In this article, we’ll cover how to render and configure 3D assets created in a 3D software program like Blender or Maya in a React project using react-three-fiber. By the end of this article, you’ll be able to render 3D models (gltf / glb) on your website.
Get a 3D model of yourself
To get a customized 3D model, We well use Ready Player Me, a free-to-use 3D avatar creator from Wolf3D that allows anyone to create their own digital representation in a matter of minutes, no 3D modeling experience required. All you need to do is take a quick selfie and wait as the program automatically generates a custom 3D avatar based on your likeness.
You’re then free to make your own adjustments to the character using an okay range of hairstyles, skin tones, facial features, clothing options, and other customizable attributes.
After signing in to Ready Player Me, You need to follow the steps below and you good to go.
Choose a body type
Upload a photo of yourself
Customize your look
Download your model
Render the model in React
To render the model in our React app, We will use react-three-fiber a React renderer for Threejs.
Setting up the project
First, let’s create a new React project with Create React App:
npx create-react-app my-3d-model
#or
yarn create react-app my-3d-model
Afterwards, install @react-three/fiber and @react-three/drei with the command below:
npm install three @react-three/fiber @react-three/drei
#or
yarn add three @react-three/fiber @react-three/drei
Converting the model into a reusable React component
Once you’re done, go ahead and run the command below to create a javascript file using gltfjsx that plots out all of the assets contents in the format of a React functional component.
npx gltfjsx model.glb
The file’s content will look similar to the following code:
import React, { useRef } from "react";
import { useGLTF } from "@react-three/drei";
export default function Model({ ...props }) {
const group = useRef();
const { nodes, materials } = useGLTF("/model.glb");
return (
<group ref={group} {...props} dispose={null}>
<primitive object={nodes.Hips} />
<skinnedMesh
geometry={nodes.Wolf3D_Body.geometry}
material={materials.Wolf3D_Body}
skeleton={nodes.Wolf3D_Body.skeleton}
/>
<skinnedMesh
geometry={nodes.Wolf3D_Glasses.geometry}
material={materials.Wolf3D_Glasses}
skeleton={nodes.Wolf3D_Glasses.skeleton}
/>
<skinnedMesh
geometry={nodes.Wolf3D_Hair.geometry}
material={materials.Wolf3D_Hair}
skeleton={nodes.Wolf3D_Hair.skeleton}
/>
<skinnedMesh
geometry={nodes.Wolf3D_Outfit_Bottom.geometry}
material={materials.Wolf3D_Outfit_Bottom}
skeleton={nodes.Wolf3D_Outfit_Bottom.skeleton}
/>
<skinnedMesh
geometry={nodes.Wolf3D_Outfit_Footwear.geometry}
material={materials.Wolf3D_Outfit_Footwear}
skeleton={nodes.Wolf3D_Outfit_Footwear.skeleton}
/>
<skinnedMesh
geometry={nodes.Wolf3D_Outfit_Top.geometry}
material={materials.Wolf3D_Outfit_Top}
skeleton={nodes.Wolf3D_Outfit_Top.skeleton}
/>
<skinnedMesh
name="EyeLeft"
geometry={nodes.EyeLeft.geometry}
material={nodes.EyeLeft.material}
skeleton={nodes.EyeLeft.skeleton}
morphTargetDictionary={nodes.EyeLeft.morphTargetDictionary}
morphTargetInfluences={nodes.EyeLeft.morphTargetInfluences}
/>
<skinnedMesh
name="EyeRight"
geometry={nodes.EyeRight.geometry}
material={nodes.EyeRight.material}
skeleton={nodes.EyeRight.skeleton}
morphTargetDictionary={nodes.EyeRight.morphTargetDictionary}
morphTargetInfluences={nodes.EyeRight.morphTargetInfluences}
/>
<skinnedMesh
name="Wolf3D_Head"
geometry={nodes.Wolf3D_Head.geometry}
material={materials.Wolf3D_Skin}
skeleton={nodes.Wolf3D_Head.skeleton}
morphTargetDictionary={nodes.Wolf3D_Head.morphTargetDictionary}
morphTargetInfluences={nodes.Wolf3D_Head.morphTargetInfluences}
/>
<skinnedMesh
name="Wolf3D_Teeth"
geometry={nodes.Wolf3D_Teeth.geometry}
material={materials.Wolf3D_Teeth}
skeleton={nodes.Wolf3D_Teeth.skeleton}
morphTargetDictionary={nodes.Wolf3D_Teeth.morphTargetDictionary}
morphTargetInfluences={nodes.Wolf3D_Teeth.morphTargetInfluences}
/>
</group>
);
}
useGLTF.preload("/model.glb");
creating the scene
import React, { Suspense } from "react";
import { Canvas } from "@react-three/fiber";
import { OrbitControls } from "@react-three/drei";
export default function App() {
return (
<Canvas
camera={{ position: [2, 0, 12.25], fov: 15 }}
style={{
backgroundColor: "#111a21",
width: "100vw",
height: "100vh",
}}
>
<ambientLight intensity={1.25} />
<ambientLight intensity={0.1} />
<directionalLight intensity={0.4} />
<Suspense fallback={null}>// your model here</Suspense>
<OrbitControls />
</Canvas>
);
}
Adding the model to the scene
First add the model (glb file) to the public folder, For the generated javascript file by gltfjsx you can add it either to the src folder or to the components folder.
