Develop Reference

multiple calls to the renderer do not work

In the last two months i have learned a lot about three.js and javascript. i have now gone deeper into the handling of shaders and i once saw a nice example of creating procedural planets on the web. I find spherical geometries interesting because their non-euclidean geometry makes them a nice challenge for textures.
I have shown the main code here. my problem is that the texture rendering doesn't work.
I have tested the individual components of my program. The shader and the planet class, all functions work correctly.
the problem is the renderer. I need this to display the scene but also to create the textures. When in the function
textureGeneratorMaterial (below) renderer.render(textureScene, textureCamera, texture, true); is activate, I only get a black screen. There after the function renderer.render(scene, camera); is called, I mean that the normal scene should be seen. Does the program remain trapped in the texture scene? Why does renderer.render(scene, camera) not work, if the renderer is also called in textureGeneratorMaterial?
I've already tried to create a second renderer, but that doesn't work either. At the moment i don't know what to do, because i don't understand the cause. Someone knows why the renderer doesn't want the way I want?
var camera, controls, scene, renderer, container;
var sunLight, ambientlight;
var test1, test2, test3, test4;
function main() {
init();
animate();
}
function init() {
renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer( { antialias: true } );
renderer.setPixelRatio( window.devicePixelRatio );
renderer.shadowMap.enabled = true;
renderer.shadowMap.type = THREE.PCFSoftShadowMap;
container = document.getElementById('container');
renderer.setSize(container.clientWidth, container.clientHeight);
container.appendChild( renderer.domElement );
var aspect = container.clientWidth / container.clientHeight;
scene = new THREE.Scene();
scene.background = new THREE.Color( 0x000000 );
camera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera( 45, container.clientWidth / container.clientHeight, 1, 10000 );
camera.position.set(0, 0, 20);
controls = new THREE.OrbitControls( camera, renderer.domElement );
controls.enableZoom = true;
controls.enabled = true;
controls.target.set(0, 0, 0);
//-------------
sunLight = new THREE.PointLight(new THREE.Color(0xffffff), 1.0);
sunLight.position.set(100, 0, 0);
scene.add(sunLight);
ambientlight = new THREE.AmbientLight( 0xF0F0F0 ); // soft white light
scene.add( ambientlight );
var maps = generateTextures(); //--here is the problem---
/* -----used ro check "function textureGeneratorMaterial(index)" works------
var plane = new THREE.Mesh(
new THREE.PlaneGeometry(1024, 1024),
textureGeneratorMaterial(0)
);
scene.add( plane );
*/
/*-----used ro check "Planet class" works------
for(var i = 0; i <6;i++){
maps.textureMaps[i].texture = new THREE.TextureLoader().load("img/Cay_sand.jpeg");
maps.bumpMaps[i].texture = new THREE.TextureLoader().load("img/Cay_sand.jpeg");
}
*/
scene.add(new Planet(5, maps.textureMaps, maps.bumpMaps)); // works correct
}//-------End init----------
function animate() {
requestAnimationFrame( animate );
render();
}//-------End animate----------
function render() {
document.getElementById("demo1").innerHTML = test1;
document.getElementById("demo2").innerHTML = test2;
document.getElementById("demo3").innerHTML = test3;
document.getElementById("demo4").innerHTML = test4;
camera.updateMatrixWorld();
camera.updateProjectionMatrix();
renderer.render(scene, camera);
}//-------End render----------
function generateTextures() {
var textureMaps = [];
var bumpMaps = [];
var resolution = 1024;
for (var index = 0; index < 6; index++) {
var texture = new THREE.WebGLRenderTarget(resolution, resolution, {minFilter: THREE.LinearFilter, magFilter: THREE.LinearFilter, format: THREE.RGBFormat});
var textureCamera = new THREE.OrthographicCamera(-resolution/2, resolution/2, resolution/2, -resolution/2, -100, 100);
textureCamera.position.z = 10;
var textureScene = new THREE.Scene();
var plane = new THREE.Mesh(
new THREE.PlaneGeometry(resolution, resolution),
textureGeneratorMaterial(index)
);
plane.position.z = -10;
textureScene.add(plane);
// renderer.render(textureScene, textureCamera, texture, true);
var buffer = new Uint8Array(resolution * resolution * 4);
var gl = renderer.getContext();
gl.readPixels( 0, 0, resolution, resolution, gl.RGBA, gl.UNSIGNED_BYTE, buffer);
textureMaps.push(texture);
bumpMaps.push({image: {data: buffer, height: resolution, width: resolution}});
}
return {textureMaps: textureMaps, bumpMaps: bumpMaps};
}

