Three.js WebGL/WebGPU Development

Overview

Three.js is the industry-standard JavaScript library for creating 3D graphics in web browsers using WebGL and WebGPU. This skill provides comprehensive guidance for building performant, interactive 3D experiences including scenes, cameras, renderers, geometries, materials, lights, textures, and animations.

Core Concepts

Scene Graph Architecture

Three.js uses a hierarchical scene graph where all 3D objects are organized in a tree structure:

Scene
├── Camera
├── Lights
│   ├── AmbientLight
│   ├── DirectionalLight
│   └── PointLight
├── Meshes
│   ├── Mesh (Geometry + Material)
│   └── InstancedMesh
└── Groups

Essential Components

Every Three.js application requires these core elements:

1. Scene: Container for all 3D objects
2. Camera: Defines the viewing perspective
3. Renderer: Draws the scene to canvas (WebGL or WebGPU)
4. Geometry: Defines the shape of objects
5. Material: Defines the surface appearance
6. Mesh: Combines geometry and material

Quick Start Pattern

Basic Scene Setup

import * as THREE from 'three';
import { OrbitControls } from 'three/addons/controls/OrbitControls.js';

// Scene, Camera, Renderer
const scene = new THREE.Scene();
scene.background = new THREE.Color(0x333333);

const camera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera(
  75, // FOV
  window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight, // Aspect ratio
  0.1, // Near clipping plane
  1000 // Far clipping plane
);
camera.position.set(0, 2, 5);

const renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer({ antialias: true });
renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight);
renderer.setPixelRatio(window.devicePixelRatio);
renderer.shadowMap.enabled = true;
document.body.appendChild(renderer.domElement);

// Lighting
const ambientLight = new THREE.AmbientLight(0xffffff, 0.5);
scene.add(ambientLight);

const directionalLight = new THREE.DirectionalLight(0xffffff, 1);
directionalLight.position.set(5, 10, 7.5);
directionalLight.castShadow = true;
scene.add(directionalLight);

// Controls
const controls = new OrbitControls(camera, renderer.domElement);
controls.enableDamping = true;
controls.dampingFactor = 0.05;

// Animation Loop
function animate() {
  requestAnimationFrame(animate);
  controls.update();
  renderer.render(scene, camera);
}

animate();

// Handle Resize
window.addEventListener('resize', () => {
  camera.aspect = window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight;
  camera.updateProjectionMatrix();
  renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight);
});

WebGPU Setup (Modern Alternative)

import * as THREE from 'three/webgpu';

const renderer = new THREE.WebGPURenderer({ antialias: true });
renderer.setPixelRatio(window.devicePixelRatio);
renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight);
renderer.setAnimationLoop(animate);
renderer.toneMapping = THREE.LinearToneMapping;
renderer.toneMappingExposure = 1;
document.body.appendChild(renderer.domElement);

Common Patterns

1. Creating Meshes with Materials

// Basic Mesh
const geometry = new THREE.BoxGeometry(1, 1, 1);
const material = new THREE.MeshStandardMaterial({
  color: 0x00ff00,
  roughness: 0.5,
  metalness: 0.5
});
const cube = new THREE.Mesh(geometry, material);
scene.add(cube);

// Textured Mesh
const loader = new THREE.TextureLoader();
const texture = loader.load('texture.jpg');
texture.colorSpace = THREE.SRGBColorSpace;

const texturedMaterial = new THREE.MeshStandardMaterial({
  map: texture
});
const mesh = new THREE.Mesh
how to use threejs-webgl
CursorClaude CodeClineCodexWindsurfGooseGitHub CopilotVS CodeGemini CLIKiloOpencodeKimi CLIRoo ClineAiderContinueZedBolt.newLovablev0Replit AgentSweepSmol DeveloperDevinCavemanAmpAntigravity
How to use threejs-webgl on Cursor
AI-first code editor with Composer
1
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add threejs-webgl
2
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
$npx skills add https://github.com/freshtechbro/claudedesignskills --skill threejs-webglcopy
The skills CLI fetches threejs-webgl from GitHub repository freshtechbro/claudedesignskills and configures it for Cursor.
3
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│   • Amp
│   • Antigravity
│   • Cline
│   • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│   • Cursor
│   • Windsurf
4
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
.cursor/skills/threejs-webgl
Reload or restart Cursor to activate threejs-webgl. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /threejs-webgl) or your agent's skill management interface.
⚠
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
Additional Resources
›View source code on GitHub›Skills CLI documentation›Learn more about Cursor›What are agent skills?