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  • Building an Infinite Marquee Along an SVG Path with React & Motion



    Learn how to create an infinite marquee that follows a custom SVG path using React and Motion.



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  • Building an Infinite Parallax Grid with GSAP and Seamless Tiling

    Building an Infinite Parallax Grid with GSAP and Seamless Tiling


    Hey! Jorge Toloza again, Co-Founder and Creative Director at DDS Studio. In this tutorial, we’re going to build a visually rich, infinitely scrolling grid where images move with a parallax effect based on scroll and drag interactions.

    We’ll use GSAP for buttery-smooth animations, add a sprinkle of math to achieve infinite tiling, and bring it all together with dynamic visibility animations and a staggered intro reveal.

    Let’s get started!

    Setting Up the HTML Container

    To start, we only need a single container to hold all the tiled image elements. Since we’ll be generating and positioning each tile dynamically with JavaScript, there’s no need for any static markup inside. This keeps our HTML clean and scalable as we duplicate tiles for infinite scrolling.

    <div id="images"></div>

    Basic Styling for the Grid Items

    Now that we have our container, let’s give it the foundational styles it needs to hold and animate a large set of tiles.

    We’ll use absolute positioning for each tile so we can freely place them anywhere in the grid. The outer container (#images) is set to relative so that all child .item elements are positioned correctly inside it. Each image fills its tile, and we’ll use will-change: transform to optimize animation performance.

    #images {
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  display: inline-block;
  white-space: nowrap;
  position: relative;
  .item {
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    will-change: transform;
    white-space: normal;
    .item-wrapper {
      will-change: transform;
    }
    .item-image {
      overflow: hidden;
      img {
        width: 100%;
        height: 100%;
        object-fit: cover;
        will-change: transform;
      }
    }
    small {
      width: 100%;
      display: block;
      font-size: 8rem;
      line-height: 1.25;
      margin-top: 12rem;
    }
  }
}

    Defining Item Positions with JSON from Figma

    To control the visual layout of our grid, we’ll use design data exported directly from Figma. This gives us pixel-perfect placement while keeping layout logic separate from our code.

    I created a quick layout in Figma using rectangles to represent tile positions and dimensions. Then I exported that data into a JSON file, giving us a simple array of objects containing x, y, w, and h values for each tile.

    [
      {x: 71, y: 58, w: 400, h: 270},
      {x: 211, y: 255, w: 540, h: 360},
      {x: 631, y: 158, w: 400, h: 270},
      {x: 1191, y: 245, w: 260, h: 195},
      {x: 351, y: 687, w: 260, h: 290},
      {x: 751, y: 824, w: 205, h: 154},
      {x: 911, y: 540, w: 260, h: 350},
      {x: 1051, y: 803, w: 400, h: 300},
      {x: 71, y: 922, w: 350, h: 260},
]

    Generating an Infinite Grid with JavaScript

    With the layout data defined, the next step is to dynamically generate our tile grid in the DOM and enable it to scroll infinitely in both directions.

    This involves three main steps:

    1. Compute the scaled tile dimensions based on the viewport and the original Figma layout’s aspect ratio.
    2. Duplicate the grid in both the X and Y axes so that as one tile set moves out of view, another seamlessly takes its place.
    3. Store metadata for each tile, such as its original position and a random easing value, which we’ll use to vary the parallax animation slightly for a more organic effect.

    The infinite scroll illusion is achieved by duplicating the entire tile set horizontally and vertically. This 2×2 tiling approach ensures there’s always a full set of tiles ready to slide into view as the user scrolls or drags.

    onResize() {
  // Get current viewport dimensions
  this.winW = window.innerWidth;
  this.winH = window.innerHeight;

  // Scale tile size to match viewport width while keeping original aspect ratio
  this.tileSize = {
    w: this.winW,
    h: this.winW * (this.originalSize.h / this.originalSize.w),
  };

  // Reset scroll state
  this.scroll.current = { x: 0, y: 0 };
  this.scroll.target = { x: 0, y: 0 };
  this.scroll.last = { x: 0, y: 0 };

  // Clear existing tiles from container
  this.$container.innerHTML = '';

  // Scale item positions and sizes based on new tile size
  const baseItems = this.data.map((d, i) => {
    const scaleX = this.tileSize.w / this.originalSize.w;
    const scaleY = this.tileSize.h / this.originalSize.h;
    const source = this.sources[i % this.sources.length];
    return {
      src: source.src,
      caption: source.caption,
      x: d.x * scaleX,
      y: d.y * scaleY,
      w: d.w * scaleX,
      h: d.h * scaleY,
    };
  });

  this.items = [];

  // Offsets to duplicate the grid in X and Y for seamless looping (2x2 tiling)
  const repsX = [0, this.tileSize.w];
  const repsY = [0, this.tileSize.h];

  baseItems.forEach((base) => {
    repsX.forEach((offsetX) => {
      repsY.forEach((offsetY) => {
        // Create item DOM structure
        const el = document.createElement('div');
        el.classList.add('item');
        el.style.width = `${base.w}px`;

        const wrapper = document.createElement('div');
        wrapper.classList.add('item-wrapper');
        el.appendChild(wrapper);

        const itemImage = document.createElement('div');
        itemImage.classList.add('item-image');
        itemImage.style.width = `${base.w}px`;
        itemImage.style.height = `${base.h}px`;
        wrapper.appendChild(itemImage);

        const img = new Image();
        img.src = `./img/${base.src}`;
        itemImage.appendChild(img);

        const caption = document.createElement('small');
        caption.innerHTML = base.caption;

        // Split caption into lines for staggered animation
        const split = new SplitText(caption, {
          type: 'lines',
          mask: 'lines',
          linesClass: 'line'
        });
        split.lines.forEach((line, i) => {
          line.style.transitionDelay = `${i * 0.15}s`;
          line.parentElement.style.transitionDelay = `${i * 0.15}s`;
        });

        wrapper.appendChild(caption);
        this.$container.appendChild(el);

        // Observe caption visibility for animation triggering
        this.observer.observe(caption);

        // Store item metadata including offset, easing, and bounding box
        this.items.push({
          el,
          container: itemImage,
          wrapper,
          img,
          x: base.x + offsetX,
          y: base.y + offsetY,
          w: base.w,
          h: base.h,
          extraX: 0,
          extraY: 0,
          rect: el.getBoundingClientRect(),
          ease: Math.random() * 0.5 + 0.5, // Random parallax easing for organic movement
        });
      });
    });
  });

  // Double the tile area to account for 2x2 duplication
  this.tileSize.w *= 2;
  this.tileSize.h *= 2;

  // Set initial scroll position slightly off-center for visual balance
  this.scroll.current.x = this.scroll.target.x = this.scroll.last.x = -this.winW * 0.1;
  this.scroll.current.y = this.scroll.target.y = this.scroll.last.y = -this.winH * 0.1;
}

    Key Concepts

    • Scaling the layout ensures that your Figma-defined design adapts to any screen size without distortion.
    • 2×2 duplication ensures seamless continuity when the user scrolls in any direction.
    • Random easing values create slight variation in tile movement, making the parallax effect feel more natural.
    • extraX and extraY values will later be used to shift tiles back into view once they scroll offscreen.
    • SplitText animation is used to break each caption (<small>) into individual lines, enabling line-by-line animation.

    Adding Interactive Scroll and Drag Events

    To bring the infinite grid to life, we need to connect it to user input. This includes:

    • Scrolling with the mouse wheel or trackpad
    • Dragging with a pointer (mouse or touch)
    • Smooth motion between input updates using linear interpolation (lerp)

    Rather than instantly snapping to new positions, we interpolate between the current and target scroll values, which creates fluid, natural transitions.

    Scroll and Drag Tracking

    We capture two types of user interaction:

    1) Wheel Events
    Wheel input updates a target scroll position. We multiply the deltas by a damping factor to control sensitivity.

    onWheel(e) {
  e.preventDefault();
  const factor = 0.4;
  this.scroll.target.x -= e.deltaX * factor;
  this.scroll.target.y -= e.deltaY * factor;
}

    2) Pointer Dragging
    On mouse or touch input, we track when the drag starts, then update scroll targets based on the pointer’s movement.

    onMouseDown(e) {
  e.preventDefault();
  this.isDragging = true;
  document.documentElement.classList.add('dragging');
  this.mouse.press.t = 1;
  this.drag.startX = e.clientX;
  this.drag.startY = e.clientY;
  this.drag.scrollX = this.scroll.target.x;
  this.drag.scrollY = this.scroll.target.y;
}

onMouseUp() {
  this.isDragging = false;
  document.documentElement.classList.remove('dragging');
  this.mouse.press.t = 0;
}

onMouseMove(e) {
  this.mouse.x.t = e.clientX / this.winW;
  this.mouse.y.t = e.clientY / this.winH;

  if (this.isDragging) {
    const dx = e.clientX - this.drag.startX;
    const dy = e.clientY - this.drag.startY;
    this.scroll.target.x = this.drag.scrollX + dx;
    this.scroll.target.y = this.drag.scrollY + dy;
  }
}

    Smoothing Motion with Lerp

    In the render loop, we interpolate between the current and target scroll values using a lerp function. This creates smooth, decaying motion rather than abrupt changes.

    render() {
  // Smooth current → target
  this.scroll.current.x += (this.scroll.target.x - this.scroll.current.x) * this.scroll.ease;
  this.scroll.current.y += (this.scroll.target.y - this.scroll.current.y) * this.scroll.ease;

  // Calculate delta for parallax
  const dx = this.scroll.current.x - this.scroll.last.x;
  const dy = this.scroll.current.y - this.scroll.last.y;

  // Update each tile
  this.items.forEach(item => {
    const parX = 5 * dx * item.ease + (this.mouse.x.c - 0.5) * item.rect.width * 0.6;
    const parY = 5 * dy * item.ease + (this.mouse.y.c - 0.5) * item.rect.height * 0.6;

    // Infinite wrapping
    const posX = item.x + this.scroll.current.x + item.extraX + parX;
    if (posX > this.winW)  item.extraX -= this.tileSize.w;
    if (posX + item.rect.width < 0) item.extraX += this.tileSize.w;

    const posY = item.y + this.scroll.current.y + item.extraY + parY;
    if (posY > this.winH)  item.extraY -= this.tileSize.h;
    if (posY + item.rect.height < 0) item.extraY += this.tileSize.h;

    item.el.style.transform = `translate(${posX}px, ${posY}px)`;
  });

  this.scroll.last.x = this.scroll.current.x;
  this.scroll.last.y = this.scroll.current.y;

  requestAnimationFrame(this.render);
}

    The scroll.ease value controls how fast the scroll position catches up to the target—smaller values result in slower, smoother motion.

    Animating Item Visibility with IntersectionObserver

    To enhance the visual hierarchy and focus, we’ll highlight only the tiles that are currently within the viewport. This creates a dynamic effect where captions appear and styling changes as tiles enter view.

    We’ll use the IntersectionObserver API to detect when each tile becomes visible and toggle a CSS class accordingly.

    this.observer = new IntersectionObserver(entries => {
  entries.forEach(entry => {
    entry.target.classList.toggle('visible', entry.isIntersecting);
  });
});
// …and after appending each wrapper:
this.observer.observe(wrapper);

    Creating an Intro Animation with GSAP

    To finish the experience with a strong visual entry, we’ll animate all currently visible tiles from the center of the screen into their natural grid positions. This creates a polished, attention-grabbing introduction and adds a sense of depth and intentionality to the layout.

    We’ll use GSAP for this animation, utilizing gsap.set() to position elements instantly, and gsap.to() with staggered timing to animate them into place.

    Selecting Visible Tiles for Animation

    First, we filter all tile elements to include only those currently visible in the viewport. This avoids animating offscreen elements and keeps the intro lightweight and focused:

    import gsap from 'gsap';
initIntro() {
  this.introItems = [...this.$container.querySelectorAll('.item-wrapper')].filter((item) => {
    const rect = item.getBoundingClientRect();
    return (
      rect.x > -rect.width &&
      rect.x < window.innerWidth + rect.width &&
      rect.y > -rect.height &&
      rect.y < window.innerHeight + rect.height
    );
  });
  this.introItems.forEach((item) => {
    const rect = item.getBoundingClientRect();
    const x = -rect.x + window.innerWidth * 0.5 - rect.width * 0.5;
    const y = -rect.y + window.innerHeight * 0.5 - rect.height * 0.5;
    gsap.set(item, { x, y });
  });
}

    Animating to Final Positions

    Once the tiles are centered, we animate them outward to their natural positions using a smooth easing curve and staggered timing:

    intro() {
  gsap.to(this.introItems.reverse(), {
    duration: 2,
    ease: 'expo.inOut',
    x: 0,
    y: 0,
    stagger: 0.05,
  });
}
    • x: 0, y: 0 restores the original position set via CSS transforms.
    • expo.inOut provides a dramatic but smooth easing curve.
    • stagger creates a cascading effect, enhancing visual rhythm

    Wrapping Up

    What we’ve built is a scrollable, draggable image grid with a parallax effect, visibility animations, and a smooth GSAP-powered intro. It’s a flexible base you can adapt for creative galleries, interactive backgrounds, or experimental interfaces.



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  • Building a Real-Time Dithering Shader

    Building a Real-Time Dithering Shader


    In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the dithering-shader project: a minimal, real-time ordered dithering effect built using GLSL and the Post Processing library.

    Rather than just creating a one-off visual effect, the goal was to build something clean, composable, and extendable: a drop-in shader pass that brings pixel-based texture into modern WebGL pipelines.

    What It Does

    This shader applies ordered dithering as a postprocessing effect. It transforms smooth gradients into stylized, binary (or quantized) pixel patterns, simulating the visual language of early bitmap displays, dot matrix printers, and 8-bit games.

    It supports:

    • Dynamic resolution via pixelSize
    • Optional grayscale mode
    • Composability with bloom, blur, or other passes
    • Easy integration via postprocessing‘s Effect class

    Fragment Shader

    Our dithering shader implementation consists of two main components:

    1. The Core Shader

    The heart of the effect lies in the GLSL fragment shader that implements ordered dithering:

    bool getValue(float brightness, vec2 pos) {

// Early return for extreme values
if (brightness > 16.0 / 17.0) return false;
if (brightness < 1.0 / 17.0) return true;

// Calculate position in 4x4 dither matrix
vec2 pixel = floor(mod(pos.xy / gridSize, 4.0));
int x = int(pixel.x);
int y = int(pixel.y);

// 4x4 Bayer matrix threshold map
// ... threshold comparisons based on matrix position

}

    The getValue function is the core of the dithering algorithm. It:

    • Takes brightness and position: Uses the pixel’s luminance value and screen position
    • Maps to dither matrix: Calculates which cell of the 4×4 Bayer matrix the pixel belongs to
    • Applies threshold: Compares the brightness against a predetermined threshold for that matrix position
    • Returns binary decision: Whether the pixel should be black or colored

    Key Shader Features

    • gridSize: Controls the size of the dithering pattern
    • pixelSizeRatio: Adds pixelation effect for enhanced retro feel
    • grayscaleOnly: Converts the image to grayscale before dithering
    • invertColor: Inverts the final colors for different aesthetic effects

    2. Pixelation Integration

    float pixelSize = gridSize * pixelSizeRatio;
vec2 pixelatedUV = floor(fragCoord / pixelSize) * pixelSize / resolution;
baseColor = texture2D(inputBuffer, pixelatedUV).rgb;

    The shader combines dithering with optional pixelation, creating a compound retro effect that’s perfect for game-like visuals.