Ok i have found a solution. I was convinced that it was up to the renderer and that it would remain trapped in the texture target when it was called up for the first time.
In three.js there is the possibility to reset the render target and if you do that, three.js seems to see it as in need of initialization and accepts the call to the renderer to render the main scene.
I added this line: renderer.setRenderTarget(null);
See below
function generateTextures() {
var textureMaps = [];
var bumpMaps = [];
var resolution = 2048;
for (var index = 0; index < 6; index++) {
var texture = new THREE.WebGLRenderTarget(resolution, resolution, {minFilter: THREE.LinearFilter, magFilter: THREE.LinearFilter, format: THREE.RGBFormat});
var textureCamera = new THREE.OrthographicCamera(-resolution/2, resolution/2, resolution/2, -resolution/2, -100, 100);
textureCamera.position.z = 10;
var textureScene = new THREE.Scene();
var plane = new THREE.Mesh(
new THREE.PlaneGeometry(resolution, resolution),
textureGeneratorMaterial(index)
);
plane.position.z = -10;
textureScene.add(plane);
renderer.render(textureScene, textureCamera, texture, true);
var buffer = new Uint8Array(resolution * resolution * 4);
var gl = renderer.getContext();
gl.readPixels( 0, 0, resolution, resolution, gl.RGBA, gl.UNSIGNED_BYTE, buffer);
textureMaps.push(texture);
bumpMaps.push({image: {data: buffer, height: resolution, width: resolution}});
renderer.setRenderTarget(null);
}
return {textureMaps: textureMaps, bumpMaps: bumpMaps};
}
In older versions like the example I saw, this wasn't necessary. But this is not meant as a criticism. It's a clean solution. So three always knows that there is a need for renderer action.

Why is my canvas element showing only a black screen?

