Animated 3D Websites

Expressive 3D, with a Useful Page Underneath

I build WebGL experiences with Three.js, React Three Fiber and GSAP. A product model, spatial showcase or animated identity can give a website character when it supports the content and the visitor’s task.

The first decision is what the scene contributes. Navigation, readable content and important actions should remain usable while assets load, when motion is reduced and when WebGL is unavailable.

Design the Asset and Runtime Together

The work can include model preparation, material and lighting design, camera choreography, interaction states and asset delivery. Geometry, texture memory, pixel ratio and draw calls are reviewed together on agreed devices.

A frame-rate target is a test condition, not a guarantee across every GPU. The result depends on the scene, screen resolution, browser, hardware and background workload. We record those conditions when profiling.

Resource cleanup follows ownership. Shared models and textures should not be disposed while another scene still uses them. A copied cleanup snippet that forcibly loses a renderer’s context is not a universal React Three Fiber lifecycle strategy.

Plan the States Before the Effects

For a scroll-driven product scene, I define loading, entry, settled presentation and exit. Each state has a visible fallback and a clear relationship to the surrounding content. Reduced motion can retain the composition while removing travel and continuous rotation.

Keyboard navigation and primary actions stay in the HTML interface. Decorative canvas elements should not become the only way to understand or operate the page.

What the Engagement Can Include

The agreed scope may cover the scene, optimized assets, animation controls, responsive fallback, test notes and a handover for future asset changes. Custom shaders are included when the visual direction needs them.

A useful brief includes the intended audience, reference assets, required interactions and target devices. That lets us design a distinctive experience with a realistic performance budget.