    Creating a Custom Postprocessing Effect

    The shader is wrapped using the Effect base class from the postprocessing library. This abstracts away the boilerplate of managing framebuffers and passes, allowing the shader to be dropped into a scene with minimal setup.

    export class DitheringEffect extends Effect {
  uniforms: Map<string, THREE.Uniform<number | THREE.Vector2>>;

  constructor({
    time = 0,
    resolution = new THREE.Vector2(1, 1),
    gridSize = 4.0,
    luminanceMethod = 0,
    invertColor = false,
    pixelSizeRatio = 1,
    grayscaleOnly = false
  }: DitheringEffectOptions = {}) {
    const uniforms = new Map<string, THREE.Uniform<number | THREE.Vector2>>([
      ["time", new THREE.Uniform(time)],
      ["resolution", new THREE.Uniform(resolution)],
      ["gridSize", new THREE.Uniform(gridSize)],
      ["luminanceMethod", new THREE.Uniform(luminanceMethod)],
      ["invertColor", new THREE.Uniform(invertColor ? 1 : 0)],
      ["ditheringEnabled", new THREE.Uniform(1)],
      ["pixelSizeRatio", new THREE.Uniform(pixelSizeRatio)],
      ["grayscaleOnly", new THREE.Uniform(grayscaleOnly ? 1 : 0)]
    ]);

    super("DitheringEffect", ditheringShader, { uniforms });
    this.uniforms = uniforms;
  }

 ...

}

    Optional: Integrating with React Three Fiber

    Once defined, the effect is registered and applied using @react-three/postprocessing. Here’s a minimal usage example with bloom and dithering:

    <Canvas>
  {/* ... your scene ... */}
  <EffectComposer>
    <Bloom intensity={0.5} />
    <Dithering pixelSize={2} grayscale />
  </EffectComposer>
</Canvas>

    You can also tweak pixelSize dynamically to scale the effect with resolution, or toggle grayscale mode based on UI controls or scene context.

    Extending the Shader

    This shader is intentionally kept simple, a foundation rather than a full system. It’s easy to customize or extend. Here are some ideas you can try:

    • Add color quantization: convert color.rgb to indexed palettes
    • Pack depth-based dither layers for fake shadows
    • Animate the pattern for VHS-like shimmer
    • Interactive pixelation: use mouse proximity to affect u_pixelSize

    Why Not Use a Texture?

    Some dithering shaders rely on threshold maps or pre-baked noise textures. This one doesn’t. The matrix pattern is deterministic and screen-space based, which means:

    • No texture loading required
    • Fully procedural
    • Clean pixel alignment

    It’s not meant for photorealism. It’s for styling and flattening. Think more zine than render farm.

    Final Thoughts

    This project started as a side experiment to explore what it would look like to bring tactile, stylized “non-photorealism” back into postprocessing workflows. But I found it had broader use cases, especially in cases where design direction favors abstraction or controlled distortion.

    If you’re building UIs, games, or interactive 3D scenes where “perfect” isn’t the goal, maybe a little pixel grit is exactly what you need.



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  • Building a Physics-Based Character Controller with the Help of AI

    Building a Physics-Based Character Controller with the Help of AI


    Creating a third-person character controller involves more than just moving an object around a 3D scene. Realistic movement, grounded physics, responsive jumping, and animation blending are essential for a polished feel. This article explores how these elements can be assembled — not through traditional manual coding, but via AI-assisted development using Bolt.new, a browser-based AI-assisted development tool that generates web code from natural language prompts, backed by Claude 3.7 Sonnet and Claude 3.5 Sonnet LLMs. It provides a lightweight environment where developers can focus on describing functionality rather than writing boilerplate.

    For this character controller, Bolt handled tasks like setting up physics, integrating animations, and managing input systems, making it easier to test ideas and iterate quickly without switching between tools or writing everything from scratch.

    If you’re curious to learn more, check out this article on Codrops, which also explores the platform’s capabilities and showcases another real-world project built entirely with AI.

    The final project is powered by React Three Fiber, Three.js, and Rapier, and showcases how a designer or developer can create complex, interactive 3D experiences by guiding AI — focusing on behavior and structure rather than syntax.

    Step 1: Setting Up Physics with a Capsule and Ground

    The character controller begins with a simple setup: a capsule collider for the player and a ground plane to interact with. Rapier, a fast and lightweight physics engine built in WebAssembly, handles gravity, rigid body dynamics, and collisions. This forms the foundation for player movement and world interaction.

    The capsule shape was chosen for its stability when sliding across surfaces and climbing over small obstacles — a common pattern in real-time games.

    Step 2: Real-Time Tuning with a GUI

    To enable rapid iteration and balance gameplay feel, a visual GUI was introduced (using Leva.js). This panel exposes parameters such as:

    • Player movement speed
    • Jump force
    • Gravity scale
    • Follow camera offset
    • Debug toggles

    By integrating this directly into the experience, developers can tune the controller live without needing to edit or recompile code, speeding up testing and design decisions.

    Step 3: Ground Detection with Raycasting

    A raycast is used to detect whether the player is grounded. This simple yet effective check prevents the character from jumping mid-air or triggering multiple jumps in sequence.

    The logic is executed on every frame, casting a ray downward from the base of the capsule collider. When contact is confirmed, the jump input is enabled. This technique also allows smooth transitions between grounded and falling states in the animation system.

    Step 4: Integrating a Rigged Character with Animation States

    The visual character uses a rigged GLB model via Mixamo, with three key animations: Idle, Run, and Fall. These are integrated as follows:

    • The GLB character is attached as a child of the capsule collider
    • The animation state switches dynamically based on velocity and grounded status
    • Transitions are handled via animation blending for a natural feel

    This setup keeps the visuals in sync with physics, while preserving modular control over the physical capsule.

    Step 5: World Building and Asset Integration

    The environment was arranged in Blender, then exported as a single .glb file and imported into the bolt.new project scene. This approach allows for efficient scene composition while keeping asset management simple.

    For web, using .glb keeps geometry and textures bundled together. To maintain performance, it’s recommended to keep textures at 1024×1024 resolution or other square power-of-two sizes (e.g. 256, 512, 2048). This ensures optimal GPU memory usage and faster load times across devices.

    Special thanks to KayLousberg for the low-poly 3D kit used for prototyping.

    Step 6: Cross-Platform Input Support

    The controller was designed to work seamlessly across desktop, mobile, and gamepad platforms — all built using AI-generated logic through Bolt.

    Gamepad support was added using the Gamepad API, allowing players to plug in a controller and play with analog input.

    On desktop, the controller uses standard keyboard input (WASD or arrow keys) and mouse movement for camera control.

    On mobile, AI-generated code enabled an on-screen joystick and jump button, making the game fully touch-compatible.

    All input types control the same physics-driven character, ensuring consistent behavior across devices — whether you’re playing on a laptop, touchscreen, or game controller.

    This cross-platform support was implemented entirely through natural language prompts, showcasing how AI can translate high-level intent into working input systems.

    The Role of AI in the Workflow

    What makes this controller unique isn’t the mechanics — it’s the process. Every system was generated by AI through descriptive prompts, allowing the developer to work more like a creative director than a traditional engineer.

    AI handled the boilerplate, the physics setup, the animation switching logic — all based on clear creative goals. This opens new doors for prototyping and interactive design, where iteration speed matters more than syntax.

    This character controller demo includes:

    • Capsule collider with physics
    • Grounded detection via raycast
    • State-driven animation blending
    • GUI controls for tuning
    • Environment interaction with static/dynamic objects
    • Cross-Platform Input Support

    It’s a strong starting point for creating browser-based games, interactive experiences, or prototyping new ideas — all with the help of AI.

    Check out the full game built using this setup as a base: 🎮 Demo Game

    Thanks for following along — have fun building 😊



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  • Behind the Curtain: Building Aurel’s Grand Theater from Design to Code

    Behind the Curtain: Building Aurel’s Grand Theater from Design to Code


    “Aurel’s Grand Theater” is an experimental, unconventional solo portfolio project that invites users to read case
    studies, solve mysteries to unlock secret pages, or freely explore the theater – jumping around and even smashing
    things!

    I had an absolute blast working on it, even though it took much longer than I anticipated. Once I finally settled on a
    creative direction, the project took about a year to complete – but reaching that direction took nearly two years on
    its own. Throughout the journey, I balanced a full-time job as a lead web developer, freelance gigs, and an unexpected
    relocation to the other side of the world. The cherry on top? I went through
    way
    too many artistic iterations. It ‘s my longest solo project to date, but also one of the most fun and creatively
    rewarding. It gave me the chance to dive deep into creative coding and design.

    This article takes you behind the scenes of the project – covering everything from design to code, including tools,
    inspiration, project architecture, design patterns, and even feature breakdowns with code snippets you can adapt for
    your own work.

    The Creative Process: Behind the Curtain

    Genesis

    After eight years, my portfolio no longer reflected my skills or creativity. I wanted to create something unconventional – an experience where visitors become active participants rather than passive observers. Most importantly, I wanted it to be something I ‘d genuinely enjoy building. I was wrapping up “ Leap for Mankind” at the time and had a blast working on it, blending storytelling with game and interactive elements. I wanted to create another experimental website that combines game mechanics with a narrative experience.

    From the beginning, I envisioned a small character that could freely explore its environment – smashing objects, interacting with surrounding elements, and navigating not just the floor but also vertical spaces by jumping onto tables and chairs. The goal was to transform the portfolio from a passive viewing experience into a fun, interactive one. At the same time, I recognized that some content demands clarity over creativity. For example, case studies require a more traditional format that emphasizes readability.

    One of the key challenges, then, was designing a portfolio that could seamlessly transition between an immersive 3D game world and more conventional documentation pages – without disrupting the overall experience.

    Building the Foundation

    I had a general concept of the website in mind, so I started coding a proof of concept (POC) for the game back in
    2022. In this early version, the player could move around, bump into objects, and jump – laying the foundation for the
    interactive world I envisioned. Interestingly, much of the core code structure from that POC made it into the final
    product. While the technical side was coming together, I still hadn ‘t figured out the artistic direction at that
    point.

    Trials and Errors

    As a full-time web developer, I rarely find myself wrestling with artistic direction. Until now, every freelance and
    side project I took on began with a clear creative vision that simply needed technical execution.

    This time was different. At first, I leaned toward a cartoonish aesthetic with bold outlines, thinking it would
    emphasize my creativity. I tried to convince myself it worked, but something felt off – especially when pairing the
    visual style with the user interface. The disconnect between my vision and its execution was unfamiliar territory, and
    it led me down a long and winding path of creative exploration.

    Early artistic direction

    I experimented with other styles too, like painterly visuals, which held promise but proved too time-consuming. Each
    artistic direction felt either not suitable for me or beyond my practical capabilities as a developer moonlighting as
    a designer.

    The theater concept – which ultimately became central to the portfolio ‘s identity – arrived surprisingly late. It
    wasn ‘t part of the original vision but surfaced only after countless iterations and discarded ideas. In total,
    finding an artistic direction that truly resonated took nearly two years – a journey further complicated by a major
    relocation across continents, ongoing work and freelance commitments, and personal responsibilities.

    The extended timeline wasn ‘t due to technical complexity, but to an unexpected battle with creative identity. What
    began as a straightforward portfolio refresh evolved into a deeper exploration of how to merge professional
    presentation with personal expression – pushing me far beyond code and into the world of creative direction.

    Tools & Inspiration: The Heart of Creation

    After numerous iterations and abandoned concepts, I finally arrived at a creative direction that resonated with my
    vision. Rather than detailing every artistic detour, I ‘ll focus on the tools and direction that ultimately led to the
    final product.

    Design Stack

    Below is the stack I use to design my 3D projects:

    UI/UX & Visual Design

    • Figma
      : When I first started, everything was laid out in a Photoshop file. Over the years, I tried various design tools,
      but I ‘ve been using Figma consistently since 2018 – and I ‘ve been really satisfied with it ever since.
    • Miro
      : reat for moodboarding and early ideation. It helps me visually organize thoughts and explore concepts during the
      initial phase.

    3D Modeling & Texturing

    • Blender
      : My favorite tool for 3D modeling. It ‘s incredibly powerful and flexible, though it does have a steep learning
      curve at first. Still, it ‘s well worth the effort for the level of creative control it offers.
    • Adobe Substance 3D Painter
      : The gold standard in my workflow for texture painting. It’s expensive, but the quality and precision it delivers
      make it indispensable.

    Image Editing

    • Krita
      : I only need light photo editing, and Krita handles that perfectly without locking me into Adobe ‘s ecosystem – a
      practical and efficient alternative.

    Drawing Inspiration from Storytellers

    While I drew inspiration from many sources, the most influential were Studio Ghibli and the mystical world of Harry
    Potter. Ghibli ‘s meticulous attention to environmental detail shaped my understanding of atmosphere, while the
    enchanting realism of the Harry Potter universe helped define the mood I wanted to evoke. I also browsed platforms
    like ArtStation and Pinterest for broader visual inspiration, while sites like Behance, FWA, and Awwwards influenced
    the more granular aspects of UX/UI design.

    Initially, I organized these references on an InVision board. However, when the platform shut down mid-project, I had
    to migrate everything to Miro – an unexpected transition and symbolic disruption that echoed the broader delays in the
    project.

    Mood board of Aurel’s Grand Theater

    Designing the Theater

    The theater concept emerged as the perfect metaphor for a portfolio: a space where different works could be presented
    as “performances,” while maintaining a cohesive environment. It also aligned beautifully with the nostalgic,
    pre-digital vibe inspired by many of my visual references.

    Environment design is a specialized discipline I wasn ‘t very familiar with initially. To create a theater that felt
    visually engaging and believable, I studied techniques from the
    FZD School
    . These approaches were invaluable in conceptualizing spaces that truly feel alive: places where you can sense people
    living their lives, working, and interacting with the environment.

    To make the environment feel genuinely inhabited, I incorporated details that suggest human presence: scattered props,
    tools, theater posters, food items, pamphlets, and even bits of miscellaneous junk throughout the space. These
    seemingly minor elements were crucial in transforming the static 3D model into a setting rich with history, mood, and
    character.