I'm setting up a 3d asset viewer in Three.js. I'm running the code on a Plesk server provided by the university and have it linked via Dreamweaver. I'm a total newbie to JS and it was suggested in many threads and posts that I wrap my code within an 'init();' function. Up doing so, and clearing any errors that the code had, it is now showing a black screen, rather than the 3d model it would show before.
I've spent the whole day error checking removing problems that I was having which included the 'canvas' not being created inside the 'container' div, and the 'onWindowResize' function. All these problems have been resolved, and there are no errors in the code apparently. I've got ambient lights in the code and there was a working skybox, so I'm sure its not a problem with position of camera or lack of lighting.
I know that you need as little code as possible, but I have no idea where the problem is coming from, so a majority of the code on the page is here :
<div id="container" ></div>
<script>
let container;
let camera;
let controls;
let scene;
let renderer;
init();
animate;
function init(){
// Renderer - WebGL is primary Renderer for Three.JS
var renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer({antialias : true});
renderer.setClearColor(0xEEEEEE, 0.5);
// Selects and applies parameters to the 'Container' div
var container = document.querySelector("#container");
container.appendChild(renderer.domElement);
renderer.setSize(container.clientWidth, container.clientHeight);
// Perspective Camera (FOV, aspect ratio based on container, near, far)
var camera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera( 75, container.clientWidth / container.clientHeight, 0.1, 1000);
camera.position.x = 750;
camera.position.y = 500;
camera.position.z = 1250;
// Scene will contain all objects in the world
var scene = new THREE.Scene();
//Lighting (Colour, intensity)
var light1Ambient = new THREE.AmbientLight(0xffffff , 0.3);
scene.add(light1Ambient);
var light1Point = new THREE.PointLight(0xfff2c1, 0.5, 0, 2);
scene.add(light1Point);
var light2Point = new THREE.PointLight(0xd6e3ff, 0.4, 0, 2);
scene.add(light2Point);
// All basic Geomety
var newPlane = new THREE.PlaneGeometry(250,250,100,100);
const mesh = new THREE.Mesh(
new THREE.BoxGeometry(1, 1, 1),
new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial( {color: 0x00ff00} )
);
scene.add(mesh);
// Water
water = new THREE.Water(newPlane,
{
textureWidth: 512,
textureHeight: 512,
waterNormals: new THREE.TextureLoader().load( 'http://up826703.ct.port.ac.uk/CTPRO/textures/waternormals.jpg', function ( texture ) {
texture.wrapS = texture.wrapT = THREE.RepeatWrapping;
} ),
alpha: 1.0,
sunDirection: light1Point.position.clone().normalize(),
sunColor: 0xffffff,
waterColor: 0x001e0f,
distortionScale: 0.5,
fog: scene.fog !== undefined
}
);
water.rotation.x = - Math.PI / 2;
scene.add( water );
// All Materials (Normal for Debugging) (Lambert: color)
var material = new THREE.MeshLambertMaterial({color: 0xF3FFE2});
var materialNew = new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial( {color: 0x00ff00} );
// Skybox
var skybox = new THREE.BoxGeometry(1000,1000, 1000);
var skyboxMaterials =
[
new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial({map: new THREE.TextureLoader().load("http://up826703.ct.port.ac.uk/CTPRO/skybox/blue/bluecloud_ft.jpg"), side: THREE.DoubleSide }),
new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial({map: new THREE.TextureLoader().load("http://up826703.ct.port.ac.uk/CTPRO/skybox/blue/bluecloud_bk.jpg"), side: THREE.DoubleSide }),
new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial({map: new THREE.TextureLoader().load("http://up826703.ct.port.ac.uk/CTPRO/skybox/blue/bluecloud_up.jpg"), side: THREE.DoubleSide }),
new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial({map: new THREE.TextureLoader().load("http://up826703.ct.port.ac.uk/CTPRO/skybox/blue/bluecloud_dn.jpg"), side: THREE.DoubleSide }),
new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial({map: new THREE.TextureLoader().load("http://up826703.ct.port.ac.uk/CTPRO/skybox/blue/bluecloud_rt.jpg"), side: THREE.DoubleSide }),
new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial({map: new THREE.TextureLoader().load("http://up826703.ct.port.ac.uk/CTPRO/skybox/blue/bluecloud_lf.jpg"), side: THREE.DoubleSide }),
];
var skyboxMaterial = new THREE.MeshFaceMaterial(skyboxMaterials);
var skyMesh = new THREE.Mesh (skybox, skyboxMaterial);
scene.add(skyMesh);
//Grid Helper Beneath Ship
scene.add(new THREE.GridHelper(250, 250));
//OBJ Model Loading
var objLoader = new THREE.OBJLoader();
objLoader.load('http://up826703.ct.port.ac.uk/CTPRO/models/ship1.obj', function(object){
scene.add(object);
});
// Object positioning
water.position.y = -2.5;
// Misc Positioning
light1Point.position.z =20;
light1Point.position.x = 25;
// z - front-back position
light2Point.position.z = -400;
// x - left-right
light2Point.position.x = -25;
// y - up- down
light2Point.position.y = 250;
window.addEventListener("resize", onWindowResize, false);
function onWindowResize() {
camera.aspect = window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight;
camera.updateProjectionMatrix();
renderer.setSize(container.clientWidth, container.clientHeight);
};
};
// Canvas adapts size based on changing windows size
//Render loop
var animate = function(){
water.material.uniforms[ "time" ].value += 1.0 / 120.0;
function drawFrame(ts){
var center = new THREE.Vector2(0,0);
window.requestAnimationFrame(drawFrame);
var vLength = newPlane.geometry.vertices.length;
for (var i = 0; i < vLength; i++) {
var v = newPlane.geometry.vertices[i];
var dist = new THREE.Vector2(v.x, v.y).sub(center);
var size = 2.0;
var magnitude = 8;
v.z = Math.sin(dist.length()/-size + (ts/900)) * magnitude;
}
newPlane.geometry.verticesNeedUpdate = true;
};
requestAnimationFrame(animate)
renderer.render(scene, camera);
controls.update();
}
</script>
I'm no professional, so I'm sorry if this is super rough for those of you with experience!
I need to point out, before wrapping all of this in the init(); function, it was working perfectly.
When working, I should see a crudely modeled ship sitting in some water, with a cloud skybox. The controls were working and it would auto rotate.
Right now it does none of this. The obj loader is working as seen in the chrome console log OBJLoader: 1661.970703125ms but again, nothing is actually displayed, it's just a black screen.
Thanks to anyone who's able to help me out with this!

