Multiplayer Game Tutorial with R3F & Socket.io: Grid System

Overview

In this tutorial, we'll explore how to add multiplayer networking features to a 3D game using React Three Fiber and Socket.io. Think of it as building a Sims-like or Animal Crossing-like experience, where multiple players can interact within the same virtual world.

This is the second episode in a seven-part series where we’ll build a multiplayer 3D game step by step. In this second episode, we continue building our Sims-like multiplayer experience with React Three Fiber and Socket.io.

Preparing the Foundations for Pathfinding and Room Building

Now that we have basic character movement, it's time to introduce a grid system to structure our game world.

This grid will serve as the foundation for two key features:

Pathfinding – Ensuring characters can navigate the environment while avoiding obstacles.
Room Builder – Allowing players to place, move, and arrange objects to customize their space.

Before implementing these mechanics, we first need to prepare our assets correctly in Blender and integrate them into our project.

Insights and Skills

In this episode, you will:

Set up a grid system for positioning objects in the scene.
Prepare 3D assets in Blender to align with a grid-based system.
Load and correctly scale game objects to fit within the grid.
Handle object placement and positioning logic on the client and server.
Generate a room layout dynamically using a configuration array.
Implement item interactions like cloning and rotating objects.
Ensure assets are correctly exported and optimized for use in the game.

By the end of this tutorial, we will have a structured environment where objects can be placed within a defined grid.

Tech Stack

React Three Fiber
Socket.io
Blender
Excalidraw

Code Links

Starter Pack 🔗
Final code 🔗

Resources

#threejs #r3f #socketio

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