Three.js shader guidance for GLSL, ShaderMaterial, uniforms, and custom vertex and fragment effects.
Real-world examples
Live HTML demos for this skill — rendered directly in the page. 4 examples.
- 01
Vertex displacement waves
ShaderMaterial uniforms (time, amplitude) drive sin-based vertex displacement on a plane — classic GLSL vertex deformation.
- 02
Fresnel edge glow
Varyings pass world normal & position; fragment uses cameraPosition for a view-dependent Fresnel rim that brightens silhouette edges.
- 03
Rim lighting
View-space normals and rim = pow(1 − N·V, power) add an orange rim over a cool base color — cartoon / sci-fi edge light without textures.
- 04
Noise dissolve
Procedural value noise + a progress uniform discards fragments and paints a glowing edge — dissolve / burn-through without a noise texture.
Skill markdown
# Three.js Shaders
## Quick Start
```javascript
import * as THREE from "three";
const material = new THREE.ShaderMaterial({
uniforms: {
time: { value: 0 },
color: { value: new THREE.Color(0xff0000) },
},
vertexShader: `
void main() {
gl_Position = projectionMatrix * modelViewMatrix * vec4(position, 1.0);
}
`,
fragmentShader: `
uniform vec3 color;
void main() {
gl_FragColor = vec4(color, 1.0);
}
`,
});
// Update in animation loop
material.uniforms.time.value = clock.getElapsedTime();
```
## ShaderMaterial vs RawShaderMaterial
### ShaderMaterial
Three.js provides built-in uniforms and attributes.
```javascript
const material = new THREE.ShaderMaterial({
vertexShader: `
// Built-in uniforms available:
// uniform mat4 modelMatrix;
// uniform mat4 modelViewMatrix;
// uniform mat4 projectionMatrix;
// uniform mat4 viewMatrix;
// uniform mat3 normalMatrix;
// uniform vec3 cameraPosition;
// Built-in attributes available:
// attribute vec3 position;
// attribute vec3 normal;
// attribute vec2 uv;
void main() {
gl_Position = projectionMatrix * modelViewMatrix * vec4(position, 1.0);
}
`,
fragmentShader: `
void main() {
gl_FragColor = vec4(1.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0);
}
`,
});
```
### RawShaderMaterial
Full control - you define everything.
```javascript
const material = new THREE.RawShaderMaterial({
uniforms: {
projectionMatrix: { value: camera.projectionMatrix },
modelViewMatrix: { value: new THREE.Matrix4() },
},
vertexShader: `
precision highp float;
attribute vec3 position;
uniform mat4 projectionMatrix;
uniform mat4 modelViewMatrix;
void main() {
gl_Position = projectionMatrix * modelViewMatrix * vec4(position, 1.0);
}
`,
fragmentShader: `
precision highp float;
void main() {
gl_FragColor = vec4(1.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0);
}
`,
});
```
## Uniforms
### Uniform Types
```javascript
const material = new THREE.ShaderMaterial({
uniforms: {
// Numbers
floatValue: { value: 1.5 },
intValue: { value: 1 },
// Vectors
vec2Value: { value: new THREE.Vector2(1, 2) },
vec3Value: { value: new THREE.Vector3(1, 2, 3) },
vec4Value: { value: new THREE.Vector4(1, 2, 3, 4) },
// Colors (converted to vec3)
colorValue: { value: new THREE.Color(0xff0000) },
// Matrices
mat3Value: { value: new THREE.Matrix3() },
mat4Value: { value: new THREE.Matrix4() },
// Textures
textureValue: { value: texture },
cubeTextureValue: { value: cubeTexture },
// Arrays
floatArray: { value: [1.0, 2.0, 3.0] },
vec3Array: {
value: [new THREE.Vector3(1, 0, 0), new THREE.Vector3(0, 1, 0)],
},
},
});
```
### GLSL Declarations
```glsl
// In shader
uniform float floatValue;
uniform int intValue;
uniform vec2 vec2Value;
uniform vec3 vec3Value;
uniform vec3 colorValue; // Color becomes vec3
uniform vec4 vec4Value;
uniform mat3 mat3Value;
uniform mat4 mat4Value;
uniform sampler2D textureValue;
uniform samplerCube cubeTextureValue;
uniform float floatArray[3];
uniform vec3 vec3Array[2];
```
### Updating Uniforms
```javascript
// Direct assignment
material.uniforms.time.value = clock.getElapsedTime();
// Vector/Color updates
material.uniforms.position.value.set(x, y, z);
material.uniforms.color.value.setHSL(hue, 1, 0.5);
// Matrix updates
material.uniforms.matrix.value.copy(mesh.matrixWorld);
```
## Varyings
Pass data from vertex to fragment shader.
```javascript
const material = new THREE.ShaderMaterial({
vertexShader: `
varying vec2 vUv;
varying vec3 vNormal;
varying vec3 vPosition;
void main() {
vUv = uv;
vNormal = normalize(normalMatrix * normal);
vPosition = (modelViewMatrix * vec4(position, 1.0)).xyz;
gl_Position = projectionMatrix * modelViewMatrix * vec4(position, 1.0);
}
`,
fragmentShader: `
varying vec2 vUv;
varying vec3 vNormal;
varying vec3 vPosition;
void main() {
// Use interpolated values
gl_FragColor = vec4(vNormal * 0.5 + 0.5, 1.0);
}
`,
});
```
## Common Shader Patterns
### Texture Sampling
```javascript
const material = new THREE.ShaderMaterial({
uniforms: {
map: { value: texture },
},
vertexShader: `
varying vec2 vUv;
void main() {
vUv = uv;
gl_Position = projectionMatrix * modelViewMatrix * vec4(position, 1.0);
}
`,
fragmentShader: `
uniform sampler2D map;
varying vec2 vUv;
void main() {
vec4 texColor = texture2D(map, vUv);
gl_FragColor = texColor;
}
`,
});
```
### Vertex Displacement
```javascript
const material = new THREE.ShaderMaterial({
uniforms: {
time: { value: 0 },
amplitude: { value: 0.5 },
},
vertexShader: `
uniform float time;
uniform float amplitude;
void main() {
vec3 pos = position;
// Wave displacement
pos.z += sin(pos.x * 5.0 +
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