A bicycle is well suited to modelling in code. Its shape is not a pile of parts that happen to line up. The wheelbase places the axles, the chainstay places the bottom bracket, and the head angle and rake place the fork. Once those relationships are written as mathematics, Three.js only has to draw the result.
There is no imported model in this bicycle. The frame, rims, spokes, chain, and even the brake cables are Three.js geometry. The complete source is in Makone; the excerpts below keep only what each step needs.
The first version began with two circles and a handful of CylinderGeometry objects. Ten minutes later it looked like a bicycle in profile. Turned toward the camera, the wheels no longer shared a centreline and the fork ran through the hub. The dimensions were scattered across dozens of unrelated position.set() calls.
The fix was to reverse the order: calculate points first, draw shapes second.
Write the bicycle as points
The scene uses metres throughout. The rear axle is the datum, and axle height equals the rolling radius. The front axle follows from the wheelbase. Even the bottom bracket is calculated from chainstay length and bottom-bracket drop rather than placed by eye.
const GEO = {
wheelbase: 1.005,
drop: 0.070,
chainstay: 0.412,
headAngle: 73,
rake: 0.047,
forkLen: 0.372,
};
const P = {};
P.rearAxle = [0, wheelR];
P.frontAxle = [GEO.wheelbase, wheelR];
P.bbY = wheelR - GEO.drop;
P.bbX = Math.sqrt(GEO.chainstay ** 2 - GEO.drop ** 2);
P.bb = [P.bbX, P.bbY];
const a = THREE.MathUtils.degToRad(GEO.headAngle);
const axisUp = [-Math.cos(a), Math.sin(a)];
const rakeDir = [Math.sin(a), Math.cos(a)];
P.crown = [
P.frontAxle[0] + axisUp[0] * GEO.forkLen - rakeDir[0] * GEO.rake,
P.frontAxle[1] + axisUp[1] * GEO.forkLen - rakeDir[1] * GEO.rake,
];
Those points become the model's interface. The frame and crankset both read P.bb; the wheel, cassette, and derailleur all read P.rearAxle. Change the wheelbase and the assembly moves together. You do not find a brake caliper stranded at its old coordinates.
A head-on view is unforgiving. Models that pass as bicycles in profile tend to reveal every guessed offset here.
A tube only needs two endpoints
The basic frame tool is not a “top tube” or a “down tube.” It is simply a tube from A to B. A Three.js cylinder starts along the Y axis, so the helper finds the direction and midpoint, then rotates the geometry into place.
function tubeBetween(a, b, r0, r1 = r0, segments = 16) {
const A = new THREE.Vector3(...a);
const B = new THREE.Vector3(...b);
const dir = B.clone().sub(A);
const mid = A.clone().addScaledVector(dir, 0.5);
const geometry = new THREE.CylinderGeometry(
r1, r0, dir.length(), segments, 1, false
);
geometry.applyQuaternion(
new THREE.Quaternion().setFromUnitVectors(
new THREE.Vector3(0, 1, 0), dir.clone().normalize()
)
);
geometry.translate(mid.x, mid.y, mid.z);
return geometry;
}
painted.push(
tubeBetween(P.headBottom, P.headTop, 0.0175),
tubeBetween(P.topAtSeat, P.topAtHead, 0.0143, 0.0136),
tubeBetween(P.bb, P.downAtHead, 0.0159, 0.0146),
tubeBetween(P.bb, P.seatTop, 0.0143),
);
The chainstays and fork blades bend slightly, so TubeGeometry follows three or four control points and tapers along the path. Small parts can wait. Turn the model through four angles first and check the silhouette, ground clearance, and intersections.
Five assemblies, one set of mounting points
The bicycle is divided into frame, wheel, drivetrain, cockpit, and cables. The boundary is physical: if it can come off a real bicycle, it should be possible to build it on its own in code. The modules do not guess their own positions. They all read P from params.js, so there is only one answer for the bottom bracket, rear axle, top of the head tube, and brake mounts.
const bike = new THREE.Group();
bike.add(buildFrame(), buildDrivetrain(), buildCockpit(), buildCables());
const rear = buildWheel();
const front = buildWheel();
front.position.x = GEO.wheelbase;
bike.add(rear, front);
// Build forward from the rear axle, then centre the complete object.
bike.position.x = -GEO.wheelbase / 2;
scene.add(bike);
Frame: tubes do not merely meet “somewhere around here”
On its own, the frame has nowhere to hide the fork curve, rear-triangle clearance, or caliper placement.