import React, { Suspense } from "react";
import { Canvas } from "@react-three/fiber";
import { OrbitControls } from "@react-three/drei";
import Model from "./Model"; /* highlight-line */
export default function App() {
return (
<Canvas
camera={{ position: [2, 0, 12.25], fov: 15 }}
style={{
backgroundColor: "#111a21",
width: "100vw",
height: "100vh",
}}
>
<ambientLight intensity={1.25} />
<ambientLight intensity={0.1} />
<directionalLight intensity={0.4} />
<Suspense fallback={null}>
<Model position={[0.025, -0.9, 0]} /> /* highlight-line */
</Suspense>
<OrbitControls />
</Canvas>
);
}
body {
margin: 0;
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
height: 100vh;
}
result:
https://codesandbox.io/s/bold-wing-9w9n3i?file=/src/Model.js
Add animations to the model
To be able to add animations to your 3D model, You need to have blender installed in your machine.
Import the model to blender
Blender is the free and open source 3D creation suite. It supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, even video editing and game creation.
learn more
Create a new blender project
Clear the scene from all the objects
Import the glb file to blender
Select your model and click Import glTF 2.0
Convert the model to fbx format
Before adding any animations to our model we need first to convert it into a FBX format.
Select the model
To select your 3D model in blender you only need to click on the letter a or you can use the mouse to do so.
Export the model as FBX
Make sure to set Path Mode to Copy, and check the Embed textures option.
Adding animations with mixamo
Mixamo is a free online service for automatically rigging and animating 3-D characters. It was developed by Mixamo Incorporated, which was purchased by Adobe in 2015. Mixamo allows users to upload FBX, OBJ, or Zip files, and then the website attempts to automatically rig the character in under two minutes. The rigging process works best with humanoid characters.
Upload the model to mixamo
Select an animation and download the animated model
Convert the animated model back to glb format
To use the model in our React app we need to change it back to glb format.
Import the animated model to blender
Export the animated model as glb
Rendering the animated model in React
In the public folder replace the model.glb file with the animated model, and add the changes below to src/Model.js file.
import React, { useRef, useEffect } from "react"; /* highlight-line */
import { useGLTF, useAnimations } from "@react-three/drei"; /* highlight-line */
export default function Model({ ...props }) {
const group = useRef();
const { nodes, materials, animations } = useGLTF("/model.glb");
const { actions } = useAnimations(animations, group); /* highlight-line */
// 'Armature|mixamo.com|Layer0' is the name of the animation we need to run.
// console.log(actions);
useEffect(() => {
/* highlight-line */
actions["Armature|mixamo.com|Layer0"].play(); /* highlight-line */
}); /* highlight-line */
return (
<group ref={group} {...props} dispose={null}>
<primitive object={nodes.Hips} />
<skinnedMesh
geometry={nodes.Wolf3D_Body.geometry}
material={materials.Wolf3D_Body}
skeleton={nodes.Wolf3D_Body.skeleton}
/>
<skinnedMesh
geometry={nodes.Wolf3D_Glasses.geometry}
material={materials.Wolf3D_Glasses}
skeleton={nodes.Wolf3D_Glasses.skeleton}
/>
<skinnedMesh
geometry={nodes.Wolf3D_Hair.geometry}
material={materials.Wolf3D_Hair}
skeleton={nodes.Wolf3D_Hair.skeleton}
/>
<skinnedMesh
geometry={nodes.Wolf3D_Outfit_Bottom.geometry}
material={materials.Wolf3D_Outfit_Bottom}
skeleton={nodes.Wolf3D_Outfit_Bottom.skeleton}
/>
<skinnedMesh
geometry={nodes.Wolf3D_Outfit_Footwear.geometry}
material={materials.Wolf3D_Outfit_Footwear}
skeleton={nodes.Wolf3D_Outfit_Footwear.skeleton}
/>
<skinnedMesh
geometry={nodes.Wolf3D_Outfit_Top.geometry}
material={materials.Wolf3D_Outfit_Top}
skeleton={nodes.Wolf3D_Outfit_Top.skeleton}
/>
<skinnedMesh
name="EyeLeft"
geometry={nodes.EyeLeft.geometry}
material={nodes.EyeLeft.material}
skeleton={nodes.EyeLeft.skeleton}
morphTargetDictionary={nodes.EyeLeft.morphTargetDictionary}
morphTargetInfluences={nodes.EyeLeft.morphTargetInfluences}
/>
<skinnedMesh
name="EyeRight"
geometry={nodes.EyeRight.geometry}
material={nodes.EyeRight.material}
skeleton={nodes.EyeRight.skeleton}
morphTargetDictionary={nodes.EyeRight.morphTargetDictionary}
morphTargetInfluences={nodes.EyeRight.morphTargetInfluences}
/>
<skinnedMesh
name="Wolf3D_Head"
geometry={nodes.Wolf3D_Head.geometry}
material={materials.Wolf3D_Skin}
skeleton={nodes.Wolf3D_Head.skeleton}
morphTargetDictionary={nodes.Wolf3D_Head.morphTargetDictionary}
morphTargetInfluences={nodes.Wolf3D_Head.morphTargetInfluences}
/>
<skinnedMesh