this line
animate;
needs to a function call
animate();
Also you probably need to change the code below where you create the animate function from
var animate = function(){
To this
function animate(){
The reason is named functions are defined when the code is loaded but variables var are created when the code is executed. So with code like this
init();
animate();
var animate = function(){ ...
animate doesn't actually exist at the point the code tries to call it whereas with this
init();
animate();
function animate(){ ...
it does exist
You could also re-arrange the code so for example define animate before you use it should work.
var animate = function(){
...
};
init();
animate();
It also appear some are declared inside init which means that are not available to animate. So for example
var renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer({antialias : true});
declares a new variable renderer that only init can see. You wanted to set the renderer variable that is outside of init so change the code to
renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer({antialias : true});
controls is never defined so you probably need to define it or comment out
controls.update();
to
// controls.update();
note: you might find these tutorials helpful although if you're new to JavaScript you should probably spend time learning JavaScript

three.js texture not applied to mesh

I am trying to apply texture to my sphere mesh with the following.
var loader = new THREE.TextureLoader();
var balltex = loader.load("pic1.jpg");
var ballmat = new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial({ map:balltex });
var ballgeo = new THREE.SphereGeometry( 0.3, 20, 20 );
var ball = new THREE.Mesh( ballgeo , ballmat );
scene.add(ball);
Now I am just getting a black sphere instead of textured sphere. I do not know what is the problem in the code.
Please help me.

It's hard to say for sure without a complete example, but my first guess is the simplest case: the texture isn't finished loading by the time the mesh is rendered.
If that's the problem, make sure the texture(s) are loaded before you call your render loop. There are many ways to do this and it's hard to say which is best without seeing your code, but the most straightforward way to handle it is pass a function to the loader's load() method and call your renderer from it. A simple but complete example reworking the code you posted:
var scene, camera, light, renderer, balltex;
load();
function load() {
var loader;
loader = new THREE.TextureLoader(new THREE.LoadingManager());
loader.load('pic1.jpg', function(obj) {
balltex = obj;
init();
animate();
});
}
function init() {
var height = 500, width = 500, bg = '#000000';
scene = new THREE.Scene();
camera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera(45, height/width, 1, 10000);
camera.position.set(1.5, 1.5, 1.5);
camera.lookAt(new THREE.Vector3(0, 0, 0));
scene.add(camera);
light = new THREE.AmbientLight(0xffffff);
scene.add(light);
var ballmat = new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial({
map: balltex
});
var ballgeo = new THREE.SphereGeometry( 0.3, 20, 20 );
var ball = new THREE.Mesh( ballgeo , ballmat );
scene.add(ball);
renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer({ antialias: true } );
renderer.setClearColor(bg);
renderer.setSize(width, height);
var d = document.createElement('div');
document.body.appendChild(d);
d.appendChild(renderer.domElement);
var c = document.getElementsByTagName('canvas')[0];
c.style.width = width + 'px';
c.style.height = height + 'px'
}
function animate() {
requestAnimationFrame(animate);
render();
}
function render() {
renderer.render(scene, camera);
}

