Loading external assets like 3D models and textures is a powerful way to bring richness and complexity to your Three.js scenes. However, it's crucial to approach this with optimization in mind to ensure your web experiences remain performant and accessible. This section will guide you through best practices for loading and managing your assets.
Large, unoptimized 3D models can significantly impact loading times and rendering performance. Before importing, consider the following:
- Polygon Count: Reduce the number of vertices and faces in your models. High polygon counts lead to more complex geometry that the GPU has to process. Tools like Blender offer decimation modifiers to simplify meshes.
- File Format: Choose efficient file formats. glTF/GLB is the recommended standard for web 3D. It's designed for efficient transmission and loading, supports PBR materials, and can embed textures.
- Texture Atlasing: Combine multiple small textures into a single larger texture atlas. This reduces the number of texture fetches, which can be a performance bottleneck.
- Level of Detail (LOD): For complex scenes, consider creating multiple versions of a model with varying polygon counts and using them based on their distance from the camera. This is a more advanced technique but can yield significant performance gains.
Textures are often the largest contributors to asset file size. Here's how to optimize them:
- Resolution: Use the smallest texture resolution that still looks good. Don't use 4K textures if a 1K or 512px version will suffice, especially for distant or small objects.