GLTF Custom Animations

GLTF Custom Animations GLTF Custom Animations GLTF Custom Animations

We don't need to download animations from other websites, we can create our own.

Using Blender, you can create a model and then adjust the positions, scales and rotations of its parts by creating key frames on the timeline editor.

Test the animations works by using the play options on the timeline editor in Blender, and then export your model as GLB(preferred) or GLTF with animation options selected for the export.

After exporting your model, you can drag the GLB/GLTF file from your filesystem, onto this example scene below. It will read the file and create a new checkbox for every animation clip that it finds. You can enable/disable each animation.

Start Code

./src/server/server.ts

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import express from "express"
import path from "path"
import http from "http"

const port: number = 3000

class App {
    private server: http.Server
    private port: number

    constructor(port: number) {
        this.port = port
        const app = express()
        app.use(express.static(path.join(__dirname, '../client')))
        app.use('/build/three.module.js', express.static(path.join(__dirname, '../../node_modules/three/build/three.module.js')))
        app.use('/jsm/controls/OrbitControls', express.static(path.join(__dirname, '../../node_modules/three/examples/jsm/controls/OrbitControls.js')))
        app.use('/jsm/loaders/GLTFLoader', express.static(path.join(__dirname, '../../node_modules/three/examples/jsm/loaders/GLTFLoader.js')))
        app.use('/jsm/libs/stats.module', express.static(path.join(__dirname, '../../node_modules/three/examples/jsm/libs/stats.module.js')))
        app.use('/jsm/libs/dat.gui.module', express.static(path.join(__dirname, '../../node_modules/three/examples/jsm/libs/dat.gui.module.js')))

        this.server = new http.Server(app);
    }

    public Start() {
        this.server.listen(this.port, () => {
            console.log( `Server listening on port ${this.port}.` )
        })
    }
}

new App(port).Start()

./src/client/client.ts

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import * as THREE from '/build/three.module.js'
import { OrbitControls } from '/jsm/controls/OrbitControls'
import { GLTF, GLTFLoader } from '/jsm/loaders/GLTFLoader'
import Stats from '/jsm/libs/stats.module'

const scene: THREE.Scene = new THREE.Scene()

const camera: THREE.PerspectiveCamera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera(75, window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight, 0.01, 1000)
camera.position.set(4, 4, 4)

const renderer: THREE.WebGLRenderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer()
renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight)
document.body.appendChild(renderer.domElement)

const controls = new OrbitControls(camera, renderer.domElement)

let mixer: THREE.AnimationMixer
let modelReady = false;

const gltfLoader: GLTFLoader = new GLTFLoader();

const dropzone = document.getElementById("dropzone") as HTMLDivElement

dropzone.ondragover = dropzone.ondragenter = function (evt) {
    evt.preventDefault()
};
dropzone.ondrop = function (evt: DragEvent) {
    evt.stopPropagation()
    evt.preventDefault()

    //clear the scene
    for (let i = scene.children.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
        scene.remove(scene.children[i]);
    }
    //clear the checkboxes
    const myNode = document.getElementById("animationsPanel") as HTMLDivElement;
    while (myNode.firstChild) {
        myNode.removeChild(myNode.lastChild as any);
    }

    const axesHelper = new THREE.AxesHelper(5)
    scene.add(axesHelper)

    const light1 = new THREE.DirectionalLight(new THREE.Color(0xffcccc));
    light1.position.set(-1, 1, 1)
    scene.add(light1);

    const light2 = new THREE.DirectionalLight(new THREE.Color(0xccffcc));
    light2.position.set(1, 1, 1)
    scene.add(light2);

    const light3 = new THREE.DirectionalLight(new THREE.Color(0xccccff));
    light3.position.set(0, -1, 0)
    scene.add(light3);

    const files = (evt.dataTransfer as DataTransfer).files
    const reader = new FileReader();
    reader.onload = function () {
        gltfLoader.parse(reader.result as string, "/",
            (gltf: GLTF) => {

                console.log(gltf.scene)

                mixer = new THREE.AnimationMixer(gltf.scene);

                console.log(gltf.animations)

                if (gltf.animations.length > 0) {
                    const animationsPanel: HTMLDivElement = document.getElementById("animationsPanel") as HTMLDivElement
                    const ul: HTMLUListElement = document.createElement("UL") as HTMLUListElement
                    const ulElem = animationsPanel.appendChild(ul)

                    gltf.animations.forEach((a: THREE.AnimationClip, i) => {
                        const li: HTMLLIElement = document.createElement("UL") as HTMLLIElement
                        const liElem = ulElem.appendChild(li)

                        const checkBox = document.createElement("INPUT") as HTMLInputElement
                        checkBox.id = "checkbox_" + i
                        checkBox.type = "checkbox"
                        checkBox.addEventListener("change", (e: Event) => {
                            if ((e.target as HTMLInputElement).checked) {
                                mixer.clipAction((gltf as any).animations[i]).play()
                            } else {
                                mixer.clipAction((gltf as any).animations[i]).stop()
                            }
                        })
                        liElem.appendChild(checkBox)

                        const label = document.createElement("LABEL") as HTMLLabelElement
                        label.htmlFor = "checkbox_" + i
                        label.innerHTML = a.name;
                        liElem.appendChild(label)
                    })
                } else {
                    const animationsPanel: HTMLDivElement = document.getElementById("animationsPanel") as HTMLDivElement
                    animationsPanel.innerHTML = "No animations found in model"
                }

                scene.add(gltf.scene)

                const bbox = new THREE.Box3().setFromObject(gltf.scene);
                controls.target.x = ((bbox.min.x + bbox.max.x) / 2)
                controls.target.y = ((bbox.min.y + bbox.max.y) / 2)
                controls.target.z = ((bbox.min.z + bbox.max.z) / 2)

                modelReady = true
            },
            (error) => {
                console.log(error);
            }
        )
    }
    reader.readAsArrayBuffer(files[0]);
};

window.addEventListener('resize', onWindowResize, false)
function onWindowResize() {
    camera.aspect = window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight
    camera.updateProjectionMatrix()
    renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight)
    render()
}

const stats = Stats()
document.body.appendChild(stats.dom)

const clock: THREE.Clock = new THREE.Clock()

var animate = function () {
    requestAnimationFrame(animate)

    controls.update()

    if (modelReady) mixer.update(clock.getDelta());

    render()

    stats.update()
};

function render() {
    renderer.render(scene, camera)
}
animate();

./dist/client/index.html

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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
    <title>Three.js TypeScript Tutorials by Sean Bradley</title>
    <style>
        body {
            overflow: hidden;
            margin: 0px;
        }

        #animationsPanel {
            position: absolute;
            top: 10px;
            right: 10px;
            width: 300px;
            height: auto;
            border: 1px solid white;
            color: white;
            font-family: monospace;
            font-size: 17px;
        }

        #animationsPanel ul {
            padding: 4px;
            list-style-type: none;
        }


        #dropzone {
            position: absolute;
            width: 140px;
            height: 90px;
            left: 10px;
            top: 50px;
            border: 10px dotted gray;
            background-color: lightgray;
            padding: 20px;
            font-family: monospace;
            font-size: 17px;
        }

        #dropzone p {
            pointer-events: none;
        }
    </style>
</head>

<body>
    <div id="dropzone">
        <p>Drag (uncompressed) animated gLTF/gLB here</p>
    </div>
    <div id="animationsPanel"></div>
    <script type="module" src="client.js"></script>
</body>

</html>