    The 3D Modeling Process

    Optimizing for Web Performance

    Creating 3D environments for the web comes with unique challenges that differ significantly from video modelling. When
    scenes need to be rendered in real-time by a browser, every polygon matters.

    To address this, I adopted a strict low-poly approach and focused heavily on building reusable modular components.
    These elements could be instantiated throughout the environment without duplicating unnecessary geometry or textures.

    While the final result is still relatively heavy, this modular system allowed me to construct more complex and
    detailed scenes while maintaining reasonable download sizes and rendering performance, which wouldn ‘t have been
    possible without this approach.

    Scaffolds models
    Scaffolds models merged with the tower, hanok house and walls props

    Texture Over Geometry

    Rather than modeling intricate details that would increase polygon counts, I leveraged textures to suggest complexity.

    Adobe Substance 3D became my primary tool for creating rich material surfaces that could convey detail without
    overloading the renderer. This approach was particularly effective for elements like the traditional Hanok windows
    with their intricate wooden lattice patterns. Instead of modeling each panel, which would have been
    performance-prohibitive, I painted the details into textures and applied them to simple geometric forms.

    Hanok model’s vertices
    Hanok model painted using 3d Substance Painter

    Frameworks & Patterns: Behind the Scenes of Development

    Tech Stack

    This is a comprehensive overview of the technology stack I used for Aurel’s Grand Theater website, leveraging my
    existing expertise while incorporating specialized tools for animation and 3D effects.

    Core Framework

    • Vue.js
      : While I previously worked with React, Vue has been my primary framework since 2018. Beyond simply enjoying and
      loving this framework, it makes sense for me to maintain consistency between the tools I use at work and on my side
      projects. I also use Vite and Pinia.

    Animation & Interaction

    • GSAP
      : A cornerstone of my development toolkit for nearly a decade, primarily utilized on this project for:

      • ScrollTrigger functionality
      • MotionPath animations
      • Timeline and tweens
      • As a personal challenge, I created my own text-splitting functionality for this project (since it wasn ‘t client
        work), but I highly recommend GSAP ‘s SplitText for most use cases.
    • Lenis
      : My go-to library for smooth scrolling. It integrates beautifully with scroll animations, especially when working
      with Three.js.

    3D Graphics & Physics

    • Three.js
      : My favorite 3D framework and a key part of my toolkit since 2015. I enjoy using it to bring interactive 3D
      elements to the web.
    • Cannon.js
      : Powers the site ‘s physics simulations. While I considered alternatives like Rapier, I stuck with Cannon.js since
      it was already integrated into my 2022 proof-of-concept. Replacing it would have introduced unnecessary delays.

    Styling

    • Queso
      : A headless CSS framework developed at MamboMambo (my workplace). I chose it for its comprehensive starter
      components and seamless integration with my workflow. Despite being in beta, it ‘s already reliable and flexible.

    This tech stack strikes a balance between familiar tools and specialized libraries that enable the visual and
    interactive elements that define the site’s experience.

    Architecture

    I follow Clean Code principles and other industry best practices, including aiming to keep my files small,
    independent, reusable, concise, and testable.

    I’ve also adopted the component folder architecture developed at my workplace. Instead of placing
    Vue
    files directly inside the
    ./components
    directory, each component resides in its own folder. This folder contains the
    Vue
    file along with related types, unit tests, supporting files, and any child components.

    Although initially designed for
    Vue
    components, I ‘ve found this structure works equally well for organizing logic with
    Typescript
    files,
    utilities
    ,
    directives
    , and more. It ‘s a clean, consistent system that improves code readability, maintainability, and scalability. 

    MyFile
├── MyFile.vue
├── MyFile.test.ts
├── MyFile.types.ts
├── index.ts (export the types and the vue file)
├── data.json (optional files needed in MyFile.vue such as .json files)
│ 
├── components
│   ├── MyFileChildren
│   │   ├── MyFileChildren.vue
│   │   ├── MyFileChildren.test.ts
│   │   ├── MyFileChildren.types.ts
│   │   ├── index.ts
│   ├── MyFileSecondChildren
│   │   ├── MyFileSecondChildren.vue
│   │   ├── MyFileSecondChildren.test.ts
│   │   ├── MyFileSecondChildren.types.ts
│   │   ├── index.ts

    The overall project architecture follows the high-level structure outlined below.

    src/
├── assets/             # Static assets like images, fonts, and styles
├── components/         # Vue components
├── composables/        # Vue composables for shared logic
├── constant/           # Project wide constants
├── data/               # Project wide data files
├── directives/         # Vue custom directives
├── router/             # Vue Router configuration and routes
├── services/           # Services (e.g i18n)
├── stores/             # State management (Pinia)
├── three/              
│   ├── Experience/    
│   │   ├── Theater/                 # Theater experience
│   │   │   ├── Experience/          # Core experience logic
│   │   │   ├── Progress/            # Loading and progress management
│   │   │   ├── Camera/              # Camera configuration and controls
│   │   │   ├── Renderer/            # WebGL renderer setup and configuration
│   │   │   ├── Sources/             # List of resources
│   │   │   ├── Physics/             # Physics simulation and interactions
│   │   │   │   ├── PhysicsMaterial/ # Physics Material
│   │   │   │   ├── Shared/          # Physics for models shared across scenes
│   │   │   │   │   ├── Pit/         # Physics simulation and interactions
│   │   │   │   │   │   ├── Pit.ts   # Physics for models in the pit
│   │   │   │   │   │   ├── ...       
│   │   │   │   ├── Triggers/         # Physics Triggers
│   │   │   │   ├── Scenes/           # Physics for About/Leap/Mont-Saint-Michel
│   │   │   │   │   ├── Leap/         
│   │   │   │   │   │   ├── Leap.ts   # Physics for Leap For Mankind's models       
│   │   │   │   │   │   ├── ...         
│   │   │   │   │   └── ...          
│   │   │   ├── World/               # 3D world setup and management
│   │   │   │   ├── World/           # Main world configuration and setup
│   │   │   │   ├── PlayerModel/     # Player character model and controls
│   │   │   │   ├── CameraTransition/ # Camera movement and transitions
│   │   │   │   ├── Environments/    # Environment setup and management
│   │   │   │   │   ├── Environment.ts # Environment configuration
│   │   │   │   │   └── types.ts     # Environment type definitions
│   │   │   │   ├── Scenes/          # Different scene configurations
│   │   │   │   │   ├── Leap/ 
│   │   │   │   │   │   ├── Leap.ts  # Leap For Mankind model's logic
│   │   │   │   │   └── ...      
│   │   │   │   ├── Tutorial/        # Tutorial meshes & logic
│   │   │   │   ├── Bleed/           # Bleed effect logic
│   │   │   │   ├── Bird/            # Bird model logic
│   │   │   │   ├── Markers/         # Points of interest
│   │   │   │   ├── Shared/          # Models & meshes used across scenes
│   │   │   │   └── ...         
│   │   │   ├── SharedMaterials/     # Reusable Three.js materials
│   │   │   └── PostProcessing/      # Post-processing effects
│   │   │
│   │   ├── Basement/                # Basement experience
│   │   ├── Idle/                    # Idle state experience
│   │   ├── Error404/                # 404 error experience
│   │   ├── Constant/                # Three.js related constants
│   │   ├── Factories/               # Three.js factory code
│   │   │   ├── RopeMaterialGenerator/
│   │   │   │   ├── RopeMaterialGenerator.ts        
│   │   │   │   └── ...
│   │   │   ├── ... 
│   │   ├── Utils/                   # Three.js utilities other reusable functions
│   │   └── Shaders/                 # Shaders programs
├── types/              # Project-wide TypeScript type definitions
├── utils/              # Utility functions and helpers
├── vendors/            # Third-party vendor code
├── views/              # Page components and layouts
├── workers/            # Web Workers
├── App.vue             # Root Vue component
└── main.ts             # Application entry point

    This structured approach helps me manage the code base efficiently and maintain clear separation of concerns
    throughout the codebase, making both development and future maintenance significantly more straightforward.

    Design Patterns

    Singleton

    Singletons play a key role in this type of project architecture, enabling efficient code reuse without incurring
    performance penalties. 

    import Experience from "@/three/Experience/Experience";
import type { Scene } from "@/types/three.types";

let instance: SingletonExample | null = null;

export default class SingletonExample {
  private scene: Scene;
  private experience: Experience;

  constructor() {
    if (instance) {
      return instance;
    }
    instance = this;

    this.experience = new Experience();
    this.scene = this.experience.scene;
  }

  init() {
    // initialize the singleton
  }

  someMethod() {
    // some method
  }

  update() {
    // update the singleton
  }
  
  update10fps() {
    // Optional: update methods capped at 10FPS
  }

  destroySingleton() {
    // clean up three.js + destroy the singleton
  }
}

    Split Responsibility Architecture

    As shown earlier in the project architecture section, I deliberately separated physics management from model handling
    to produce smaller, more maintainable files.

    World Management Files:

    These files are responsible for initializing factories and managing meshes within the main loop. They may also include
    functions specific to individual world items.

    Here’s an example of one such file:

    // src/three/Experience/Theater/mockFileModel/mockFileModel.ts
import Experience from "@/three/Experience/Theater/Experience/Experience";

import type {
  List,
  LoadModel
} from "@/types/experience/experience.types";
import type { Scene } from "@/types/three.types";
import type Physics from "@/three/Experience/Theater/Physics/Physics";
import type { Resources } from "@/three/Experience/Utils/Ressources/Resources";
import type { MaterialGenerator } from "@/types/experience/materialGeneratorType";


let instance: mockWorldFile | null = null;
export default class mockWorldFile {
  private experience: Experience;
  private list: List;
  private physics: Physics;
  private resources: Resources;
  private scene: Scene;
  private materialGenerator: MaterialGenerator;
  public loadModel: LoadModel;
  constructor() {
    //    Singleton
    if (instance) {
      return instance;
    }

    instance = this;

    this.experience = new Experience();
    this.scene = this.experience.scene;
    this.resources = this.experience.resources;
    this.physics = this.experience.physics;

    // factories
    this.materialGenerator = this.experience.materialGenerator;
    this.loadModel = this.experience.loadModel;

     // Most of the material are init in a file called sharedMaterials
    const bakedMaterial = this.experience.world.sharedMaterials.bakedMaterial;
    // physics infos such as position, rotation, scale, weight etc.
    const paintBucketPhysics = this.physics.items.paintBucket; 

    // Array of objects of models. This will be used to update it's position, rotation, scale, etc.
    this.list = {
      paintBucket: [],
      ...
    };

    // get the resource file
    const resourcePaintBucket = this.resources.items.paintBucketWhite;

     //Reusable code to add models with physics to the scene. I will talk about that later.
    this.loadModel.setModels(
      resourcePaintBucket.scene,
      paintBucketPhysics,
      "paintBucketWhite",
      bakedMaterial,
      true,
      true,
      false,
      false,
      false,
      this.list.paintBucket,
      this.physics.mock,
      "metalBowlFalling",
    );
  }

  otherMethod() {
    ...
  }

  destroySingleton() {
    ...
  }
}

    Physics Management Files

    These files trigger the factories to apply physics to meshes, store the resulting physics bodies, and update mesh
    positions on each frame. 

    // src/three/Experience/Theater/pathTo/mockFilePhysics
import Experience from "@/three/Experience/Theater/Experience/Experience";

import additionalShape from "./additionalShape.json";

import type {
  PhysicsResources,
  TrackName,
  List,
  modelsList
} from "@/types/experience/experience.types";
import type { cannonObject } from "@/types/three.types";
import type PhysicsGenerator from "../Factories/PhysicsGenerator/PhysicsGenerator";
import type UpdateLocation from "../Utils/UpdateLocation/UpdateLocation";
import type UpdatePositionMesh from "../Utils/UpdatePositionMesh/UpdatePositionMesh";
import type AudioGenerator from "../Utils/AudioGenerator/AudioGenerator";

let instance: MockFilePhysics | null = null;

export default class MockFilePhysics {
  private experience: Experience;
  private list: List;
  private physicsGenerator: PhysicsGenerator;
  private updateLocation: UpdateLocation;
  private modelsList: modelsList;
  private updatePositionMesh: UpdatePositionMesh;
  private audioGenerator: AudioGenerator;

  constructor() {
    //    Singleton
    if (instance) {
      return instance;
    }
    instance = this;

    this.experience = new Experience();
    this.debug = this.experience.debug;
    this.physicsGenerator = this.experience.physicsGenerator;
    this.updateLocation = this.experience.updateLocation;
    this.updatePositionMesh = this.experience.updatePositionMesh;
    this.audioGenerator = this.experience.audioGenerator;

    // Array of objects of physics. This will be used to update the model's position, rotation, scale etc.
    this.list = {
      paintBucket: [],
    };
  }

  setModelsList() {
    //When the load progress reaches a certain percentage, we can set the models list, avoiding some potential bugs or unnecessary conditional logic. Please note that the method update is never run until the scene is fully ready.
    this.modelsList = this.experience.world.constructionToolsModel.list;
  }

  addNewItem(
    element: PhysicsResources,
    listName: string,
    trackName: TrackName,
    sleepSpeedLimit: number | null = null,
  ) {

    // factory to add physics, I will talk about that later
    const itemWithPhysics = this.physicsGenerator.createItemPhysics(
      element,
      null,
      true,
      true,
      trackName,
      sleepSpeedLimit,
    );

    // Additional optional shapes to the item if needed
    switch (listName) {
      case "broom":
        this.physicsGenerator.addMultipleAdditionalShapesToItem(
          itemWithPhysics,
          additionalShape.broomHandle,
        );
        break;

    }

    this.list[listName].push(itemWithPhysics);
  }

  // this methods is called everyfame.
  update() {
    // reusable code to update the position of the mesh
    this.updatePositionMesh.updatePositionMesh(
      this.modelsList["paintBucket"],
      this.list["paintBucket"],
    );
  }


  destroySingleton() {
    ...
  }
}

    Since the logic for updating mesh positions is consistent across the project, I created reusable code that can be
    applied in nearly all physics-related files. 

    // src/three/Experience/Utils/UpdatePositionMesh/UpdatePositionMesh.ts

export default class UpdatePositionMesh {
  updatePositionMesh(meshList: MeshList, physicList: PhysicList) {
    for (let index = 0; index < physicList.length; index++) {
      const physic = physicList[index];
      const model = meshList[index].model;

      model.position.set(
        physic.position.x,
        physic.position.y,
        physic.position.z
      );
      model.quaternion.set(
        physic.quaternion.x,
        physic.quaternion.y,
        physic.quaternion.z,
        physic.quaternion.w
      );
    }
  }
}

    Factory Patterns

    To avoid redundant code, I built a system around reusable code. While the project includes multiple factories, these
    two are the most essential:

    Model Factory
    : LoadModel

    With few exceptions, all models—whether instanced or regular, with or without physics—are added through this factory. 

