Introduction

npm install three @react-three/fiber

Build your scene declaratively with re-usable, self-contained components that react to state, are readily interactive and can tap into React's ecosystem.

None. Everything that works in three.js will work here without exception.

Yes, because it merely expresses three.js in JSX: <mesh /> becomes new THREE.Mesh(), and that happens dynamically. There is no hard dependency on a particular three.js version, it does not wrap or duplicate a single three.js class.

There is no additional overhead. Components participate in the renderloop outside of React.

Let's make a re-usable component that has its own state, reacts to user-input and participates in the render-loop. (live demo).

import ReactDOM from 'react-dom'
import React, { useRef, useState } from 'react'
import { Canvas, useFrame } from '@react-three/fiber'

function Box(props) {
  // This reference will give us direct access to the mesh
  const mesh = useRef()
  // Set up state for the hovered and active state
  const [hovered, setHover] = useState(false)
  const [active, setActive] = useState(false)
  // Subscribe this component to the render-loop, rotate the mesh every frame
  useFrame((state, delta) => (mesh.current.rotation.x += 0.01))
  // Return view, these are regular three.js elements expressed in JSX
  return (
    <mesh
      {...props}
      ref={mesh}
      scale={active ? 1.5 : 1}
      onClick={(event) => setActive(!active)}
      onPointerOver={(event) => setHover(true)}
      onPointerOut={(event) => setHover(false)}
    >
      <boxGeometry args={[1, 1, 1]} />
      <meshStandardMaterial color={hovered ? 'hotpink' : 'orange'} />
    </mesh>
  )
}

ReactDOM.render(
  <Canvas>
    <ambientLight />
    <pointLight position={[10, 10, 10]} />
    <Box position={[-1.2, 0, 0]} />
    <Box position={[1.2, 0, 0]} />
  </Canvas>,
  document.getElementById('root')
)

npm install @types/three

import * as THREE from 'three'
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom'
import React, { useRef, useState } from 'react'
import { Canvas, useFrame } from '@react-three/fiber'

function Box(props: JSX.IntrinsicElements['mesh']) {
  const mesh = useRef<THREE.Mesh>(null!)
  const [hovered, setHover] = useState(false)
  const [active, setActive] = useState(false)
  useFrame((state, delta) => (mesh.current.rotation.x += 0.01))
  return (
    <mesh
      {...props}
      ref={mesh}
      scale={active ? 1.5 : 1}
      onClick={(event) => setActive(!active)}
      onPointerOver={(event) => setHover(true)}
      onPointerOut={(event) => setHover(false)}
    >
      <boxGeometry args={[1, 1, 1]} />
      <meshStandardMaterial color={hovered ? 'hotpink' : 'orange'} />
    </mesh>
  )
}

ReactDOM.render(
  <Canvas>
    <ambientLight />
    <pointLight position={[10, 10, 10]} />
    <Box position={[-1.2, 0, 0]} />
    <Box position={[1.2, 0, 0]} />
  </Canvas>,
  document.getElementById('root')
)

You need to be versed in both React and three.js before rushing into this. If you are unsure about React consult the official React docs, especially the section about hooks. As for three.js, make sure you at least glance over the following links:

• Make sure you have a basic grasp of three.js. Keep that site open.
• When you know what a scene is, a camera, mesh, geometry, material, fork the demo above.
• Look up the JSX elements that you see (mesh, ...), all threejs exports are native to three-fiber.
• Try changing some values, scroll through our Api to see what the various settings and hooks do.

• three.js-docs
• three.js-examples
• three.js-fundamentals
• Discover three.js
• Do's and don'ts for performance and best practices
• react-three-fiber alligator.io tutorial by @dghez_

• @react-three/gltfjsx – turns GLTFs into JSX components
• @react-three/drei – useful helpers for react-three-fiber
• @react-three/postprocessing – post-processing effects
• @react-three/flex – flexbox for react-three-fiber
• @react-three/xr – VR/AR controllers and events
• @react-three/cannon – physics based hooks
• @react-three/a11y – accessibility tools for react-three-fiber
• zustand – state management
• react-spring – a spring-physics-based animation library
• react-use-gesture – mouse/touch gestures

If you like this project, please consider helping out. All contributions are welcome as well as donations to Opencollective, or in crypto BTC: 36fuguTPxGCNnYZSRdgdh6Ea94brCAjMbH, ETH: 0x6E3f79Ea1d0dcedeb33D3fC6c34d2B1f156F2682.