Incrementally display three.js TubeGeometry

I am able to display a THREE.TubeGeometry figure as follows
Code below, link to jsbin
<html>
<body>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/three.js/r75/three.js"></script>
<script>
// global variables
var renderer;
var scene;
var camera;
var geometry;
var control;
var count = 0;
var animationTracker;
init();
drawSpline();
function init()
{
// create a scene, that will hold all our elements such as objects, cameras and lights.
scene = new THREE.Scene();
// create a camera, which defines where we're looking at.
camera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera(45, window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight, 0.1, 1000);
// create a render, sets the background color and the size
renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer();
renderer.setClearColor('lightgray', 1.0);
renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight);
// position and point the camera to the center of the scene
camera.position.x = 0;
camera.position.y = 40;
camera.position.z = 40;
camera.lookAt(scene.position);
// add the output of the renderer to the html element
document.body.appendChild(renderer.domElement);
}
function drawSpline(numPoints)
{
var numPoints = 100;
// var start = new THREE.Vector3(-5, 0, 20);
var start = new THREE.Vector3(-5, 0, 20);
var middle = new THREE.Vector3(0, 35, 0);
var end = new THREE.Vector3(5, 0, -20);
var curveQuad = new THREE.QuadraticBezierCurve3(start, middle, end);
var tube = new THREE.TubeGeometry(curveQuad, numPoints, 0.5, 20, false);
var mesh = new THREE.Mesh(tube, new THREE.MeshNormalMaterial({
opacity: 0.9,
transparent: true
}));
scene.add(mesh);
renderer.render(scene, camera);
}
</script>
</body>
</html>
However, I would like to display incrementally, as in, like an arc that is loading, such that it starts as the start point, draws incrementally and finally looks the below arc upon completion.
I have been putting in some effort, and was able to do this by storing all the points/coordinates covered by the arc, and drawing lines between the consecutive coordinates, such that I get the 'arc loading incrementally' feel. However, is there a better way to achieve this? This is the link to jsbin
Adding the code here as well
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Incremental Spline Curve</title>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/three.js/r75/three.js"></script>
<style>
body {
margin: 0;
overflow: hidden;
}
</style>
</head>
<script>
// global variables
var renderer;
var scene;
var camera;
var splineGeometry;
var control;
var count = 0;
var animationTracker;
// var sphereCamera;
var sphere;
var light;
function init() {
// create a scene, that will hold all our elements such as objects, cameras and lights.
scene = new THREE.Scene();
// create a camera, which defines where we're looking at.
camera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera(45, window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight, 0.1, 1000);
// create a render, sets the background color and the size
renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer();
// renderer.setClearColor(0x000000, 1.0);
renderer.setClearColor( 0xffffff, 1 );
renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight);
// position and point the camera to the center of the scene
camera.position.x = 0;
camera.position.y = 40;
camera.position.z = 40;
camera.lookAt(scene.position);
// add the output of the renderer to the html element
document.body.appendChild(renderer.domElement);
// //init for sphere
// sphereCamera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera(45, window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight, 1, 1000);
// sphereCamera.position.y = -400;
// sphereCamera.position.z = 400;
// sphereCamera.rotation.x = .70;
sphere = new THREE.Mesh(new THREE.SphereGeometry(0.8,31,31), new THREE.MeshLambertMaterial({
color: 'yellow',
}));
light = new THREE.DirectionalLight('white', 1);
// light.position.set(0,-400,400).normalize();
light.position.set(0,10,10).normalize();
//get points covered by Spline
getSplineData();
}
//save points in geometry.vertices
function getSplineData() {
var curve = new THREE.CubicBezierCurve3(
new THREE.Vector3( -5, 0, 10 ),
new THREE.Vector3(0, 20, 0 ),
new THREE.Vector3(0, 20, 0 ),
new THREE.Vector3( 2, 0, -25 )
);
splineGeometry = new THREE.Geometry();
splineGeometry.vertices = curve.getPoints( 50 );
animate();
}
//scheduler loop
function animate() {
if(count == 50)
{
cancelAnimationFrame(animationTracker);
return;
}
//add line to the scene
drawLine();
renderer.render(scene, camera);
// renderer.render(scene, sphereCamera);
count += 1;
// camera.position.z -= 0.25;
// camera.position.y -= 0.25;
animationTracker = requestAnimationFrame(animate);
}
function drawLine() {
var lineGeometry = new THREE.Geometry();
var lineMaterial = new THREE.LineBasicMaterial({
color: 0x0000ff
});
console.log(splineGeometry.vertices[count]);
console.log(splineGeometry.vertices[count+1]);
lineGeometry.vertices.push(
splineGeometry.vertices[count],
splineGeometry.vertices[count+1]
);
var line = new THREE.Line( lineGeometry, lineMaterial );
scene.add( line );
}
// calls the init function when the window is done loading.
window.onload = init;
</script>
<body>
</body>
</html>
Drawback : The drawback of doing it the above way is that, end of the day, I'm drawing a line between consecutive points, and so I lose out on a lot of the effects possible in TubeGeometry such as, thickness, transparency etc.
Please suggest me an alternative way to get a smooth incremental load for the TubeGeometry.

