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Build a 3D Avatar Builder with Threejs and React - Full Course

Overview

Are you ready to build your own 3D Avatar Creator? In this complete Three.js course, we’ll walk through the entire process of creating a fully customizable avatar builder using Three.js and React Three Fiber. Whether you want to integrate avatars into your own projects or just level up your 3D web development skills, this tutorial is for you!

In this course, we will:

  • Compose avatars using 3D assets fetched from a database

  • Download and optimize avatars into a GLB file

  • Take pictures of our avatars

  • Add animations and poses to our characters

  • Create compatible 3D assets in Blender

  • Use our avatars in other projects

Why Build an Avatar Creator?

We’ve built metaverses, video games, AI chatbots, and countless 3D web experiences using Three.js and React. But something has always been missing—a truly immersive and personalized experience.

A customizable avatar builder bridges that gap! It allows users to create their digital identity, adding an interactive layer to web-based 3D environments. This is perfect for online communities, games, or even professional applications where 3D representation matters.

Insights and Skills

What you'll learn:

1. Setting Up the Project

We’ll start by setting up a React Three Fiber project using Vite. This will be the foundation for rendering and interacting with our 3D avatars.

2. Composing Avatars with 3D Assets

Our avatars will be built from modular 3D assets—heads, hairstyles, outfits, accessories—all fetched from a PocketBase database. This ensures flexibility and real-time updates.

3. Customizing and Downloading Avatars

Users can tweak their avatar’s look by adjusting colors, mixing assets, and saving their final creation as a GLB file. This is crucial for allowing avatars to be used across different projects.

4. Adding Animations & Poses

Bringing our avatars to life! We’ll implement character animations using Mixamo and Three.js Skinned Meshes, making our characters poseable and dynamic.

5. Taking Screenshots & Enhancing UI

Our app will include a photo booth mode where users can capture their avatars in cool poses. We’ll also optimize UI elements for a seamless user experience.

6. Creating Custom 3D Assets

Want to design your own compatible outfits and accessories? We’ll cover Blender techniques for making new assets that integrate smoothly with our system.

7. Using Avatars in Other Projects

Finally, we’ll explore how to integrate these avatars into existing 3D projects. Whether it’s a game, a social metaverse, or a chatbot, you’ll learn how to export and reuse your avatars effectively.

Tech Stack

Experience the project in action and explore the final implementation

You can access the code for this part and the final project below:

Resources

#threejs #reactjs #reactthreefiber

Need help with this tutorial? Join our Discord community!