    // src/three/Experience/factories/LoadModel/LoadModel.ts
import * as THREE from "three";
import Experience from "@/three/Experience/Theater/Experience/Experience";

import type {
  PhysicsResources,
  TrackName,
  List,
  modelListPath,
  PhysicsListPath
} from "@/types/experience/experience.type";
import type { loadModelMaterial } from "./types";
import type { Material, Scene, Mesh } from "@/types/Three.types";
import type Progress from "@/three/Experience/Utils/Progress/Progress";
import type AddPhysicsToModel from "@/three/Experience/factories/AddPhysicsToModel/AddPhysicsToModel";

let instance: LoadModel | null = null;


export default class LoadModel {
  public experience: Experience;
  public progress: Progress;
  public mesh: Mesh;
  public addPhysicsToModel: AddPhysicsToModel;
  public scene: Scene;


  constructor() {
    if (instance) {
      return instance;
    }
    instance = this;

    this.experience = new Experience();
    this.scene = this.experience.scene;
    this.progress = this.experience.progress;
    this.addPhysicsToModel = this.experience.addPhysicsToModel;
  }


  async setModels(
    model: Model,
    list: PhysicsResources[],
    physicsList: string,
    bakedMaterial: LoadModelMaterial,
    isCastShadow: boolean = false,
    isReceiveShadow: boolean = false,
    isIntancedModel: boolean = false,
    isDoubleSided: boolean = false,
    modelListPath: ModelListPath,
    physicsListPath: PhysicsListPath,
    trackName: TrackName = null,
    sleepSpeedLimit: number | null = null,
  ) {
    const loadedModel = isIntancedModel
      ? await this.addInstancedModel(
          model,
          bakedMaterial,
          true,
          true,
          isDoubleSided,
          isCastShadow,
          isReceiveShadow,
          list.length,
        )
        : await this.addModel(
            model,
            bakedMaterial,
            true,
            true,
            isDoubleSided,
            isCastShadow,
            isReceiveShadow,
          );


    this.addPhysicsToModel.loopListThenAddModelToSceneThenToPhysics(
      list,
      modelListPath,
      physicsListPath,
      physicsList,
      loadedModel,
      isIntancedModel,
      trackName,
      sleepSpeedLimit,
    );
  }


  addModel = (
    model: Model,
    material: Material,
    isTransparent: boolean = false,
    isFrustumCulled: boolean = true,
    isDoubleSided: boolean = false,
    isCastShadow: boolean = false,
    isReceiveShadow: boolean = false,
    isClone: boolean = true,
  ) => {
    model.traverse((child: THREE.Object3D) => {
      !isFrustumCulled ? (child.frustumCulled = false) : null;
      if (child instanceof THREE.Mesh) {
        child.castShadow = isCastShadow;
        child.receiveShadow = isReceiveShadow;

        material
          && (child.material = this.setMaterialOrCloneMaterial(
              isClone,
              material,
            ))
          

        child.material.transparent = isTransparent;
        isDoubleSided ? (child.material.side = THREE.DoubleSide) : null;
        isReceiveShadow ? child.geometry.computeVertexNormals() : null; // https://discourse.threejs.org/t/gltf-model-shadows-not-receiving-with-gltfmeshstandardsgmaterial/24112/9
      }
    });

    this.progress.addLoadedModel(); // Update the number of items loaded
    return { model: model };
  };


  setMaterialOrCloneMaterial(isClone: boolean, material: Material) {
    return isClone ? material.clone() : material;
  }


  addInstancedModel = () => {
   ...
  };

  // other methods


  destroySingleton() {
    ...
  }
}
    Physics Factory: PhysicsGenerator

    This factory has a single responsibility: creative physics properties for meshes.

    // src/three/Experience/Utils/PhysicsGenerator/PhysicsGenerator.ts
import Experience from "@/three/Experience/Theater/Experience/Experience";
import * as CANNON from "cannon-es";

import CannonUtils from "@/utils/cannonUtils.js";

import type {
  Quaternion,
  PhysicsItemPosition,
  PhysicsItemType,
  PhysicsResources,
  TrackName,
  CannonObject,
} from "@/types/experience/experience.types";

import type { Scene, ConvexGeometry } from "@/types/three.types";
import type Progress from "@/three/Experience/Utils/Progress/Progress";
import type AudioGenerator from "@/three/Experience/Utils/AudioGenerator/AudioGenerator";
import type Physics from "@/three/Experience/Theater/Physics/Physics";
import type { physicsShape } from "./PhysicsGenerator.types"

let instance: PhysicsGenerator | null = null;

export default class PhysicsGenerator {
  public experience: Experience;
  public physics: Physics;
  public currentScene: string | null = null;
  public progress: Progress;
  public audioGenerator: AudioGenerator;

  constructor() {
    //    Singleton
    if (instance) {
      return instance;
    }
    instance = this;

    this.experience = new Experience();
    this.resources = this.experience.resources;
    this.audioGenerator = this.experience.audioGenerator;
    this.physics = this.experience.physics;
    this.progress = this.experience.progress;

    this.currentScene = this.experience.currentScene;
  }


  //#region add physics to an object

  createItemPhysics(
    source: PhysicsResources, // object containing physics info such as mass, shape, position....
    convex?: ConvexGeometry | null = null,
    allowSleep?: boolean = true,
    isBodyToAdd?: boolean = true,
    trackName?: TrackName = null,
    sleepSpeedLimit?: number | null = null
  ) {
    const setSpeedLimit = sleepSpeedLimit ?? 0.15;

    // For this project I needed to detect if the user was in the Mont-Saint-Michel, Leap For Mankind, About or Archives scene.
    const localCurrentScene = source.locations[this.currentScene]
      ? this.currentScene
      : "about";

    switch (source.type as physicsShape) {
      case "box": {
        const boxShape = new CANNON.Box(new CANNON.Vec3(...source.shape));
        const boxBody = new CANNON.Body({
          mass: source.mass,
          position: new CANNON.Vec3(
            source.locations[localCurrentScene].position.x,
            source.locations[localCurrentScene].position.y,
            source.locations[localCurrentScene].position.z
          ),
          allowSleep: allowSleep,
          shape: boxShape,
          material: source.material
            ? source.material
            : this.physics.physics.defaultMaterial,
          sleepSpeedLimit: setSpeedLimit,
        });

        source.locations[localCurrentScene].quaternion
          && (boxBody.quaternion.y =
              source.locations[localCurrentScene].quaternion.y);

        this.physics.physics.addBody(boxBody);
        this.updatedLoadedItem();

        // Add optional SFX that will be played if the item collides with another physics item
        trackName
          && this.audioGenerator.addEventListenersToObject(boxBody, TrackName);

        return boxBody;
      }

      // Then it's basicly the same logic for all other cases
      case "sphere": {
        ...
      }

      case "cylinder": {
       ...
      }

      case "plane": {
       ...
      }

      case "trigger": {
      ...
      }

      case "torus": {
        ...
      }

      case "trimesh": {
       ...
      }

      case "polyhedron": {
        ...
      }

      default:
        ...
        break;
    }
  }

  updatedLoadedItem() {
    this.progress.addLoadedPhysicsItem(); // Update the number of item loaded (physics only)
  }

  //#endregion add physics to an object

  // other

  destroySingleton() {
    ...
  }
}

    FPS Capping

    With over 100 models and approximately 150 physics items loaded in the main scene, Aurel’s Grand Theater required
    performance-driven coding from the outset.

    I were to rebuild the project today, I would leverage GPU computing much more intensively. However, when I started the
    proof of concept in 2022, GPU computing for the web was still relatively new and not fully mature—at least, that was
    my perception at the time. Rather than recoding everything, I worked with what I had, which also presented a great
    personal challenge. In addition to using low-poly models and employing classic optimization techniques, I extensively
    used instanced meshes for all small, reusable items—even those with physics. I also relied on many other
    under-the-hood techniques to keep the performance as smooth as possible on this CPU-intensive website.

    One particularly helpful approach I implemented was adaptive frame rates. By capping the FPS to different levels (60,
    30, or 10), depending on whether the logic required rendering at those rates, I optimized performance. After all, some
    logic doesn ‘t require rendering every frame. This is a simple yet effective technique that can easily be incorporated
    into your own project.

    Now, let ‘s take a look at the file responsible for managing time in the project.

    // src/three/Experience/Utils/Time/Time.ts
import * as THREE from "three";
import EventEmitter from "@/three/Experience/Utils/EventEmitter/EventEmitter";

let instance: Time | null = null;
let animationFrameId: number | null = null;
const clock = new THREE.Clock();

export default class Time extends EventEmitter {
  private lastTick60FPS: number = 0;
  private lastTick30FPS: number = 0;
  private lastTick10FPS: number = 0;

  private accumulator60FPS: number = 0;
  private accumulator30FPS: number = 0;
  private accumulator10FPS: number = 0;

  public start: number = 0;
  public current: number = 0;
  public elapsed: number = 0;
  public delta: number = 0;
  public delta60FPS: number = 0;
  public delta30FPS: number = 0;
  public delta10FPS: number = 0;

  constructor() {
    if (instance) {
      return instance;
    }
    super();
    instance = this;
  }

  tick() {
    const currentTime: number = clock.getElapsedTime() * 1000;

    this.delta = currentTime - this.current;
    this.current = currentTime;

    // Accumulate the time that has passed
    this.accumulator60FPS += this.delta;
    this.accumulator30FPS += this.delta;
    this.accumulator10FPS += this.delta;

    // Trigger uncapped tick event using the project's EventEmitter class
    this.trigger("tick");

    // Trigger 60FPS tick event
    if (this.accumulator60FPS >= 1000 / 60) {
      this.delta60FPS = currentTime - this.lastTick60FPS;
      this.lastTick60FPS = currentTime;

      // Same logic as "this.trigger("tick")" but for 60FPS
      this.trigger("tick60FPS");
      this.accumulator60FPS -= 1000 / 60;
    }

    // Trigger 30FPS tick event
    if (this.accumulator30FPS >= 1000 / 30) {
      this.delta30FPS = currentTime - this.lastTick30FPS;
      this.lastTick30FPS = currentTime;

      this.trigger("tick30FPS");
      this.accumulator30FPS -= 1000 / 30;
    }

    // Trigger 10FPS tick event
    if (this.accumulator10FPS >= 1000 / 10) {
      this.delta10FPS = currentTime - this.lastTick10FPS;
      this.lastTick10FPS = currentTime;

      this.trigger("tick10FPS");
      this.accumulator10FPS -= 1000 / 10;
    }

    animationFrameId = window.requestAnimationFrame(() => {
      this.tick();
    });
  }
}

    Then, in the
    Experience.ts
    file, we simply place the methods according to the required FPS. 

    constructor() {
   if (instance) {
      return instance;
    }
    
    ...
	  
    this.time = new Time();
    
    ...
	  
	  
    //  The game loops (here called tick) are updated when the EventEmitter class is triggered.
    this.time.on("tick", () => {
      this.update();
    });
    this.time.on("tick60FPS", () => {
      this.update60();
    });
    this.time.on("tick30FPS", () => {
      this.update30();
    });
    this.time.on("tick10FPS", () => {
      this.update10();
    });
    }


  update() {
    this.renderer.update();
  }

  update60() {
    this.camera.update60FPS();
    this.world.update60FPS(); 
    this.physics.update60FPS();
  }

  update30() {
    this.physics.update30FPS();
    this.world.update30FPS();
  }
  
  update10() {
    this.physics.update10FPS();
    this.world.update10FPS();	
  }

    Selected Feature Breakdown: Code & Explanation

    Cinematic Page Transitions: Return Animation Effects

    Inspired by techniques from the film industry, the transitions between the 3D game and the more traditionally
    structured pages, such as the Case Studies, About, and Credits pages, were carefully designed to feel seamless and
    cinematic.

    The first-time visit animation provides context and immerses users into the website experience. Meanwhile, the other
    page transitions play a crucial role in ensuring a smooth shift between the game and the more conventional layout of
    the Case Studies and About page, preserving immersion while naturally guiding users from one experience to the next.
    Without these transitions, it would feel like abruptly jumping between two entirely different worlds.

    I’ll do a deep dive into the code for the animation when the user returns from the basement level. It’s a bit simpler
    than the other cinematic transitions but the underlying logic is the same, which makes it easier for you to adapt it
    to another project.

    Here the base file:

    // src/three/Experience/Theater/World/CameraTransition/CameraIntroReturning.ts

import { Vector3, CatmullRomCurve3 } from "three";
import Experience from "@/three/Experience/Theater/Experience/Experience";
import { DebugPath } from "@/three/Experience/Utils/DebugPath/DebugPath";

import { createSmoothLookAtTransition } from "./cameraUtils";
import { setPlayerPosition } from "@/three/Experience/Utils/playerPositionUtils";

import { gsap } from "gsap";
import { MotionPathPlugin } from "gsap/MotionPathPlugin";

import {
  CAMERA_POSITION_SEAT,
  PLAYER_POSITION_RETURNING,
} from "@/three/Experience/Constant/PlayerPosition";

import type { Debug } from "@/three/Experience/Utils/Debugger/types";
import type { Scene, Camera } from "@/types/three.types";


const DURATION_RETURNING_FORWARD = 5;
const DURATION_LOOKAT_RETURNING_FORWARD = 4;
const RETURNING_PLAYER_QUATERNION = [0, 0, 0, 1];
const RETURNING_PLAYER_CAMERA_FINAL_POSITION = [
  7.3927162062108955, 3.4067893207543367, 4.151297331541345,
];
const RETURNING_PLAYER_ROTATION = -0.3;
const RETURNING_PLAYER_CAMERA_FINAL_LOOKAT = [
  2.998858990830107, 2.5067893207543412, -1.55606797749978944,
];

gsap.registerPlugin(MotionPathPlugin);

let instance: CameraIntroReturning | null = null;

export default class CameraIntroReturning {
  private scene: Scene;
  private experience: Experience;
  private timelineAnimation: GSAPTimeline;
  private debug: Debug;
  private debugPath: DebugPath;
  private camera: Camera;
  private lookAtTransitionStarted: boolean = false;

  constructor() {
    if (instance) {
      return instance;
    }
    instance = this;

    this.experience = new Experience();
    this.scene = this.experience.scene;
    this.debug = this.experience.debug;

    this.timelineAnimation = gsap.timeline({
      paused: true,
      onComplete: () => {
        this.timelineAnimation.clear().kill();
      },
    });
  }
  init() {
    this.camera = this.experience.camera.instance;
    this.initPath();
  }

  initPath() {
    ...
  }
  
  initTimeline() {
    ...
  }

  createSmoothLookAtTransition(
   ...
  }

  setPositionPlayer() {
   ...
  }

  playAnimation() {
   ...
  }

  ...

  destroySingleton() {
   ...
  }
}

    The
    init
    method, called from another file, initiates the creation of the animation. At first, we set the path for the
    animation, then the timeline. 

    init() {
    this.camera = this.experience.camera.instance;
    this.initPath();
 }

initPath() {
  // create the path for the camera
  const pathPoints = new CatmullRomCurve3([
    new Vector3(CAMERA_POSITION_SEAT[0], CAMERA_POSITION_SEAT[1], 15),
    new Vector3(5.12, 4, 8.18),
    new Vector3(...RETURNING_PLAYER_CAMERA_FINAL_POSITION),
  ]);

  // init the timeline
  this.initTimeline(pathPoints);
}

initTimeline(path: CatmullRomCurve3) {
 ...
}

    The timeline animation is split into two: a) The camera moves vertically from the basement to the theater, above the
    seats. 

