.js when you want to put interactive 3D content on a website: a product viewer that lets visitors rotate an object, a data visualization with depth, an in-browser game, an architectural walkthrough, or an experimental art piece. The README points to extensive documentation, a manual, a large gallery of examples, and a community forum and Discord.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how to set up a basic three.js scene with a cube, camera, and renderer that I can rotate with the mouse.
Prompt 2
How do I load a 3D model file into three.js and display it on a web page with lighting and shadows?
Prompt 3
Create a simple three.js example that animates a spinning object and changes its color when clicked.
Prompt 4
How can I use three.js to build a product viewer where users can rotate a 3D model and zoom in and out?
Prompt 5
Show me how to add interactivity to a three.js scene, like clicking objects to select them or dragging to rotate the view.
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Generated 2026-05-18 · Model: sonnet-4-6 · Verify against the repo before relying on details.