three vs @react-three/fiber vs @react-three/drei
3D Graphics Libraries for React Comparison
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What's 3D Graphics Libraries for React?

These libraries are essential for integrating 3D graphics into React applications, enabling developers to create immersive and interactive experiences. They leverage WebGL and provide abstractions to manage complex 3D scenes, making it easier to work with 3D objects, animations, and environments. Each library serves a unique purpose, from providing foundational capabilities to enhancing usability and functionality for developers.

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three1,788,638104,66828.7 MB5595 days agoMIT
@react-three/fiber499,72128,293395 kB6712 days agoMIT
@react-three/drei327,8128,7291.74 MB1126 days agoMIT
Feature Comparison: three vs @react-three/fiber vs @react-three/drei

Integration with React

  • three:

    three is a standalone library that does not integrate directly with React. It requires additional setup to manage 3D scenes within a React application.

  • @react-three/fiber:

    @react-three/fiber is specifically designed to integrate Three.js with React, allowing developers to use React's component-based architecture to build and manage 3D scenes, making it intuitive for those familiar with React.

  • @react-three/drei:

    @react-three/drei provides a set of pre-built components and hooks that simplify the integration of Three.js into React applications, allowing developers to quickly set up 3D scenes without extensive boilerplate code.

Ease of Use

  • three:

    three has a steeper learning curve due to its extensive API and lower-level control over 3D rendering, which may be overwhelming for beginners.

  • @react-three/fiber:

    @react-three/fiber allows developers to leverage React's familiar syntax and lifecycle methods, making it easier to manage 3D objects and scenes compared to using Three.js directly.

  • @react-three/drei:

    @react-three/drei abstracts many common tasks in 3D development, such as loading textures and models, which significantly reduces the complexity and learning curve for developers new to 3D graphics.

Performance Optimization

  • three:

    three provides low-level control over rendering performance but requires developers to implement optimizations manually, such as managing the render loop and minimizing draw calls.

  • @react-three/fiber:

    @react-three/fiber optimizes rendering by using React's reconciliation algorithm, ensuring that only the necessary components are re-rendered when state changes occur, which can lead to better performance in dynamic scenes.

  • @react-three/drei:

    @react-three/drei includes optimizations for common tasks, such as automatic handling of loading states and efficient rendering techniques, which can enhance performance in 3D applications.

Community and Ecosystem

  • three:

    three has a large and established community with extensive documentation, tutorials, and third-party resources, making it a robust choice for developers looking for comprehensive support.

  • @react-three/fiber:

    @react-three/fiber has a strong community and is actively maintained, with many resources available for learning and troubleshooting, making it a reliable choice for React developers.

  • @react-three/drei:

    @react-three/drei benefits from a growing community of React developers who contribute to its development, providing a wealth of resources, examples, and support for users.

Feature Set

  • three:

    three offers a comprehensive feature set for 3D graphics, including advanced rendering techniques, physics, and post-processing effects, making it suitable for developers who need full control over their 3D applications.

  • @react-three/fiber:

    @react-three/fiber provides a powerful API that allows developers to create complex 3D scenes using React's declarative syntax, enabling advanced features like animations and interactions with ease.

  • @react-three/drei:

    @react-three/drei includes a variety of useful components such as pre-built geometries, loaders, and effects that enhance the development experience and speed up the creation of 3D scenes.

How to Choose: three vs @react-three/fiber vs @react-three/drei
  • three:

    Choose three if you require a comprehensive 3D graphics library that provides extensive features for rendering, animation, and physics. It is the core library that powers the other two packages and is suitable for developers who need full control over their 3D scenes and want to utilize advanced features not covered by the abstractions in the other packages.

  • @react-three/fiber:

    Choose @react-three/fiber if you want to integrate Three.js with React's declarative paradigm. It allows you to build 3D scenes using React components, making it easier to manage state and lifecycle methods in a familiar way for React developers. This is suitable for those who prefer a React-centric approach to 3D graphics.

  • @react-three/drei:

    Choose @react-three/drei if you need a collection of useful helpers and abstractions that simplify common tasks in 3D development, such as loading models, creating lights, and handling effects. It is ideal for developers looking for convenience and speed in building 3D scenes without delving into lower-level details.

Similar Npm Packages to three

three is a popular JavaScript library used for creating and displaying 3D graphics in a web browser. It leverages WebGL to render high-performance graphics and provides a simple API to work with 3D objects, scenes, cameras, lights, and animations. With its extensive features and a large community, three.js has become a go-to choice for developers looking to create interactive 3D experiences, games, and visualizations on the web.

One notable alternative to three.js is babylonjs. Babylon.js is another powerful 3D engine that allows developers to create stunning graphics and immersive experiences in the browser. It is designed to be user-friendly and provides a comprehensive set of features, including physics, animations, and a rich material system. Babylon.js also supports WebXR, making it a strong candidate for developing virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) applications. If you are looking for a robust engine with advanced features and a focus on VR/AR, Babylon.js might be the right choice for your project.