    ...

initTimeline(path: CatmullRomCurve3) {
    // get the points
    const pathPoints = path.getPoints(30);

    // create the gsap timeline
    this.timelineAnimation
      // set the initial position
      .set(this.camera.position, {
        x: CAMERA_POSITION_SEAT[0],
        y: CAMERA_POSITION_SEAT[1] - 3,
        z: 15,
      })
      .add(() => {
        this.camera.lookAt(3.5, 1, 0);
      })
      //   Start the animation! In this case the camera is moving from the basement to above the seat
      .to(this.camera.position, {
        x: CAMERA_POSITION_SEAT[0],
        y: CAMERA_POSITION_SEAT[1],
        z: 15,
        duration: 3,
        ease: "elastic.out(0.1,0.1)",
      })
      .to(
        this.camera.position,
        {
		      ...
        },
      )
      ...
  }

    b) The camera follows a path while smoothly transitioning its view to the final location.

     .to(
    this.camera.position,
    {
      // then we use motion path to move the camera to the player behind the raccoon
      motionPath: {
        path: pathPoints,
        curviness: 0,
        autoRotate: false,
      },
      ease: "power1.inOut",
      duration: DURATION_RETURNING_FORWARD,
      onUpdate: function () {
        const progress = this.progress();

        // wait until progress reaches a certain point to rotate to the camera at the player LookAt
        if (
          progress >=
            1 -
              DURATION_LOOKAT_RETURNING_FORWARD /
                DURATION_RETURNING_FORWARD &&
          !this.lookAtTransitionStarted
        ) {
	         this.lookAtTransitionStarted = true; 
	         
           // Create a new Vector3 to store the current look direction
           const currentLookAt = new Vector3();

            // Get the current camera's forward direction (where it's looking)
            instance!.camera.getWorldDirection(currentLookAt);

            // Extend the look direction by 100 units and add the camera's position
            // This creates a point in space that the camera is currently looking at
            currentLookAt.multiplyScalar(100).add(instance!.camera.position);

            // smooth lookAt animation
	          createSmoothLookAtTransition(
	            currentLookAt,
	            new Vector3(...RETURNING_PLAYER_CAMERA_FINAL_LOOKAT),
	            DURATION_LOOKAT_RETURNING_FORWARD,
	            this.camera
	          );
        }
      },
    },
  )
  .add(() => {
    // animation is completed, you can add some code here
  });

    As you noticed, I used a utility function called
    smoothLookAtTransition
    since I needed this functionality in multiple places. 

    import type { Vector3 } from "three";
import { gsap } from "gsap";

import type { Camera } from "@/types/three.types";

export const createSmoothLookAtTransition = (
  from: Vector3,
  to: Vector3,
  duration: number,
  camera: Camera,
  ease: string = "power2.out",
) => {
  const lookAtPosition = { x: from.x, y: from.y, z: from.z };
  return gsap.to(lookAtPosition, {
    x: to.x,
    y: to.y,
    z: to.z,
    duration,
    ease: ease,
    onUpdate: () => {
      camera.lookAt(lookAtPosition.x, lookAtPosition.y, lookAtPosition.z);
    },
  });
};

    With everything ready, the animation sequence is run when
    playAnimation()
    is triggered. 

    playAnimation() {
    // first set the position of the player
    this.setPositionPlayer();
    // then play the animation
    this.timelineAnimation.play();
  }

  setPositionPlayer() {
   // an simple utils to update the position of the player when the user land in the scene, return or switch scene.
    setPlayerPosition(this.experience, {
      position: PLAYER_POSITION_RETURNING,
      quaternion: RETURNING_PLAYER_QUATERNION,
      rotation: RETURNING_PLAYER_ROTATION,
    });
  }

    Scroll-Triggered Animations: Showcasing Books on About Pages

    While the game is fun and filled with details, the case studies and about pages are crucial to the overall experience,
    even though they follow a more standardized format. These pages still have their own unique appeal. They are filled
    with subtle details and animations, particularly scroll-triggered effects such as split text animations when
    paragraphs enter the viewport, along with fade-out effects on SVGs and other assets. These animations create a vibe
    that mirrors the mysterious yet intriguing atmosphere of the game, inviting visitors to keep scrolling and exploring.

    While I can’t cover every animation in detail, I ‘d like to share the technical approach behind the book animations
    featured on the about page. This effect blends DOM scroll event tracking with a Three.js scene, creating a seamless
    interaction between the user ‘s scrolling behavior and the 3D-rendered books. As visitors scroll down the page, the
    books transition elegantly and respond dynamically to their movement.

    Before we dive into the
    Three.js
    file, let ‘s look into the
    Vue
    component. 

    //src/components/BookGallery/BookGallery.vue
<template>
  <!-- the ID is used in the three.js file -->
  <div class="book-gallery" id="bookGallery" ref="bookGallery"></div>
</template>

<script setup lang="ts">
import { onBeforeUnmount, onMounted, onUnmounted, ref } from "vue";

import gsap from "gsap";
import { ScrollTrigger } from "gsap/ScrollTrigger";

import type { BookGalleryProps } from "./types";

gsap.registerPlugin(ScrollTrigger);

const props = withDefaults(defineProps<BookGalleryProps>(), {});

const bookGallery = ref<HTMLBaseElement | null>(null);

const setupScrollTriggers = () => {
 ...
};

const triggerAnimation = (index: number) => {
  ...
};

onMounted(() => {
  setupScrollTriggers();
});

onUnmounted(() => {
  ...
});
</script>

<style lang="scss" scoped>
.book-gallery {
  position: relative;
  height: 400svh; // 1000svh * 4 books
}
</style>

    Thresholds are defined for each book to determine which one will be active – that is, the book that will face the
    camera. 

    const setupScrollTriggers = () => {
  if (!bookGallery.value) return;

  const galleryHeight = bookGallery.value.clientHeight;
  const scrollThresholds = [
    galleryHeight * 0.15,
    galleryHeight * (0.25 + (0.75 - 0.25) / 3),
    galleryHeight * (0.25 + (2 * (0.75 - 0.25)) / 3),
    galleryHeight * 0.75,
  ];

  ...
};

    Then I added some
    GSAP
    magic by looping through each threshold and attaching scrollTrigger to it. 

    const setupScrollTriggers = () => {

	...

	scrollThresholds.forEach((threshold, index) => {
	    ScrollTrigger.create({
	      trigger: bookGallery.value,
	      markers: false,
	      start: `top+=${threshold} center`,
	      end: `top+=${galleryHeight * 0.5} bottom`,
	      onEnter: () => {
	        triggerAnimation(index);
	      },
	      onEnterBack: () => {
	        triggerAnimation(index);
	      },
	      once: false,
	    });
	  });
};

    On scroll, when the user enters or re-enters a section defined by the thresholds, a function is triggered within a
    Three.js
    file. 

    const triggerAnimation = (index: number) => {
  window.experience?.world?.books?.createAnimation(index);
};

    Now let ‘s look at
    Three.js
    file: 

    // src/three/Experience/Basement/World/Books/Books.ts

import * as THREE from "three";
import Experience from "@/three/Experience/Basement/Experience/Experience";

import { SCROLL_RATIO } from "@/constant/scroll";

import { gsap } from "gsap";

import type { Book } from "./books.types";
import type { Material, Scene, Texture, ThreeGroup } from "@/types/three.types";
import type { Sizes } from "@/three/Experience/Utils/Sizes/types";
import type LoadModel from "@/three/Experience/factories/LoadModel/LoadModel";
import type MaterialGenerator from "@/three/Experience/factories/MaterialGenerator/BasicMaterialGenerator";
import type Resources from "@/three/Experience/Utils/Ressources/Resources";

const GSAP_EASE = "power2.out";
const GSAP_DURATION = 1;
const NB_OF_VIEWPORTS_BOOK_SECTION = 5;

let instance: Books | null = null;

export default class Books {
  public scene: Scene;
  public experience: Experience;
  public resources: Resources;
  public loadModel: LoadModel;
  public sizes: Sizes;

  public materialGenerator: MaterialGenerator;
  public resourceDiffuse: Texture;
  public resourceNormal: Texture;
  public bakedMaterial: Material;

  public startingPostionY: number;
  public originalPosition: Book[];
  public activeIndex: number = 0;
  public isAnimationRunning: boolean = false;
  
  public bookGalleryElement: HTMLElement | null = null;
  public bookSectionHeight: number;
  public booksGroup: ThreeGroup;


  constructor() {
    if (instance) {
      return instance;
    }
    instance = this;

    this.experience = new Experience();
    this.scene = this.experience.sceneSecondary; // I am using a second scene for the books, so it's not affected by the primary scene (basement in the background)
    this.sizes = this.experience.sizes;
    
    this.resources = this.experience.resources;
    this.materialGenerator = this.experience.materialGenerator;

    this.init();
  }

  init() {
    ...
  }

  initModels() {
   ...
  }

  findPosition() {
   ...
  }

  setBookSectionHeight() {
   ...
  }

  initBooks() {
   ...
  }

  initBook() {
   ...
  }

  createAnimation() {
    ...
  }

  toggleIsAnimationRunning() {
    ...
  }

  ...

  destroySingleton() {
    ...
  }
}

    When the file is initialized, we set up the textures and positions of the books.

    init() {
  this.initModels();
  this.findPosition();
  this.setBookSectionHeight();
  this.initBooks();
}

initModels() {
  this.originalPosition = [
      {
      name: "book1",
      meshName: null, // the name of the mesh from Blender will dynamically be written here
      position: { x: 0, y: -0, z: 20 },
      rotation: { x: 0, y: Math.PI / 2.2, z: 0 }, // some rotation on y axis so it looks more natural when the books are pilled
    },
    {
      name: "book2",
      meshName: null,
      position: { x: 0, y: -0.25, z: 20 },
      rotation: { x: 0, y: Math.PI / 1.8, z: 0 },
    },
    {
      name: "book3",
      meshName: null,
      position: { x: 0, y: -0.52, z: 20 },
      rotation: { x: 0, y: Math.PI / 2, z: 0 },
    },
    {
      name: "book4",
      meshName: null,
      position: { x: 0, y: -0.73, z: 20 },
      rotation: { x: 0, y: Math.PI / 2.3, z: 0 },
    },
  ];

  this.resourceDiffuse = this.resources.items.bookDiffuse;
  this.resourceNormal = this.resources.items.bookNormal;

    // a reusable class to set the material and normal map
  this.bakedMaterial = this.materialGenerator.setStandardMaterialAndNormal(
    this.resourceDiffuse,
    this.resourceNormal
  );
}

//#region position of the books

// Finds the initial position of the book gallery in the DOM
findPosition() {
  this.bookGalleryElement = document.getElementById("bookGallery");

  if (this.bookGalleryElement) {
    const rect = this.bookGalleryElement.getBoundingClientRect();
    this.startingPostionY = (rect.top + window.scrollY) / 200;
  }
}

//  Sets the height of the book section based on viewport and scroll ratio
setBookSectionHeight() {
  this.bookSectionHeight =
    this.sizes.height * NB_OF_VIEWPORTS_BOOK_SECTION * SCROLL_RATIO;
}

//#endregion position of the books

    Each book mesh is created and added to the scene as a
    THREE.Group
    . 

    init() {
  ...
  this.initBooks();
}

...

initBooks() {
  this.booksGroup = new THREE.Group();
  this.scene.add(this.booksGroup);
  
  this.originalPosition.forEach((position, index) => {
    this.initBook(index, position);
  });
}

initBook(index: number, position: Book) {
  const bookModel = this.experience.resources.items[position.name].scene;
  this.originalPosition[index].meshName = bookModel.children[0].name;

  //Reusable code to set the models. More details under the Design Parterns section
  this.loadModel.addModel(
    bookModel,
    this.bakedMaterial,
    false,
    false,
    false,
    true,
    true,
    2,
    true
  );

  this.scene.add(bookModel);

  bookModel.position.set(
    position.position.x,
    position.position.y - this.startingPostionY,
    position.position.z
  );
  
  bookModel.rotateY(position.rotation.y);
  bookModel.scale.set(10, 10, 10);
  this.booksGroup.add(bookModel);
}

    Each time a book
    enters
    or
    reenters
    its thresholds, the triggers from the
    Vue
    file run the animation
    createAnimation
    in this file, which rotates the active book in front of the camera and stacks the other books into a pile. 

    ...

createAnimation(activeIndex: number) {
    if (!this.originalPosition) return;

    this.originalPosition.forEach((item: Book) => {
      const bookModel = this.scene.getObjectByName(item.meshName);
      if (bookModel) {
        gsap.killTweensOf(bookModel.rotation);
        gsap.killTweensOf(bookModel.position);
      }
    });
    this.toggleIsAnimationRunning(true);

    this.activeIndex = activeIndex;
    this.originalPosition.forEach((item: Book, index: number) => {
      const bookModel = this.scene.getObjectByName(item.meshName);

      if (bookModel) {
        if (index === activeIndex) {
          gsap.to(bookModel.rotation, {
            x: Math.PI / 2,
            z: Math.PI / 2.2,
            y: 0,
            duration: 2,
            ease: GSAP_EASE,
            delay: 0.3,
            onComplete: () => {
              this.toggleIsAnimationRunning(false);
            },
          });
          gsap.to(bookModel.position, {
            y: 0,
            duration: GSAP_DURATION,
            ease: GSAP_EASE,
            delay: 0.1,
          });
        } else {
        // pile unactive book
          gsap.to(bookModel.rotation, {
            x: 0,
            y: 0,
            z: 0,
            duration: GSAP_DURATION - 0.2,
            ease: GSAP_EASE,
          });

          const newYPosition = activeIndex < index ? -0.14 : +0.14;

          gsap.to(bookModel.position, {
            y: newYPosition,
            duration: GSAP_DURATION,
            ease: GSAP_EASE,
            delay: 0.1,
          });
        }
      }
    });
  }


  toggleIsAnimationRunning(bool: boolean) {
    this.isAnimationRunning = bool;
  }

    Interactive Physics Simulations: Rope Dynamics

    The game is the main attraction of the website. The entire concept began back in 2022, when I set out to build a small
    mini-game where you could jump on tables and smash things and it was my favorite part to work on.

