Fix Loading Model Freezes with Three.js & React

Overview

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to optimize your GLTF models and textures to get rid of those annoying freezes and create smooth, responsive 3D scenes.

Challenges of Laggy Models

Imagine spending weeks building a stunning 3D car configurator with high-quality assets, only to face performance issues. Switching between models is slow, loading times are long, and the experience feels janky. Preloading models might seem like a solution, but it increases initial load times and uses bandwidth unnecessarily, especially for models the user might never interact with.

For iOS Safari users, the problem escalates. Due to GPU VRAM limitations, textures crash or fail to load altogether.

What’s the solution? KTX2—a compressed texture format that dramatically reduces VRAM usage and ensures smooth performance across devices. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to implement KTX2 textures, address texture loading bottlenecks, and make your models load seamlessly.

Insights and Skills

By the end of this project, you'll learn:

GLB compression techniques with Blender to reduce file sizes.
Diagnosing performance issues using profiler tools.
Texture optimization strategies, including:
- Compressing textures to KTX2.
- educing VRAM usage while maintaining high-resolution quality.
- Using tools like gltf.report for diagnosing GLTF file issues.
Safari iOS GPU VRAM limitations and how to overcome them.
Command-line tools like gltf-transform and KTX-Software.
Alternative online tools for those less comfortable with command-line workflows.
How to integrate optimized textures into your Three.js and React Three Fiber projects for real-world performance gains.

Tech Stack

React Three Fiber
Three.js
Blender
GLTF Models
KTX2 Texture Compression
gltf-transform
KTX-Software

Explore the final implementation

Final code & Commands🔗

Resources

#threejs #webdevelopment #reactthreefiber

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