Jos Dirksen - Learn Three.js

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First published: October 2013

Second edition: March 2015

Third edition: August 2018

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Jos Dirksen has worked as a software developer and architect for more than a decade. He has a lot of experience in a large range of technologies, ranging from backend technologies, such as Java and Scala, to frontend development using HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. Besides working with these technologies, Jos also regularly speaks at conferences and likes to write about new and interesting technologies on his blog. He also likes to experiment with new technologies and see how they can best be used to create beautiful data visualizations.

He is currently working as a freelance full-stack engineer on various Scala and JavaScript project.

Previously, Jos has worked in many different roles in the private and public sectors, ranging from private companies such as ING, ASML, Malmberg, and Philips to organizations in the public sector, such as the Department of Defense.

Francesco Strazzullo is a frontend engineer and trainer for extrategy. He loves to share what he learns in his job by writing on his blog or presenting a new talk at a conference or a local JavaScript user group. During his free time, he likes to relax by playing with his PlayStation or cooking.

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Over the last couple of years, browsers have gotten more powerful and are capable of delivering complex applications and graphics. Most of this, though, is standard 2D graphics. All modern browsers have adopted WebGL, which allows you to not just create 2D applications and graphics in the browser, but also create beautiful and high-performance 3D applications using the capabilities of the GPU.

Programming WebGL directly, however, is very complex. You need to know the inner details of WebGL and learn a complex shader language to get the most out of WebGL. Three.js provides a very easy-to-use JavaScript API around the features of WebGL, so you can create beautiful 3D graphics without having to learn the details of WebGL.

Three.js provides a large number of features and APIs you can use to create 3D scenes directly in your browser. In this book, you'll learn all the different APIs Three.js has to offer through lots of interactive examples and code samples.

This book is great for everyone who already knows JavaScript and wants to start with creating 3D graphics that run in any browser. You don't need know anything about advanced math or WebGL; all that is needed is a general knowledge of JavaScript and HTML. The required materials and examples can be freely downloaded and all tools used in this book are open source. So, if you've ever wanted to learn how to create beautiful, interactive 3D graphics that run in any modern browser, this is the book for you.

, Creating Your First 3D Scene with Three.js, covers the basic steps you need to take to get started with Three.js. You'll immediately create your first Three.js scene, and at the end of this chapter you'll be able to create and animate your first 3D scene directly in your browser.

, The Basic Components That Make Up a Three.js Application , explains the basic components that you need to understand when working with Three.js. You'll learn about lights, meshes, geometries, materials, and cameras. In this chapter, you also get an overview of the different lights Three.js provides and the cameras you can use in your scene.

, Working with Light Sources in Three.js