    Beyond being fun to develop, the interactive physics elements make the experience more engaging, adding a whole new
    layer of excitement and exploration that simply isn’t possible in a flat, static environment.

    While I can ‘t possibly cover all the physics-related elements, one of my favorites is the rope system near the menu.
    It’s a subtle detail, but it was one of the first things I coded when I started leaning into a more theatrical,
    artistic direction.

    The ropes were also built with performance in mind—optimized to look and behave convincingly without dragging down the
    framerate.

    This is the base file for the meshes:

    // src/three/Experience/Theater/World/Theater/Rope/RopeModel.ts

import * as THREE from "three";
import Experience from "@/three/Experience/Theater/Experience/Experience";
import RopeMaterialGenerator from "@/three/Experience/Factories/MaterialGenerator/RopeMaterialGenerator";

import ropesLocation from "./ropesLocation.json";

import type { Location, List } from "@/types/experience/experience.types";
import type { Scene, Resources, Physics, RopeMesh, CurveQuad } from "@/types/three.types";

let instance: RopeModel | null = null;

export default class RopeModel {
  public scene: Scene;
  public experience: Experience;
  public resources: Resources;
  public physics: Physics;
  public material: Material;
  public list: List;
  public ropeMaterialGenerator: RopeMaterialGenerator;

  public ropeLength: number = 20;
  public ropeRadius: number = 0.02;
  public ropeRadiusSegments: number = 8;

  constructor() {
    //    Singleton
    if (instance) {
      return instance;
    }
    instance = this;

    this.experience = new Experience();
    this.scene = this.experience.scene;
    this.resources = this.experience.resources;
    this.physics = this.experience.physics;
    this.ropeMaterialGenerator = new RopeMaterialGenerator();
    
    this.ropeLength = this.experience.physics.rope.numberOfSpheres || 20;
    this.ropeRadius = 0.02;
    this.ropeRadiusSegments = 8;

    this.list = {
      rope: [],
    };

    this.initRope();
  }
  
  initRope() {
   ...
  }
  
  createRope() {
    ...
  }
  
  setArrayOfVertor3() {
    ...
  }
  
  setYValues() {
    ...
  }
  
  setMaterial() {
    ...
  }

  addRopeToScene() {
    ...
  }

  //#region update at 60FPS
  update() {
   ...
  }
  
  updateLineGeometry() {
   ...
  }
  //#endregion update at 60FPS

  destroySingleton() {
    ...
  }
}

    Mesh creation is initiated inside the constructor.

    // src/three/Experience/Theater/World/Theater/Rope/RopeModel.ts

 constructor() {
	...
    this.initRope();
  }
  
  initRope() {
    // Generate the material that will be used for all ropes
    this.setMaterial();

    // Create a rope at each location specified in the ropesLocation configuration
    ropesLocation.forEach((location) => {
      this.createRope(location);
    });
  }

  createRope(location: Location) {
    // Generate the curve that defines the rope's path
    const curveQuad = this.setArrayOfVertor3();
    this.setYValues(curveQuad);

    const tube = new THREE.TubeGeometry(
      curveQuad,
      this.ropeLength,
      this.ropeRadius,
      this.ropeRadiusSegments,
      false
    );

    const rope = new THREE.Mesh(tube, this.material);

    rope.geometry.attributes.position.needsUpdate = true;

    // Add the rope to the scene and set up its physics. I'll explain it later.
    this.addRopeToScene(rope, location);
  }

  setArrayOfVertor3() {
    const arrayLimit = this.ropeLength;
    const setArrayOfVertor3 = [];
    // Create points in a vertical line, spaced 1 unit apart
    for (let index = 0; index < arrayLimit; index++) {
      setArrayOfVertor3.push(new THREE.Vector3(10, 9 - index, 0));
      if (index + 1 === arrayLimit) {
        return new THREE.CatmullRomCurve3(
          setArrayOfVertor3,
          false,
          "catmullrom",
          0.1
        );
      }
    }
  }

  setYValues(curve: CurveQuad) {
    // Set each point's Y value to its index, creating a vertical line
    for (let i = 0; i < curve.points.length; i++) {
      curve.points[i].y = i;
    }
  }
  
  setMaterial(){
	  ...
  }

    Since the rope texture is used in multiple places, I use a factory pattern for efficiency.

    ...

setMaterial() {
    this.material = this.ropeMaterialGenerator.generateRopeMaterial(
      "rope",
      0x3a301d, // Brown color
      1.68, // Normal Repeat
      0.902, // Normal Intensity
      21.718, // Noise Strength
      1.57, // UV Rotation
      9.14, // UV Height
      this.resources.items.ropeDiffuse, // Diffuse texture map
      this.resources.items.ropeNormal // Normal map for surface detail
    );
  }
    // src/three/Experience/Factories/MaterialGenerator/RopeMaterialGenerator.ts
import * as THREE from "three";
import Experience from "@/three/Experience/Theater/Experience/Experience";

import vertexShader from "@/three/Experience/Shaders/Rope/vertex.glsl";
import fragmentShader from "@/three/Experience/Shaders/Rope/fragment.glsl";

import type { ResourceDiffuse, RessourceNormal } from "@/types/three.types";
import type Debug from "@/three/Experience/Utils/Debugger/Debug";

let instance: RopeMaterialGenerator | null = null;

export default class RopeMaterialGenerator {
  public experience: Experience;

  private debug: Debug;

  constructor() {
    //    Singleton
    if (instance) {
      return instance;
    }
    instance = this;

    this.experience = new Experience();
    this.debug = this.experience.debug;
  }

  generateRopeMaterial(
    name: string,
    uLightColor: number,
    uNormalRepeat: number,
    uNormalIntensity: number,
    uNoiseStrength: number,
    uvRotate: number,
    uvHeight: number,
    resourceDiffuse: ResourceDiffuse,
    ressourceNormal: RessourceNormal
  ) {
    const normalTexture = ressourceNormal;
    normalTexture.wrapS = THREE.RepeatWrapping;
    normalTexture.wrapT = THREE.RepeatWrapping;

    const diffuseTexture = resourceDiffuse;
    diffuseTexture.wrapS = THREE.RepeatWrapping;
    diffuseTexture.wrapT = THREE.RepeatWrapping;

    const customUniforms = {
      uAddedLight: {
        value: new THREE.Color(0x000000),
      },
      uLightColor: {
        value: new THREE.Color(uLightColor),
      },
      uNormalRepeat: {
        value: uNormalRepeat,
      },
      uNormalIntensity: {
        value: uNormalIntensity,
      },
      uNoiseStrength: {
        value: uNoiseStrength,
      },
      uShadowStrength: {
        value: 1.296,
      },
      uvRotate: {
        value: uvRotate, 
      },
      uvHeight: {
        value: uvHeight,
      },
      uLightPosition: {
        value: new THREE.Vector3(60, 100, 60),
      },
      normalMap: {
        value: normalTexture,
      },
      diffuseMap: {
        value: diffuseTexture,
      },
      uAlpha: {
        value: 1,
      },
    };

    const shaderUniforms = THREE.UniformsUtils.clone(
      THREE.UniformsLib["lights"]
    );
    const shaderUniformsNormal = THREE.UniformsUtils.clone(
      THREE.UniformsLib["normalmap"]
    );
    const uniforms = Object.assign(
      shaderUniforms,
      shaderUniformsNormal,
      customUniforms
    );

    const materialFloor = new THREE.ShaderMaterial({
      uniforms: uniforms,
      vertexShader: vertexShader,
      fragmentShader: fragmentShader,
      precision: "lowp",
    });

    return materialFloor;
  }
  
  
  destroySingleton() {
    ...
  }
}

    The vertex and its fragment

    // src/three/Experience/Shaders/Rope/vertex.glsl

uniform float uNoiseStrength;      // Controls the intensity of noise effect
uniform float uNormalIntensity;    // Controls the strength of normal mapping
uniform float uNormalRepeat;       // Controls the tiling of normal map
uniform vec3 uLightColor;          // Color of the light source
uniform float uShadowStrength;     // Intensity of shadow effect
uniform vec3 uLightPosition;       // Position of the light source
uniform float uvRotate;            // Rotation angle for UV coordinates
uniform float uvHeight;            // Height scaling for UV coordinates
uniform bool isShadowBothSides;    // Flag for double-sided shadow rendering


varying float vNoiseStrength;      // Passes noise strength to fragment shader
varying float vNormalIntensity;    // Passes normal intensity to fragment shader
varying float vNormalRepeat;       // Passes normal repeat to fragment shader
varying vec2 vUv;                  // UV coordinates for texture mapping
varying vec3 vColorPrimary;        // Primary color for the material
varying vec3 viewPos;              // Position in view space
varying vec3 vLightColor;          // Light color passed to fragment shader
varying vec3 worldPos;             // Position in world space
varying float vShadowStrength;     // Shadow strength passed to fragment shader
varying vec3 vLightPosition;       // Light position passed to fragment shader

// Helper function to create a 2D rotation matrix
mat2 rotate(float angle) {
    return mat2(cos(angle), -sin(angle), sin(angle), cos(angle));
}

void main() {
    // Calculate rotation angle and its sine/cosine components
    float angle = 1.0 * uvRotate;
    float s = sin(angle);
    float c = cos(angle);

    // Create rotation matrix for UV coordinates
    mat2 rotationMatrix = mat2(c, s, -s, c);

    // Define pivot point for UV rotation
    vec2 pivot = vec2(0.5, 0.5);

    // Transform vertex position to clip space
    gl_Position = projectionMatrix * viewMatrix * modelMatrix * vec4(position, 1.0);

    // Apply rotation and height scaling to UV coordinates
    vUv = rotationMatrix * (uv - pivot) + pivot;
    vUv.y *= uvHeight;

    // Pass various parameters to fragment shader
    vNormalRepeat = uNormalRepeat;
    vNormalIntensity = uNormalIntensity;
    viewPos = vec3(0.0, 0.0, 0.0);  // Initialize view position
    vNoiseStrength = uNoiseStrength;
    vLightColor = uLightColor;
    vShadowStrength = uShadowStrength;
    vLightPosition = uLightPosition;
}
    // src/three/Experience/Shaders/Rope/fragment.glsl
// Uniform textures for normal and diffuse mapping
uniform sampler2D normalMap;
uniform sampler2D diffuseMap;

// Varying variables passed from vertex shader
varying float vNoiseStrength;
varying float vNormalIntensity;
varying float vNormalRepeat;
varying vec2 vUv;
varying vec3 viewPos;
varying vec3 vLightColor;
varying vec3 worldPos;
varying float vShadowStrength;
varying vec3 vLightPosition;

// Constants for lighting calculations
const float specularStrength = 0.8;
const vec4 colorShadowTop = vec4(vec3(0.0, 0.0, 0.0), 1.0);

void main() {
    // normal, diffuse and light accumulation
    vec3 samNorm = texture2D(normalMap, vUv * vNormalRepeat).xyz * 2.0 - 1.0;
    vec4 diffuse = texture2D(diffuseMap, vUv * vNormalRepeat);
    vec4 addedLights = vec4(0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0);

    // Calculate diffuse lighting
    vec3 lightDir = normalize(vLightPosition - worldPos);
    float diff = max(dot(lightDir, samNorm), 0.0);
    addedLights.rgb += diff * vLightColor;

    // Calculate specular lighting
    vec3 viewDir = normalize(viewPos - worldPos);
    vec3 reflectDir = reflect(-lightDir, samNorm);
    float spec = pow(max(dot(viewDir, reflectDir), 0.0), 16.0);
    addedLights.rgb += specularStrength * spec * vLightColor;

    // Calculate top shadow effect. In this case, this higher is it, the darker it gets.
    float shadowTopStrength = 1.0 - pow(vUv.y, vShadowStrength) * 0.5;
    float shadowFactor = smoothstep(0.0, 0.5, shadowTopStrength);

    // Mix diffuse color with shadow. 
    vec4 mixedColorWithShadowTop = mix(diffuse, colorShadowTop, shadowFactor);
    // Mix lighting with shadow
    vec4 addedLightWithTopShadow = mix(addedLights, colorShadowTop, shadowFactor);

    // Final color composition with normal intensity control
    gl_FragColor = mix(mixedColorWithShadowTop, addedLightWithTopShadow, vNormalIntensity);
}

    Once the material is created and added to the mesh, the
    addRopeToScene
    function adds the rope to the scene, then calls the
    addPhysicsToRope
    function from the physics file. 

    // src/three/Experience/Theater/World/Theater/Rope/RopeModel.ts
  addRopeToScene(mesh: Mesh, location: Location) {
    this.list.rope.push(mesh); //Add the rope to an array, which will be used by the physics file to update the mesh
    this.scene.add(mesh);
    this.physics.rope.addPhysicsToRope(location); // same as src/three/Experience/Theater/Physics/Theater/Rope/Rope.addPhysicsToRope(location)
  }

    Let ‘s now focus on the physics file.

