Working in 3D
Now that you can test your WebXR experience, it’s time to learn how to create and manipulate 3D objects. In this guide, you’ll learn the fundamentals of 3D graphics using Three.js within the IWSDK framework. By the end, you’ll be able to create primitive shapes and arrange them in 3D space.
IWSDK is built on top of Three.js, the most popular WebGL library for JavaScript. Before diving into IWSDK’s Entity Component System architecture, it’s important to understand the basic Three.js building blocks.
Every 3D object is composed of four essential parts:
- Geometry: The shape/structure (cube, sphere, plane).
- Material: The surface properties (color, texture, how light interacts).
- Mesh: The combination of geometry + material that creates a renderable object.
- Object3D: The base class that provides position, rotation, and scale properties.
Object3D is the base class for all objects in Three.js that can be placed in a 3D scene. Mesh extends Object3D, adding the ability to render geometry with materials. This means every mesh has position, rotation, and scale properties inherited from Object3D.
Geometry defines the 3D structure - the vertices, faces, and edges that make up a shape. Here are the essential primitive geometries you’ll use most often:
BoxGeometry - For cubes and rectangular shapes:
new BoxGeometry(1, 1, 1); // Perfect cube
new BoxGeometry(2, 0.5, 1); // Rectangular box (width, height, depth)
SphereGeometry - For balls and rounded objects:
new SphereGeometry(1, 32, 32); // Simple sphere (radius, horizontal segments, vertical segments)
new SphereGeometry(1, 16, 16); // Lower detail for better performance
CylinderGeometry - For tubes, cans, and cones:
new CylinderGeometry(1, 1, 2, 32); // Cylinder
new CylinderGeometry(0, 1, 2, 32); // Cone (top radius = 0)
PlaneGeometry - For flat surfaces:
new PlaneGeometry(2, 2); // Square plane
new PlaneGeometry(4, 2); // Rectangular plane (width, height)
Materials determine the appearance of an object. There are two essential materials:
MeshBasicMaterial, which produces a simple material with flat colors that don’t respond to lighting, like this example.
import { MeshBasicMaterial } from 'three';
// Flat colors that don't respond to lighting
new MeshBasicMaterial({ color: 0xff0000 });
new MeshBasicMaterial({ color: 'red' });
new MeshBasicMaterial({ color: '#ff0000' });
MeshStandardMaterial, which produces a material that creates realistic lighting, like this example.
import { MeshStandardMaterial } from 'three';
// Responds to lights in your scene
new MeshStandardMaterial({
color: 0x0066cc,
roughness: 0.5, // 0 = mirror, 1 = completely rough
metalness: 0.2, // 0 = non-metal, 1 = metal
});
A mesh combines geometry and material into a renderable 3D object. This example combines two different geometries and materials to create a red cube and a blue sphere.
import { Mesh } from 'three';
// Create a red cube
const cube = new Mesh(cubeGeometry, redMaterial);
// Create a blue sphere
const sphere = new Mesh(sphereGeometry, blueMaterial);
Creating objects in IWSDK
IWSDK uses an Entity Component System (ECS) architecture pattern. Instead of working with Three.js objects directly, you create entities and add components to them.
What is ECS?
ECS will be explained in detail later. For now, think of it as a way to organize your code where:
- Entities are things in your world (like a cube or player).
- Components are data that describes entities (position, color, behavior).
- Systems are logic that operates on entities with specific components.
The most straightforward way to add 3D objects to your IWSDK scene is to create a Three.js mesh first, then create a transform entity from it, like this example demonstrates.
import { World, Mesh, BoxGeometry, MeshStandardMaterial } from '@iwsdk/core';
// First create the Three.js mesh
const mesh = new Mesh(
new BoxGeometry(1, 1, 1),
new MeshStandardMaterial({ color: 0xff6666 }),
);
// Position the mesh
mesh.position.set(0, 1, -2);
// Create a transform entity from the mesh
const entity = world.createTransformEntity(mesh);
This approach:
- Creates a standard Three.js mesh with geometry and material.
