Book Image

Learn Three.js - Fourth Edition

By : Jos Dirksen
5 (1)
Book Image

Learn Three.js - Fourth Edition

5 (1)
By: Jos Dirksen

Overview of this book

Three.js has become the industry standard for creating stunning 3D WebGL content. In this edition, you’ll learn about all the features of Three.js and understand how to integrate it with the newest physics engines. You'll also develop a strong grip on creating and animating immersive 3D scenes directly in your browser, reaping the full potential of WebGL and modern browsers. The book starts with the basic concepts and building blocks used in Three.js and helps you explore these essential topics in detail through extensive examples and code samples. You'll learn how to create realistic-looking 3D objects using textures and materials and how to load existing models from an external source. Next, you'll understand how to control the camera using the Three.js built-in camera controls, which will enable you to fly or walk around the 3D scene you've created. Later chapters will cover the use of HTML5 video and canvas elements as materials for your 3D objects to animate your models. You’ll learn how to use morph targets and skeleton-based animation, before understanding how to add physics, such as gravity and collision detection, to your scene. Finally, you’ll master combining Blender with Three.js and creating VR and AR scenes. By the end of this book, you'll be well-equipped to create 3D-animated graphics using Three.js.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
1
Part 1: Getting Up and Running
5
Part 2: Working with the Three.js Core Components
7
Chapter 5: Learning to Work with Geometries
10
Part 3: Particle Clouds, Loading and Animating Models
14
Part 4: Post-Processing, Physics, and Sounds

Working with special lights

In this section on special lights, we’ll discuss three additional lights provided by Three.js. First, we’ll discuss THREE.HemisphereLight, which helps in creating more natural lighting for outdoor scenes. Then, we’ll look at THREE.RectAreaLight, which emits lights from a large area instead of a single point. Next, we’ll look at how we can use a LightProbe to apply light based on a cubemap, and finally, we’ll show you how you can add a lens flare effect to your scene.

The first special light we’re going to look at is THREE.HemisphereLight.

THREE.HemisphereLight

With THREE.HemisphereLight, we can create more natural-looking outdoor lighting. Without this light, we could simulate the outdoors by creating THREE.DirectionalLight, which emulates the sun, and maybe add another THREE.AmbientLight to provide some general color to the scene. However, doing so won’t look natural. When you’re outdoors...