THREE.TubeGeometry returns a THREE.BufferGeometry.
With THREE.BufferGeometry, you have access to a property drawRange that you can set to animate the drawing of the mesh:
let nEnd = 0, nMax, nStep = 90; // 30 faces * 3 vertices/face
...
const geometry = new THREE.TubeGeometry( path, pathSegments, tubeRadius, radiusSegments, closed );
nMax = geometry.attributes.position.count;
...
function animate() {
requestAnimationFrame( animate );
nEnd = ( nEnd + nStep ) % nMax;
mesh.geometry.setDrawRange( 0, nEnd );
renderer.render( scene, camera );
}
EDIT: For another approach, see this SO answer.
three.js r.144

Normally you would be able to use the method .getPointAt() to "get a vector for point at relative position in curve according to arc length" to get a point at a certain percentage of the length of the curve.
So normally if you want to draw 70% of the curve and a full curve is drawn in 100 segments. Then you could do:
var percentage = 70;
var curvePath = new THREE.CurvePath();
var end, start = curveQuad.getPointAt( 0 );
for(var i = 1; i < percentage; i++){
end = curveQuad.getPointAt( percentage / 100 );
lineCurve = new THREE.LineCurve( start, end );
curvePath.add( lineCurve );
start = end;
}
But I think this is not working for your curveQuad since the getPointAt method is not implemented for this type. A work around is to get a 100 points for your curve in an array like this:
points = curve.getPoints(100);
And then you can do almost the same:
var percentage = 70;
var curvePath = new THREE.CurvePath();
var end, start = points[ 0 ];
for(var i = 1; i < percentage; i++){
end = points[ percentage ]
lineCurve = new THREE.LineCurve( start, end );
curvePath.add( lineCurve );
start = end;
}
now your curvePath holds the line segments you want to use for drawing the tube:
// draw the geometry
var radius = 5, radiusSegments = 8, closed = false;
var geometry = new THREE.TubeGeometry(curvePath, percentage, radius, radiusSegments, closed);
Here a fiddle with a demonstration on how to use this dynamically