    // src/three/Experience/Theater/Physics/Theater/Rope/Rope.ts

import * as CANNON from "cannon-es";

import Experience from "@/three/Experience/Theater/Experience/Experience";

import type { Location } from "@/types/experience.types";
import type Physics from "@/three/Experience/Theater/Physics/Physics";
import type { Scene, SphereBody } from "@/types/three.types";

let instance: Rope | null = null;

const SIZE_SPHERE = 0.05;
const ANGULAR_DAMPING = 1;
const DISTANCE_BETWEEN_SPHERES = SIZE_SPHERE * 5;
const DISTANCE_BETWEEN_SPHERES_BOTTOM = 2.3;
const DISTANCE_BETWEEN_SPHERES_TOP = 6;
const LINEAR_DAMPING = 0.5;
const NUMBER_OF_SPHERES = 20;

export default class Rope {
  public experience: Experience;
  public physics: Physics;
  public scene: Scene;
  public list: list[];

  constructor() {
    //    Singleton
    if (instance) {
      return instance;
    }
    instance = this;

    this.experience = new Experience();
    this.scene = this.experience.scene;
    this.physics = this.experience.physics;

    this.list = {
      rope: [],
    };
  }

  //#region add physics
  addPhysicsToRope() {
   ...
  }

  setRopePhysics() {
    ...
  }
  
  setMassRope() {
   ...
  }
  
  setDistanceBetweenSpheres() {
    ...
  }
  
  setDistanceBetweenConstraints() {
   ...
  }
  
  addConstraints() {
    ...
  }
  //#endregion add physics

  //#region update at 60FPS
  update() {
    ...
  }

  loopRopeWithPhysics() {
    ...
  }
  
  updatePoints() {
    ...
  }
  //#endregion update at 60FPS

  destroySingleton() {
    ...
  }
}

    The rope’s physics is created from the mesh file using the methods
    addPhysicsToRope
    , called using
    this.physics.rope.addPhysicsToRope(location);. 

    addPhysicsToRope(location: Location) {
  this.setRopePhysics(location);
}

setRopePhysics(location: Location) {
  const sphereShape = new CANNON.Sphere(SIZE_SPHERE);
  const rope = [];

  let lastBody = null;
  for (let index = 0; index < NUMBER_OF_SPHERES; index++) {
    // Create physics body for each sphere in the rope. The spheres will be what collide with the player
    const spherebody = new CANNON.Body({ mass: this.setMassRope(index) });

    spherebody.addShape(sphereShape);
    spherebody.position.set(
      location.x,
      location.y - index * DISTANCE_BETWEEN_SPHERES,
      location.z
    );
    this.physics.physics.addBody(spherebody);
    rope.push(spherebody);
    spherebody.linearDamping = LINEAR_DAMPING;
    spherebody.angularDamping = ANGULAR_DAMPING;

    // Create constraints between consecutive spheres
    lastBody !== null
      ? this.addConstraints(spherebody, lastBody, index)
      : null;

    lastBody = spherebody;

    if (index + 1 === NUMBER_OF_SPHERES) {
      this.list.rope.push(rope);
    }
  }
}

setMassRope(index: number) {
  return index === 0 ? 0 : 2; // first sphere is fixed (mass 0)
}

setDistanceBetweenSpheres(index: number, locationY: number) {
  return locationY - DISTANCE_BETWEEN_SPHERES * index;
}

setDistanceBetweenConstraints(index: number) {
// since the user only interact the spheres are the bottom, so the distance between the spheres is gradualy increasing from the bottom to the top//Since the user only interacts with the spheres that are at the bottom, the distance between the spheres is gradually increasing from the bottom to the top
  if (index <= 2) {
    return DISTANCE_BETWEEN_SPHERES * DISTANCE_BETWEEN_SPHERES_TOP;
  }
  if (index > 2 && index <= 8) {
    return DISTANCE_BETWEEN_SPHERES * DISTANCE_BETWEEN_SPHERES_BOTTOM;
  }
  return DISTANCE_BETWEEN_SPHERES;
}

addConstraints(
  sphereBody: CANNON.Body,
  lastBody: CANNON.Body,
  index: number
) {
  this.physics.physics.addConstraint(
    new CANNON.DistanceConstraint(
      sphereBody,
      lastBody,
      this.setDistanceBetweenConstraints(index)
    )
  );
}

    When configuring physics parameters, strategy is key. Although users won ‘t consciously notice during gameplay, they
    can only interact with the lower portion of the rope. Therefore, I concentrated more physics detail where it matters –
    by adding more spheres to the bottom of the rope.

    Since the user only interacts with the bottom of the rope, the density of the physics sphere is higher at the bottom
    of the rope than at the top of the rope.

    Rope meshes are then updated every frame from the physics file.

     //#region update at 60FPS
 update() {
  this.loopRopeWithPhysics();
}

loopRopeWithPhysics() {
  for (let index = 0; index < this.list.rope.length; index++) {
    this.updatePoints(this.list.rope[index], index);
  }
}

updatePoints(element: CANNON.Body[], indexParent: number) {
  element.forEach((item: CANNON.Body, index: number) => {
    // Update the mesh with the location of each of the physics spheres
    this.experience.world.rope.list.rope[
      indexParent
    ].geometry.parameters.path.points[index].copy(item.position);
  });
}
//#endregion update at 60FPS

    Animations in the DOM – ticket tearing particles

    While the website heavily relies on Three.js to create an immersive experience, many elements remain DOM-based. One of
    my goals for this portfolio was to combine both worlds: the rich, interactive 3D environments and the efficiency of
    traditional DOM elements. Furthermore, I genuinely enjoy coding DOM-based micro-interactions, so skipping out on them
    wasn ‘t an option!

    One of my favorite DOM animations is the ticket-tearing effect, especially the particles flying away. It ‘s subtle,
    but adds a bit of charm. The effect is not only fun to watch but also relatively easy to adapt to other projects.
    First, let ‘s look at the structure of the components.

    TicketBase.vue
    is a fairly simple file with minimal styling. It handles the tearing animation and a few basic functions. Everything
    else related to the ticket such as the style is handled by other components passed through slots.

    To make things clearer, I ‘ve cleaned up my
    TicketBase.vue
    file a bit to highlight how the particle effect works. 

    import { computed, ref, watch, useSlots } from "vue";
import { useAudioStore } from "@/stores/audio";

import type { TicketBaseProps } from "./types";

const props = withDefaults(defineProps<TicketBaseProps>(), {
  isTearVisible: true,
  isLocked: false,
  cardId: null,
  isFirstTear: false,
  runTearAnimation: false,
  isTearable: false,
  markup: "button",
});

const { setCurrentFx } = useAudioStore();

const emit = defineEmits(["hover:enter", "hover:leave"]);

const particleContainer = ref<HTMLElement | null>(null);
const particleContainerTop = ref<HTMLElement | null>(null);
const timeoutParticles = ref<NodeJS.Timeout | null>(null);
const isAnimationStarted = ref<boolean>(false);
const isTearRipped = ref<boolean>(false);

const isTearable = computed(
  () => isTearVisible || (!isTearVisible && isFirstTear)
);

const handleClick = () => {
  ...
};

const runTearAnimation = () => {
  ...
};

const createParticles = () => {
  ...
};

const deleteParticles = () => {
  ...
};

const toggleIsAnimationStarted = () => {
...
};

const cssClasses = computed(() => [
  ...
]);



.ticket-base {
   ...
 }



/* particles can't be scoped */
.particle {
...
}

    When a ticket is clicked (or the user presses Enter), it runs the function
    handleClick()
    , which then calls
    runTearAnimation()
    . 

    const handleClick = () => {
  if (!props.isTearable || props.isLocked || isAnimationStarted.value) return;
	...

  runTearAnimation();
};

...

const runTearAnimation = () => {
  toggleIsAnimationStarted(true);

  createParticles(particleContainerTop.value, "bottom");
  createParticles(particleContainer.value, "top");
  isTearRipped.value = true;
  // add other functions such ad tearing SFX
};


...

const toggleIsAnimationStarted = (bool: boolean) => {
  isAnimationStarted.value = bool;
};

    The
    createParticles
    function creates a few new
    <div>
    elements, which act as the little particles. These divs are then appended to either the main part of the ticket or the
    torn part. 

    const createParticles = (containerSelector: HTMLElement, direction: string) => {
  const numParticles = 5;
  for (let i = 0; i < numParticles; i++) {
    const particle = document.createElement("div");
    particle.className = "particle";

    // Calculate left position based on index and add small random offset
    const baseLeft = (i / numParticles) * 100;
    const randomOffset = (Math.random() - 0.5) * 10;
    particle.style.left = `calc(${baseLeft}% + ${randomOffset}%)`;

    // Assign unique animation properties
    const duration = Math.random() * 0.3 + 0.1;
    const translateY = (i / numParticles) * -20 - 2;
    const scale = Math.random() * 0.5 + 0.5;
    const delay = ((numParticles - i - 1) / numParticles) * 0;

    particle.style.animation = `flyAway ${duration}s ${delay}s ease-in forwards`;
    particle.style.setProperty("--translateY", `${translateY}px`);
    particle.style.setProperty("--scale", scale.toString());

    if (direction === "bottom") {
      particle.style.animation = `flyAwayBottom ${duration}s ${delay}s ease-in forwards`;
    }

    containerSelector.appendChild(particle);

    // Remove particle after animation ends
    particle.addEventListener("animationend", () => {
      particle.remove();
    });
  }
};

    The particles are animated using a CSS keyframes animation called
    flyAway
    or
    flyAwayBottom
    . 

    .particle {
  position: absolute;
  width: 0.2rem;
  height: 0.2rem;
  background-color: var(--color-particles); /* === #655c52 */

  animation: flyAway 3s ease-in forwards;
}

@keyframes flyAway {
  0% {
    transform: translateY(0) scale(1);
    opacity: 1;
  }
  100% {
    transform: translateY(var(--translateY)) scale(var(--scale));
    opacity: 0;
  }
}

@keyframes flyAwayBottom {
  0% {
    transform: translateY(0) scale(1);
    opacity: 1;
  }
  100% {
    transform: translateY(calc(var(--translateY) * -1)) scale(var(--scale));
    opacity: 0;
  }
}

    Additional Featured Animations

    There are so many features, details easter eggs and animation I wanted to cover in this article, but it’s simply not
    possible to go through everything as it would be too much and many deserve their own tutorial.

    That said, here are some of my favorites to code. They definitely deserve a spot in this article.

    Reflections on Aurel’s Grand Theater

    Even though it took longer than I originally anticipated, Aurel ‘s Grand Theater was an incredibly fun and rewarding
    project to work on. Because it wasn ‘t a client project, it offered a rare opportunity to freely experiment, explore
    new ideas, and push myself outside my comfort zone, without the usual constraints of budgets or deadlines.

    Looking back, there are definitely things I ‘d approach differently if I were to start again. I ‘d spend more time
    defining the art direction upfront, lean more heavily into GPU, and perhaps implement Rapier. But despite these
    reflections, I had an amazing time building this project and I ‘m satisfied with the final result.

    While recognition was never the goal, I ‘m deeply honored that the site was acknowledged. It received FWA of the Day,
    Awwwards Site of the Day and Developer Award, as well as GSAP’s Site of the Week and Site of the Month.

    I ‘m truly grateful for the recognition, and I hope this behind-the-scenes look and shared code snippets inspire you
    in your own creative coding journey.



    Source link

  • Matrix Sentinels: Building Dynamic Particle Trails with TSL

    Matrix Sentinels: Building Dynamic Particle Trails with TSL


    While experimenting with particle systems, I challenged myself to create particles with tails, similar to snakes moving through space. At first, I didn’t have access to TSL, so I tested basic ideas, like using noise derivatives and calculating previous steps for each particle, but none of them worked as expected.

    I spent a long time pondering how to make it work, but all my solutions involved heavy testing with WebGL and GPGPU, which seemed like it would require too much code for a simple proof of concept. That’s when TSL (Three.js Shader Language) came into play. With its Compute Shaders, I was able to compute arrays and feed the results into materials, making it easier to test ideas quickly and efficiently. This allowed me to accomplish the task without much time lost.

    Now, let’s dive into the step-by-step process of building the particle system, from setting up the environment to creating the trails and achieving that fluid movement.

    Step 1: Set Up the Particle System

    First, we’ll define the necessary uniforms that will be used to create and control the particles in the system.

    uniforms = {
    color: uniform( new THREE.Color( 0xffffff ).setRGB( 1, 1, 1 ) ),
    size: uniform( 0.489 ),

    uFlowFieldInfluence: uniform( 0.5 ),
    uFlowFieldStrength: uniform( 3.043 ),
    uFlowFieldFrequency: uniform( 0.207 ),
}

    Next, create the variables that will define the parameters of the particle system. The “tails_count” variable determines how many segments each snake will have, while the “particles_count” defines the total number of segments in the scene. The “story_count” variable represents the number of frames used to store the position data for each segment. Increasing this value will increase the distance between segments, as we will store the position history of each one. The “story_snake” variable holds the history of one snake, while “full_story_length” stores the history for all snakes. These variables will be enough to bring the concept to life.

    tails_count = 7 //  n-1 point tails
particles_count = this.tails_count * 200 // need % tails_count
story_count = 5 // story for 1 position
story_snake = this.tails_count * this.story_count
full_story_length = ( this.particles_count / this.tails_count ) * this.story_snake

    Next, we need to create the buffers required for the computational shaders. The most important buffer to focus on is the “positionStoryBuffer,” which will store the position history of all segments. To understand how it works, imagine a train: the head of the train sets the direction, and the cars follow in the same path. By saving the position history of the head, we can use that data to determine the position of each car by referencing its position in the history.

    const positionsArray = new Float32Array( this.particles_count * 3 )
const lifeArray = new Float32Array( this.particles_count )

const positionInitBuffer = instancedArray( positionsArray, 'vec3' );
const positionBuffer = instancedArray( positionsArray, 'vec3' );

// Tails
const positionStoryBuffer = instancedArray( new Float32Array( this.particles_count * this.tails_count * this.story_count ), 'vec3' );

const lifeBuffer = instancedArray( lifeArray, 'float' );

    Now, let’s create the particle system with a material. I chose a standard material because it allows us to use an emissiveNode, which will interact with Bloom effects. For each segment, we’ll use a sphere and disable frustum culling to ensure the particles don’t accidentally disappear off the screen.

    const particlesMaterial = new THREE.MeshStandardNodeMaterial( {
    metalness: 1.0,
    roughness: 0
} );
    
particlesMaterial.emissiveNode = color(0x00ff00)

const sphereGeometry = new THREE.SphereGeometry( 0.1, 32, 32 );

const particlesMesh = this.particlesMesh = new THREE.InstancedMesh( sphereGeometry, particlesMaterial, this.particles_count );
particlesMesh.instanceMatrix.setUsage( THREE.DynamicDrawUsage );
particlesMesh.frustumCulled = false;

this.scene.add( this.particlesMesh )

    Step 2: Initialize Particle Positions

    To initialize the positions of the particles, we’ll use a computational shader to reduce CPU usage and speed up page loading. We randomly generate the particle positions, which form a pseudo-cube shape. To keep the particles always visible on screen, we assign them a lifetime after which they disappear and won’t reappear from their starting positions. The “cycleStep” helps us assign each snake its own random positions, ensuring the tails are generated in the same location as the head. Finally, we send this data to the computation process.

    const computeInit = this.computeInit = Fn( () => {
    const position = positionBuffer.element( instanceIndex )
    const positionInit = positionInitBuffer.element( instanceIndex );
    const life = lifeBuffer.element( instanceIndex )

    // Position
    position.xyz = vec3(
        hash( instanceIndex.add( uint( Math.random() * 0xffffff ) ) ),
        hash( instanceIndex.add( uint( Math.random() * 0xffffff ) ) ),
        hash( instanceIndex.add( uint( Math.random() * 0xffffff ) ) )
    ).sub( 0.5 ).mul( vec3( 5, 5, 5 ) );

    // Copy Init
    positionInit.assign( position )

    const cycleStep = uint( float( instanceIndex ).div( this.tails_count ).floor() )

    // Life
    const lifeRandom = hash( cycleStep.add( uint( Math.random() * 0xffffff ) ) )
    life.assign( lifeRandom )

