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

Advanced EffectComposer flows using masks

In the previous examples, we applied the postprocessing pass to a complete screen. However, Three.js also has the ability to apply passes only to a specific area. In this section, we will perform the following steps:

  1. Create a scene to serve as a background image.
  2. Create a scene containing a sphere that looks like Earth.
  3. Create a scene containing a sphere that looks like Mars.
  4. Create EffectComposer, which renders these three scenes into a single image.
  5. Apply a colorify effect to the sphere rendered as Mars.
  6. Apply a sepia effect to the sphere rendered as Earth.

This might sound complex, but it is actually surprisingly easy to accomplish. First, let’s look at the result that we’re aiming for in the masks.html example. The following screenshot shows the results of these steps:

Figure 11.9 – Use a mask to apply an effect to part of the screen

Figure 11.9 – Use a mask to apply an effect to part of the screen

The first thing that...