To see how three.js compares with Babylon.js, check out the comparison: Comparing three vs babylonjs.

Similar Npm Packages to @react-three/fiber

@react-three/fiber is a powerful React renderer for Three.js, enabling developers to create 3D graphics and animations within React applications using a declarative approach. This library allows you to leverage the full capabilities of Three.js while maintaining the familiar React component structure, making it easier to integrate 3D elements into your projects. With @react-three/fiber, you can build complex 3D scenes, manage state, and handle user interactions seamlessly.

While @react-three/fiber is a robust solution for integrating 3D graphics into React, there are alternatives that can complement or enhance its functionality:

  • @react-three/drei is a collection of useful helpers and abstractions for @react-three/fiber. It provides a set of pre-built components and utilities that simplify common tasks in 3D development, such as loading models, creating lights, and managing camera controls. If you are using @react-three/fiber, integrating @react-three/drei can significantly speed up your development process by providing ready-to-use components that enhance your 3D scenes without requiring extensive custom code.
  • three is the core library for creating 3D graphics in the browser. It provides the foundational tools and APIs for rendering 3D objects, handling animations, and managing scenes. While @react-three/fiber builds on top of Three.js to provide a React-friendly interface, developers may still need to interact directly with Three.js for certain advanced features or optimizations. If you're looking for low-level control over your 3D graphics or need to implement features not covered by @react-three/fiber, working directly with Three.js can be beneficial.

To explore the differences and similarities between these packages, check out the comparison: Comparing @react-three/drei vs @react-three/fiber vs three.

Similar Npm Packages to @react-three/drei

@react-three/drei is a collection of useful helpers and abstractions for building 3D applications using React Three Fiber, which is a React renderer for Three.js. The library provides a set of pre-built components and utilities that simplify the process of creating complex 3D scenes, making it easier for developers to focus on the creative aspects of their projects. With features like simplified geometry, lighting, and controls, @react-three/drei enhances the development experience for React developers working with 3D graphics.

While @react-three/drei is a powerful tool for React Three Fiber users, there are other libraries in the 3D ecosystem that serve different purposes. Here are a few alternatives:

  • react-three-fiber is the core library that allows developers to use Three.js in React applications. It provides a declarative way to create and manage 3D scenes, leveraging React's component-based architecture. With react-three-fiber, you can create complex 3D visualizations and interactions using familiar React patterns. If you are looking to build 3D applications with React, react-three-fiber is essential, as it serves as the foundation upon which @react-three/drei builds its abstractions.
  • three is the underlying JavaScript library for creating 3D graphics in the browser. It provides a comprehensive set of features for rendering 3D objects, managing scenes, and handling animations. While three.js is not specifically designed for React, it is the core technology that powers 3D rendering in many applications, including those built with react-three-fiber. If you need low-level control over your 3D graphics or are working outside of the React ecosystem, three.js is the go-to library for 3D rendering.

For a detailed comparison of these packages, check out: Comparing @react-three/drei vs react-three-fiber vs three.

README for three

three.js

NPM Package Build Size NPM Downloads DeepScan Discord

JavaScript 3D library

The aim of the project is to create an easy-to-use, lightweight, cross-browser, general-purpose 3D library. The current builds only include WebGL and WebGPU renderers but SVG and CSS3D renderers are also available as addons.

Examples — Docs — Manual — Wiki — Migrating — Questions — Forum — Discord

Usage

This code creates a scene, a camera, and a geometric cube, and it adds the cube to the scene. It then creates a WebGL renderer for the scene and camera, and it adds that viewport to the document.body element. Finally, it animates the cube within the scene for the camera.

import * as THREE from 'three';

const width = window.innerWidth, height = window.innerHeight;

// init

const camera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera( 70, width / height, 0.01, 10 );
camera.position.z = 1;

const scene = new THREE.Scene();

const geometry = new THREE.BoxGeometry( 0.2, 0.2, 0.2 );
const material = new THREE.MeshNormalMaterial();

const mesh = new THREE.Mesh( geometry, material );
scene.add( mesh );

const renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer( { antialias: true } );
renderer.setSize( width, height );
renderer.setAnimationLoop( animate );
document.body.appendChild( renderer.domElement );

// animation

function animate( time ) {

	mesh.rotation.x = time / 2000;
	mesh.rotation.y = time / 1000;

	renderer.render( scene, camera );

}

If everything goes well, you should see this.

Cloning this repository

Cloning the repo with all its history results in a ~2 GB download. If you don't need the whole history you can use the depth parameter to significantly reduce download size.

git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/mrdoob/three.js.git

Change log

Releases

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