Every tube in the main triangle joins two solved points. The stays need to clear the tyre and chainrings, so three control points bow them outward and taper them back in. At the end, geometries with the same material are merged into one mesh. Tiny lugs, cable stops, and fittings do not each consume a draw call.
const V = (xy, z = 0) => [xy[0], xy[1], z];
const painted = [], chrome = [], liners = [], blacks = [];
painted.push(
tubeGeo(V(P.headBottom), V(P.headTop), p.tubeHead, p.tubeHead, 20),
tubeGeo(V(P.topAtSeat), V(P.topAtHead), p.tubeTop, p.tubeTop * 0.95, 18),
tubeGeo(V(P.bb), V(P.downAtHead), p.tubeDown, p.tubeDown * 0.92, 18),
tubeGeo(V(P.bb), V(P.seatTop), p.tubeSeat, p.tubeSeat, 18),
);
for (const [geos, mat, parent] of [
[painted, paint, g], [chrome, chromeMat, g],
[liners, gold, g], [blacks, dark, g],
]) {
const mesh = new THREE.Mesh(merge(geos), mat);
mesh.castShadow = mesh.receiveShadow = true;
parent.add(mesh);
}
Wheels: build twice, generate geometry once
The front view reads the lacing; the top view checks that rim, hub, and tyre share an axis.
buildWheel() runs twice, but the module caches the rim, tyre, hub, and spoke data. Both wheels share buffers and retain only their own position and rotation. Spoke matrices go into an InstancedMesh; otherwise all those hairlines would become a long list of separate meshes.
let CACHE = null;
function geos(p) {
if (CACHE) return CACHE;
const rIn = p.rimR - p.rimDepth;
const rOut = p.rimR;
const halfWidth = p.rimW / 2;
const V = (r, y) => new THREE.Vector2(r, y);
const body = [
V(rOut - 0.0165, -halfWidth * 0.84),
V(rIn + 0.0030, -halfWidth * 0.30),
V(rIn, -halfWidth * 0.42),
V(rIn, halfWidth * 0.42),
V(rIn + 0.0030, halfWidth * 0.30),
V(rOut - 0.0165, halfWidth * 0.84),
];
CACHE = {
body: new THREE.LatheGeometry(body, 72).rotateX(Math.PI / 2),
tyre: new THREE.TorusGeometry(p.rimR + p.tyreR * 0.62, p.tyreR, 16, 96),
lace: lacing(p),
};
return CACHE;
}
const G = geos(p);
wheel.add(
new THREE.Mesh(G.body, materials.rim),
new THREE.Mesh(G.tyre, materials.gum),
instanced(G.lace.spokes, materials.spoke),
instanced(G.lace.nipples, materials.brass),
);
Drivetrain: draw the mechanical profile before making it move
The drive side easily collapses into a metallic tangle. Isolated, the chainrings, chain line, and derailleur layers become readable.
A chainring is not a disc with a toothed texture. Its outer path alternates radius according to tooth count, while the middle is cut for the bore and windows. ExtrudeGeometry gives that path thickness, so spider, teeth, and chain remain distinct at close range.
function ringGeo(rOuter, teeth, thickness, { rBore, windows = 5 }) {
const shape = new THREE.Shape();
const toothDepth = Math.min(rOuter * 0.10, ((Math.PI * rOuter) / teeth) * 0.9);
for (let i = 0; i < teeth * 2; i++) {
const angle = (i / (teeth * 2)) * Math.PI * 2;
const radius = i % 2 ? rOuter - toothDepth : rOuter;
const [x, y] = [Math.cos(angle) * radius, Math.sin(angle) * radius];
if (i) shape.lineTo(x, y); else shape.moveTo(x, y);
}
shape.closePath();
const bore = new THREE.Path();
bore.absarc(0, 0, rBore, 0, Math.PI * 2, true);
shape.holes.push(bore);
const r0 = rBore + (rOuter - toothDepth - rBore) * 0.20;
const r1 = rBore + (rOuter - toothDepth - rBore) * 0.82;
for (let i = 0; i < windows; i++) {
const centre = (i / windows) * Math.PI * 2 + 0.30 + Math.PI / windows;
const half = (Math.PI / windows) * 0.72;
const window = new THREE.Path();
window.absarc(0, 0, r1, centre - half, centre + half, false);
window.absarc(0, 0, r0, centre + half, centre - half, true);
shape.holes.push(window);
}
return new THREE.ExtrudeGeometry(shape, {
depth: thickness,
bevelEnabled: false,
});
}
Cockpit: bar and tape must share one curve
The saddle and bar sit far from the frame centre, so a small offset changes the posture of the whole bicycle.