name="Wolf3D_Teeth"
geometry={nodes.Wolf3D_Teeth.geometry}
material={materials.Wolf3D_Teeth}
skeleton={nodes.Wolf3D_Teeth.skeleton}
morphTargetDictionary={nodes.Wolf3D_Teeth.morphTargetDictionary}
morphTargetInfluences={nodes.Wolf3D_Teeth.morphTargetInfluences}
/>
</group>
);
}
useGLTF.preload("/model.glb");
result:
https://codesandbox.io/s/3d-model-animation-d41e9u?file=/src/Model.js:271-281
Also read:
React Best Practices - Ways To Write Better Code in 2022
10 JavaScript One-Liners - Ways To Boost Your Productivity
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Top comments (52)
Nice one! Only issue I have is that I lose the textures when exporting the fbx animation to glb from Blender in the final step.
Any advice?
When you export the model as glb make sure you use this configurations.
I hope this fixes the problem.
Now only one problem remains.. the "position" property of the Model component doesn't seem to affect the position once the model is animating. Whenever I reload the app, the position will go back to the bottom of the model being in the center of the canvas.
I'm sorry I didn't understand what problem you are having with the Model position, If you still didn't figure it out, provide me with some more feedback, and I will try my best to help.
The "Model position={[0.2, -0.9, 0]}" positions the model as it should, when the model is not animating. However, as soon as I replace with the animated model, the position is somehow overridden and becomes [0,0,0]. I can see this behavior when I console.log(group.current.position).
Problem solved. By wrapping the group in a new parent group, and setting the position on the parent - I could solve the problem. The animation clearly reset the position of its group.
I never had a problem like that before, glad you solved it.
Indeed it did. The only config that differed was "Selected Objects". When I checked this option, it started working.
Thanks!
I had the same problem, when I exported from Blender to FBX I lost the textures, what I did is:
Hope this is not too late; I got a similar error earlier:
You wanna uncomment the line console.log(action) and check the logs. It should show an object, mine looks something like this:
Then you wanna change this line of code to match it
Awesome awesome awesome! Ty for making this post was really helpful for me as I plan on making a personal portfolio and this will go a long way.
Just in case this helps anyone, I also encountered issues with the textures for the head not showing up in the final model export. This is how I fixed:
Cool stuff! I'll bet you could cut React out of this entirely and just use (say) ColladaLoader with THREE.js to port the same content.
Thanks!, I had used GLTFLoader outside of React but I never used the ColladaLoader, Over all if you have a collada model (.dae) you need to use the ColladaLoader, or if you have a model with other format you need to use a loader that supports the file type/format.
You are very much right, you can load any model with the power of Three.js only, thank you for pointing that out.
i just follow your steps. When i compile "yarn start" then i receive this animation (character has no color). I don't know why. Can you please help fix this!
can you provide me with a link of a public Github repo that have your Code, and I will see if I can help.
Repo: github.com/leminhung/my-3d-model
This is my public github repo, Can you please clone repo and run this app to see the problems with color of animations.
Thank you so much!
Apparently when you added the animation to the model, the names of the materials changed, you need to generate a new
Model.jsfile usinggltfjsx.or you can use the code I did generate using
gltfjsx.Ohh, problem was resolved. Thank you!
Uncaught Could not load ../public/breakDance.glb: Unexpected token < in JSON at position 0.
I'm getting this error and can't find a way to parse it as html. Need help!
I guess there is some issue with useGLTF function cuz when i inserted my avatar link it worked but it wasn't working when i used the path of .glb file in the useGLTF().
can you upload it into a public git repo and give me the link so I can see what the problem is, or you can see my shared code on codesandbox at codesandbox.io/s/3d-model-animatio... and try to find if you missed any thing.
Thanks for sharing, May I translate this article into Chinese？
Yeah no problem, you can translate the article.
Thanks, Simplified Chinese 如何使用 React 和 Three.js 在网站渲染自己的3D模型
Nice content, thanks for sharing it!
This is radical! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, I appreciate that.
Genius. Thank you for this! It's simply awesome.
Thank you, I appreciate that.