I'm not really that familiar with three.js. But I think I can be of assistance. I have two solutions for you. Both based on the same principle: build a new TubeGeometry or rebuild the current one, around a new curve.
Solution 1 (Simple):
var CurveSection = THREE.Curve.create(function(base, from, to) {
this.base = base;
this.from = from;
this.to = to;
}, function(t) {
return this.base.getPoint((1 - t) * this.from + t * this.to);
});
You define a new type of curve which just selects a segment out of a given curve. Usage:
var curve = new CurveSection(yourCurve, 0, .76); // Where .76 is your percentage
Now you can build a new tube.
Solution 2 (Mathematics!):
You are using for your arc a quadratic bezier curve, that's awesome! This curve is a parabola. You want just a segment of that parabola and that is again a parabola, just with other bounds.
What we need is a section of the bezier curve. Let's say the curve is defined by A (start), B (direction), C (end). If we want to change the start to a point D and the end to a point F we need the point E that is the direction of the curve in D and F. So the tangents to our parabola in D and F have to intersect in E. So the following code will give us the desired result:
// Calculates the instersection point of Line3 l1 and Line3 l2.
function intersection(l1, l2) {
var A = l1.start;
var P = l2.closestPointToPoint(A);
var Q = l1.closestPointToPoint(P);
var l = P.distanceToSquared(A) / Q.distanceTo(A);
var d = (new THREE.Vector3()).subVectors(Q, A);
return d.multiplyScalar(l / d.length()).add(A);
}
// Calculate the tangentVector of the bezier-curve
function tangentQuadraticBezier(bezier, t) {
var s = bezier.v0,
m = bezier.v1,
e = bezier.v2;
return new THREE.Vector3(
THREE.CurveUtils.tangentQuadraticBezier(t, s.x, m.x, e.x),
THREE.CurveUtils.tangentQuadraticBezier(t, s.y, m.y, e.y),
THREE.CurveUtils.tangentQuadraticBezier(t, s.z, m.z, e.z)
);
}
// Returns a new QuadraticBezierCurve3 with the new bounds.
function sectionInQuadraticBezier(bezier, from, to) {
var s = bezier.v0,
m = bezier.v1,
e = bezier.v2;
var ns = bezier.getPoint(from),
ne = bezier.getPoint(to);
var nm = intersection(
new THREE.Line3(ns, tangentQuadraticBezier(bezier, from).add(ns)),
new THREE.Line3(ne, tangentQuadraticBezier(bezier, to).add(ne))
);
return new THREE.QuadraticBezierCurve3(ns, nm, ne);
}
This is a very mathematical way, but if you should need the special properties of a Bezier curve, this is the way to go.
Note: The first solution is the simplest. I am not familiar with Three.js so I wouldn't know what the most efficient way to implement the animation is. Three.js doesn't seem to use the special properties of a bezier curve so maybe solution 2 isn't that useful.
I hope you have gotten something useful out of this.

Why is this simple THREE.js javascript particle system not working?

Are there any errors is this code? I am using a new version of Chrome to test on. I've written a similar program that displays a wireframe cube, with no issues. It ran well. I'm thinking I may have written or structured my code incorrectly.
var scene = new THREE.Scene();
var camera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera(50,window.innerWidth/window.innerHeight, 1, 10000);
var renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer();
renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight);
document.body.appendChild(renderer.domElement);
// create the particle variables
var particleCount = 1000;
var particles = new THREE.Geometry();
var pMaterial = new THREE.ParticleBasicMaterial({
color: 'red',
size: 20
});
// create the individual particles
for (var p = 0; p < particleCount; p++) {
var pX = Math.random()*500 - 250;
var pY = Math.random()*500 - 250;
var pZ = Math.random()*500 - 250;
var particle = new THREE.Vertex(
new THREE.Vector3(pX, pY, pZ)
);
particles.vertices.push(particle);
}
// create the particle system
var particleSystem = new THREE.ParticleSystem(
particles,
pMaterial);
// add the particle system to the scene
scene.add(particleSystem);
function render() {
particleSystem.rotation.y += 0.01;
renderer.render(scene, camera);
requestAnimationFrame(render);
}
render();
I'm not seeing any results, so to speak - just a black canvas element on the page.

Your code looks outdated -- as if you copied something from the net, or from an outdated book.
Update to the current version of three.js, and learn from the current three.js examples.
Create your particles like so:
var particle = new THREE.Vector3( pX, pY, pZ );
Also, ParticleSystem is now PointCloud, and ParticleBasicMaterial is now PointCloudMaterial.
three.js r.69