The drop bar is mirrored left and right, with each side defined by a list of control points. The tape cannot follow a second “close enough” spline; it would dive into the alloy through the bends. The bar path is sampled once, then the same point list is sliced for the taped section.
const [bx, by] = P.barCentre;
const half = p.barW / 2;
for (const sz of [-1, 1]) {
const points = [
[bx, by, 0],
[bx, by, sz * half * 0.42],
[bx - 0.004, by - 0.002, sz * half * 0.80],
[bx + 0.022, by - 0.008, sz * half * 0.97],
[P.hoodAt[0], P.hoodAt[1], sz * half],
[bx + p.barReach, by - p.barDrop * 0.55, sz * half],
[bx + p.barReach * 0.62, by - p.barDrop, sz * half],
[bx + p.barReach * 0.04, by - p.barDrop * 0.96, sz * half],
];
const spine = new THREE.CatmullRomCurve3(
points.map((q) => new THREE.Vector3(...q)), false, 'centripetal',
).getSpacedPoints(64);
bright.push(taperedTubeGeo(spine,
[p.barR * 1.06, p.barR * 1.02, p.barR, p.barR, p.barR, p.barR, p.barR, p.barR],
{ seg: 52, radial: 12 }));
taped.push(taperedTubeGeo(spine.slice(11),
[p.barR + 0.0020, p.barR + 0.0026, p.barR + 0.0026,
p.barR + 0.0026, p.barR + 0.0026, p.barR + 0.0022],
{ seg: 54, radial: 14 }));
}
Cables: connect parts that already exist
Cables are visually light, but they are the quickest test of whether the other assemblies speak the same coordinate language.
The cable module does not decide where a lever or caliper sits. It reads P.cableOut from the cockpit and P.topStopFront, P.topStopRear, and the brake mounts from the frame. Between the two top-tube stops, only the bare inner wire continues. That small break turns “some black curves” into a brake system that has actually been connected.
const run = (points, radius, segments = 30) =>
taperedTubeGeo(points, [radius, radius], { seg: segments, radial: 7 });
const [ttx, tty] = P.topDir;
const ttUp = [-tty, ttx];
const stopFront = [
P.topStopFront[0] + ttUp[0] * 0.0165,
P.topStopFront[1] + ttUp[1] * 0.0165,
0,
];
const stopRear = [
P.topStopRear[0] + ttUp[0] * 0.0165,
P.topStopRear[1] + ttUp[1] * 0.0165,
0,
];
housings.push(run([
[P.cableOut[0], P.cableOut[1], -HALF],
[P.cableOut[0] - 0.105, P.cableOut[1] + 0.062, -HALF * 0.62],
stopFront,
], CABLE.housingR, 40));
wires.push(run([
stopFront,
[(stopFront[0] + stopRear[0]) / 2, (stopFront[1] + stopRear[1]) / 2 + 0.0015, 0],
stopRear,
], CABLE.wireR, 8));
Make thin parts read without wasting draw calls
Sixty-four spokes as ordinary meshes would add sixty-four draw calls. One five-sided cylinder is enough; every spoke transform is stored in an InstancedMesh. Three-cross lacing comes from the angle between a flange hole and its corresponding rim hole.
const spokeGeo = new THREE.CylinderGeometry(0.00095, 0.00080, 1, 5);
const spokes = new THREE.InstancedMesh(spokeGeo, spokeMaterial, count);
for (let i = 0; i < count; i++) {
const from = flangePoint(i);
const to = rimPoint(i, { cross: 3 });
const dir = to.clone().sub(from);
const q = new THREE.Quaternion().setFromUnitVectors(UP, dir.clone().normalize());
const mid = from.clone().addScaledVector(dir, 0.5);
spokes.setMatrixAt(i, new THREE.Matrix4().compose(
mid, q, new THREE.Vector3(1, dir.length(), 1)
));
}
spokes.instanceMatrix.needsUpdate = true;
At this camera distance, a true spoke is narrower than one pixel, so the rendered diameter is slightly exaggerated. The goal is a stable hairline, not a caliper reading. The chain cannot get away with being a black tube: once the camera comes close, rollers and alternating side plates are what make it read as a chain.
Drive everything from crank phase
The drivetrain does not maintain five independent speeds. Each frame advances one crank phase and derives every other motion from it. Pedals counter-rotate against their parent and stay level. Chain travel is simply crank angle multiplied by chainring radius.
let phase = 0;
function drive(dt) {
phase += dt * (cadence / 60) * Math.PI * 2;
cranks.rotation.z = -phase;
pedals.forEach((pedal) => { pedal.rotation.z = phase; });
chain.userData.advance(phase * chainringRadius);
rear.rotation.z = front.rotation.z = -phase * gearRatio;
cassette.rotation.z = -phase * gearRatio;
}
The studio comes last: a pale floor, soft shadows, a moderately long lens, and an orbit camera. The camera is not there to hide weak geometry; it checks whether the mathematics landed in the right place. Turn it head-on. If both tyres still sit on one line, the bicycle is finished.
Originally published at wormhole404.com
Source code: https://github.com/wormholeportal/Makone
Top comments (0)