} )().compute( this.particles_count );

this.renderer.computeAsync( this.computeInit ).then( () => {
    this.initialCompute = true
} )
    Initialization of particle position

    Step 3: Compute Position History

    For each frame, we compute the position history for each segment. The key aspect of the “computePositionStory” function is that new positions are recorded only from the head of the snake, and all positions are shifted one step forward using a queue algorithm.

    const computePositionStory = this.computePositionStory = Fn( () => {
    const positionStory = positionStoryBuffer.element( instanceIndex )

    const cycleStep = instanceIndex.mod( uint( this.story_snake ) )
    const lastPosition = positionBuffer.element( uint( float( instanceIndex.div( this.story_snake ) ).floor().mul( this.tails_count ) ) )

    If( cycleStep.equal( 0 ), () => { // Head
        positionStory.assign( lastPosition )
    } )

    positionStoryBuffer.element( instanceIndex.add( 1 ) ).assign( positionStoryBuffer.element( instanceIndex ) )

} )().compute( this.full_story_length );

    Step 4: Update Particle Positions

    Next, we update the positions of all particles, taking into account the recorded history of their positions. First, we use simplex noise to generate the new positions of the particles, allowing our snakes to move smoothly through space. Each particle also has its own lifetime, during which it moves and eventually resets to its original position. The key part of this function is determining which particle is the head and which is the tail. For the head, we generate a new position based on simplex noise, while for the tail, we use positions from the saved history.

    const computeUpdate = this.computeUpdate = Fn( () => {

    const position = positionBuffer.element( instanceIndex )
    const positionInit = positionInitBuffer.element( instanceIndex )

    const life = lifeBuffer.element( instanceIndex );

    const _time = time.mul( 0.2 )

    const uFlowFieldInfluence = this.uniforms.uFlowFieldInfluence
    const uFlowFieldStrength = this.uniforms.uFlowFieldStrength
    const uFlowFieldFrequency = this.uniforms.uFlowFieldFrequency

    If( life.greaterThanEqual( 1 ), () => {
        life.assign( life.mod( 1 ) )
        position.assign( positionInit )

    } ).Else( () => {
        life.addAssign( deltaTime.mul( 0.2 ) )
    } )

    // Strength
    const strength = simplexNoise4d( vec4( position.mul( 0.2 ), _time.add( 1 ) ) ).toVar()
    const influence = uFlowFieldInfluence.sub( 0.5 ).mul( -2.0 ).toVar()
    strength.assign( smoothstep( influence, 1.0, strength ) )

    // Flow field
    const flowField = vec3(
        simplexNoise4d( vec4( position.mul( uFlowFieldFrequency ).add( 0 ), _time ) ),
        simplexNoise4d( vec4( position.mul( uFlowFieldFrequency ).add( 1.0 ), _time ) ),
        simplexNoise4d( vec4( position.mul( uFlowFieldFrequency ).add( 2.0 ), _time ) )
    ).normalize()

    const cycleStep = instanceIndex.mod( uint( this.tails_count ) )

    If( cycleStep.equal( 0 ), () => { // Head
        const newPos = position.add( flowField.mul( deltaTime ).mul( uFlowFieldStrength ) /* * strength */ )
        position.assign( newPos )
    } ).Else( () => { // Tail
        const prevTail = positionStoryBuffer.element( instanceIndex.mul( this.story_count ) )
        position.assign( prevTail )
    } )

} )().compute( this.particles_count );

    To display the particle positions, we’ll create a simple function called “positionNode.” This function will not only output the positions but also apply a slight magnification effect to the head of the snake.

    particlesMaterial.positionNode = Fn( () => {
    const position = positionBuffer.element( instanceIndex );

    const cycleStep = instanceIndex.mod( uint( this.tails_count ) )
    const finalSize = this.uniforms.size.toVar()

    If( cycleStep.equal( 0 ), () => {
        finalSize.addAssign( 0.5 )
    } )

    return positionLocal.mul( finalSize ).add( position )
} )()

    The final element will be to update the calculations on each frame.

    async update( deltaTime ) {

    // Compute update
    if( this.initialCompute) {
        await this.renderer.computeAsync( this.computePositionStory )
        await this.renderer.computeAsync( this.computeUpdate )
    }
}

    Conclusion

    Now, you should be able to easily create position history buffers for other problem-solving tasks, and with TSL, this process becomes quick and efficient. I believe this project has potential for further development, such as transferring position data to model bones. This could enable the creation of beautiful, flying dragons or similar effects in 3D space. For this, a custom bone structure tailored to the project would be needed.



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  • Droip: The Next Big Revolution in WordPress – Redefining No-Code Web Building

    Droip: The Next Big Revolution in WordPress – Redefining No-Code Web Building


    Let’s be real—building a WordPress site with traditional page builders can feel like assembling IKEA furniture with missing pieces.

    You install a page builder only to find out it doesn’t do half the things you need. So you pile on plugins to fill the gaps, and they end up conflicting with one another.

    Your site slows down, SEO takes a hit, and suddenly, you’re knee-deep in subscription fees, support tickets, and messy workarounds.

    It’s 2025. We deserve better. 

    That era of outdated page builders and plugin-heavy setups is over.

    Today’s web demands speed, flexibility, and full creative control—minus the bloat and the added costs. That’s where Droip comes in. A new kind of builder made for modern creators. 

    But what makes it unique? Let’s break it down.

    All-in-One Web Building Ecosystem 

    Droip is a full-fledged, no-code ecosystem that lets you build smarter.

    Whether it’s SEO, forms, popups, dynamic content, or even image editing, Droip handles it natively.

    Because it’s all native, your site stays lean, fast, and conflict-free. Oh, and your wallet? It stays happy too.

    What that means for you:

    • No surprise costs or upgrade traps.
    • Faster load times and better performance.
    • One support team, one solution.
    • Scales with your business—whether you’re a solo creator or running a full agency.

    Pricing: It’s transparent, with no hidden upsells. Check the Pricing page for the details.

    To learn how Droip works, watch a quick video overview of Droip in action. 

    Modern UI With Maximum Control

    Let’s start with the UI. 

    The moment you open the editor, everything feels intuitive.

    It’s sleek. It’s modern. It’s not that stiff, clunky layout you’ve seen in other WordPress builders. 

    Instead, the editor gives you an interface that feels familiar, like the modern major web builders you already know, but packs the kind of power only Droip can deliver.

    Everything’s exactly where you expect it to be. 

    The menu panels are clean and concise. Element settings are instantly accessible.

    The UX flows effortlessly from dragging elements to switching panels, it’s all frictionless.

    And yes, it also has both dark and light modes for your comfort.

    Overall, it provides a clean, smooth workspace designed to help you move fast and build without barriers.

    Design Freedom For Everyone

    When it comes to design, Droip hands you the keys to total design freedom.

    Whether you’re starting from scratch or using predesigned layouts, you have all the flexibility and options.

    A Growing Collection of Stunning Templates

    Start with Droip’s growing collection of stunning templates, from sleek portfolios to bold business sites. They’re professionally designed, fully customizable, and included in your subscription (no sneaky extra fees)!  

    Pre-Made Sections, Pages, and Components

    Mix and match ready-made sections, pages, and components like contact forms, testimonials, cards, and more. It’s like having a design toolkit at your fingertips. Just drag, drop, customize if needed, and you’re all set.

    Turn Figma Designs into Fully Editable Pages—In Seconds

    Imagine dragging in your Figma mockup and watching it become a live, editable page in seconds. If you have got your site designed in Figma, you can just copy and paste it into Droip—yes, literally. 

    The builder instantly converts it into a fully editable, auto-responsive page with a single click. And the best part? It automatically adapts to all breakpoints, including any custom ones you define.

    Want to Start from Scratch? Go for It!

    If you’re the “I want full control” type, Droip’s intuitive drag-and-drop canvas is all yours. Build pixel-perfect layouts, experiment, and make it yours.

    Droip was built with the atomic approach to give you granular control over every aspect of your website. With deep element editing, you can adjust every detail, from typography to layouts, to fit your exact vision.

    Native Dynamic Content. No ACF Required.

    Managing dynamic content in WordPress usually means extra plugins like ACF. Not anymore.

    Droip lets you create, manage, and style dynamic content like listings, directories, and portfolios right out of the box. 

    Connect your content, customize it visually, and even set dynamic SEO for every item’s detail page. All built-in and all visual.

    A Smarter Media Manager That Works Like a Design Tool

    Droip’s media manager is not just for organizing images.

    You can crop, resize, add filters, or create custom text paths all inside Droip’s powerful native media manager.

    Image Editing Tools

    One of the standout features of Droip’s media manager is its advanced image editing capabilities. 

    Edit your images directly within Droip, from basic cropping and resizing to applying advanced filters, without relying on third-party tools. 

    Text Path Creation

    Another innovative feature is the ability to create text paths. This allows you to design text that follows any path or shape for that extra creative edge.

    Extensive Icons & Shapes library

    Droip has an extensive library of shapes so you can do more than ever. 

    You can leverage an array of distinctive shapes, customize them to create unique visuals, and effortlessly add them to any part of your website.

    Plus, it also houses a vast collection of high-quality icons, all ready to be refined to perfection.

    Instant Global Styling Sync with Variables 

    Most builders make global styling difficult with scattered controls. But this WordPress builder has a dedicated feature called Variables that allows you to save and apply reusable styles across your entire site. 

    The system is centralized and features a real-time preview, meaning you can update your design in seconds. Say you want to tweak your brand’s primary color. Change it once, and Droip updates every button, heading, and section styled with that variable instantly.

    You can also create multiple styling modes, such as light and dark themes, and switch between them with a single click—perfect for seasonal refreshers or theme updates.

    Reusable Components with Symbols

    Droip also comes with a feature called Symbols, which lets you turn any element along with all of its nested children into a reusable component.

    That means if you build something once like a button, a pricing card, or even an entire section, you can reuse it throughout the site

    You can even set your global header and footer as Symbols, which makes keeping everything consistent across your site way easier.

    Immersive Interactions and Animations

    If you have been settling for basic motion, a few hover effects, maybe a fade-in or two, it’s time to achieve more. 

    Droip has rich interactions and animation capabilities. You can create immersive, responsive experiences that feel polished and purposeful—not just flashy. From hover effects to scroll-based reveals, you’re free to build any web interactions.

    And when you’re ready to go beyond simple effects, it has an interaction timeline that gives you a visual playground to choreograph complex, multi-step animations with ease. Paired with the custom timing editor, you can shape how your animation flows down to the finest detail.

    Text Animations

    It also approaches Text Animations with the same depth and flexibility. You can choose your trigger, select transition styles, and animate at the character, word, or element level. 

    You can fine-tune every movement, like speed, direction, intensity, delay, and duration, until it’s just right.

    Multiple Backgrounds & Effects

    Droip offers robust options for layering multiple backgrounds and shadow effects. 

    You can layer multiple backgrounds from solid colors to gradients (linear, radial, conic) or images for dynamic, vibrant designs. 

    Combine that with shadow effects for added depth and dimension, and you can create a truly unique visual experience without being limited by pre-set templates.

    Droip Apps for Seamless Integrations

    Droip has a convenient approach when it comes to connecting integrations. 

    You can directly install and connect third-party integrations without leaving the builder and automate workflows by integrating essential tools like analytics, email marketing, and customer support.

    Native Pop-up Builder

    The built-in popup builder also checks all the right boxes, giving you full control over both design and behavior. 

    Design your pop-ups visually, set visibility conditions, and choose custom triggers, whether it’s a click, scroll, or exit intent. You can position them exactly where you want on the screen.

    But that’s not all. You can also customize the appearance with smooth transitions, whether it’s a subtle notification or a full-screen takeover.

    Form Builder with Built-in Form Data Manager

    Creating forms elsewhere can be a hassle, requiring multiple tools to manage both form design and data collection.

    But with this no-code website builder, you can practically design any web form and then access and manage form data with the built-in Form Data Manager. 

    Whether you’re collecting leads, registrations, or feedback, Droip combines form creation and data management in one place.

    Unlimited Breakpoints for Responsiveness 

    Many builders limit your ability to adjust responsiveness across devices, leaving you with only a few pre-set breakpoints.

    Here, however, you can define unlimited breakpoints and fine-tune responsiveness for every screen size, ensuring your design adapts perfectly.

    AI-Powered Website Creation

    Droip also has AI features to assist and accelerate your entire workflow. 

    You can instantly generate page structures and layouts, all with a single prompt. It intelligently understands your content and automatically creates optimal layouts, which are neatly structured and easily accessible in the Layers Panel. 

    And if you need help crafting the perfect copy, it can do that too. It even generates meta titles and descriptions, saving you time while ensuring your site stays optimized for search engines.

    Role Manager

    Another essential feature for managing your website is the Role Manager.

    With the Role Manager in Droip, you can control what users can access and edit within the Droip Editor.

    Whether you’re working solo or collaborating with a team, Droip lets you customize who has access to what in a pretty straightforward way.

    Accessibility Built-in

    Accessibility is often left to external plugins in other platforms. But Droip bakes it right into the experience.

    From increasing text size and reducing motion to enabling larger cursors and magnifying content, the builder offers a wide range of built-in tools to offer an inclusive website creation experience. It also includes support for various visual impairments, like color blindness. 

    It also has a built-in color contrast checker to ensure that your text is readable and your color choices meet accessibility standards. 

    Dynamic and AI-Powered SEO

    For SEO, you get the basics: meta titles, descriptions, and Open Graph tags, all easily editable for every page. Even better, you can generate SEO metadata automatically with AI, saving you time.

    But when working with dynamic content, Droip takes SEO a step further. 

    You can set dynamic SEO, so you don’t have to write SEO data for every single dynamic detail page. Whether it’s a product catalog or course listings, dynamic SEO optimizes the individual detail pages automatically, saving you from manual updates.

    No Performance Compromise

    With so many powerful features built into the platform, you might wonder if performance takes a hit. 

    But no.

    While other traditional WordPress page builders produce bloated code or excessive scripts, Droip delivers clean, minimal markup so even the most complex site loads fast and smooth.

    Automatic Page Audit for Quality Control

    Most platforms leave quality control up to you.

    But Droip has a Page Audit feature that automatically catches issues before they become problems. 

    Whether it’s missing alt text, links, or class names, you’ll get a clear report so you can publish with confidence.

    Final Verdict

    With its packed feature set, slick UI, and native performance, it’s clear that Droip is a complete powerhouse solution at an unbeatable price.

    It’s sleek, it’s powerful, and it’s exactly what WordPress has been waiting for. 

    Where other builders hit their limits, Droip puts you in the driver’s seat, giving you the freedom and tools to craft extraordinary websites.

    So, if you’re still patching plugins together and wasting your money, it’s time to try Droip to feel the difference.



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