- Sets the initial position, rotation, or scale on the mesh.
- Creates an IWSDK entity with a Transform component that manages the mesh.
Positioning, rotating, and scaling objects
You can manipulate objects by setting properties on the Three.js mesh both before and after creating the entity. After creating an entity, you access the mesh through the entity.object3D property as shown in this example.
// BEFORE creating entity - manipulate the mesh directly
mesh.position.set(2, 0, -3); // 2 units right, 0 up, 3 units away
mesh.rotation.y = Math.PI / 2; // 90 degrees around Y-axis
mesh.scale.set(2, 2, 2); // Double size in all dimensions
const entity = world.createTransformEntity(mesh);
// AFTER creating entity - manipulate via entity.object3D
entity.object3D.position.x = 1; // Move 1 unit to the right
entity.object3D.position.y = 2; // Move 2 units up
entity.object3D.position.z = -5; // Move 5 units away from viewer
// You can also use quaternion for more precise rotation control
entity.object3D.quaternion.setFromEuler(new Euler(0, Math.PI, 0));
// Scale individual axes
entity.object3D.scale.set(1, 0.5, 1); // Half height, normal width/depth
Coordinate System & Rotation
Position coordinates:
- X-axis: Left (-) to Right (+)
- Y-axis: Down (-) to Up (+)
- Z-axis: Into screen (+) to Out of screen (-)
Rotation: Three.js uses radians. To convert degrees to radians: radians = degrees * (Math.PI / 180). Common conversions: 90° = π/2, 180° = π, 270° = 3π/2, 360° = 2π.
Building your first scene
Let’s add some simple 3D objects to your starter app. You’ll modify your existing src/index.ts (or src/index.js) file to include new primitive objects.
Add the Three.js imports you’ll need at the top of your file.
import {
// ... existing imports
Mesh,
BoxGeometry,
SphereGeometry,
PlaneGeometry,
MeshStandardMaterial,
} from '@iwsdk/core';
In the World.create().then((world) ={ section, add your primitive objects after the existing asset loading code but before the world.registerSystem() calls. This ensures your objects are created after the world is properly initialized but before any systems that might need to interact with them start running.
World.create(/* ... existing options */).then((world) ={
// ... existing camera setup and asset loading code
// Add your primitive objects here:
// Create a red cube
const cubeGeometry = new BoxGeometry(1, 1, 1);
const redMaterial = new MeshStandardMaterial({ color: 0xff3333 });
const cube = new Mesh(cubeGeometry, redMaterial);
cube.position.set(-1, 0, -2);
const cubeEntity = world.createTransformEntity(cube);
// Create a green sphere
const sphereGeometry = new SphereGeometry(0.5, 32, 32);
const greenMaterial = new MeshStandardMaterial({ color: 0x33ff33 });
const sphere = new Mesh(sphereGeometry, greenMaterial);
sphere.position.set(1, 0, -2);
const sphereEntity = world.createTransformEntity(sphere);
// Create a blue floor plane
const floorGeometry = new PlaneGeometry(4, 4);
const blueMaterial = new MeshStandardMaterial({ color: 0x3333ff });
const floor = new Mesh(floorGeometry, blueMaterial);
floor.position.set(0, -1, -2);
floor.rotation.x = -Math.PI / 2; // Rotate to be horizontal
const floorEntity = world.createTransformEntity(floor);
// ... rest of existing code (systems registration, etc.)
});
You should now understand the fundamentals of creating and positioning 3D objects in IWSDK. You’ve learned how Three.js geometry, materials, and meshes work, and how to integrate them into IWSDK’s Entity Component System using transform entities.
Next, you’ll learn how to work with external assets like 3D models and textures, which will allow you to create much more sophisticated and visually appealing scenes.