threejs-syntax-loaders

name	threejs-syntax-loaders
description	Use when loading 3D models (GLTF, FBX, OBJ), textures, or HDR environment maps in Three.js. Prevents the common mistake of not setting up DRACOLoader, wrong WASM path, or missing error handling. Covers GLTFLoader, DRACOLoader, KTX2Loader, TextureLoader, RGBELoader, FBXLoader, OBJLoader, LoadingManager. Keywords: GLTFLoader, GLTF, GLB, load model, DRACOLoader, texture, FBXLoader, OBJLoader, RGBELoader, HDR, LoadingManager, progress, export, GLTFExporter, save model, download 3D, import 3D file.
license	MIT
compatibility	Designed for Claude Code. Requires Three.js r160+.
metadata	{"author":"OpenAEC-Foundation","version":"1.0"}

threejs-syntax-loaders

Quick Reference

Loader Architecture

All Three.js loaders extend the Loader base class and share two loading patterns:

// Callback style
loader.load(url, onLoad, onProgress, onError);

// Promise style (preferred)
const result = await loader.loadAsync(url, onProgress);

Import Paths

Loader	Import
TextureLoader	import { TextureLoader } from 'three';
CubeTextureLoader	import { CubeTextureLoader } from 'three';
GLTFLoader	import { GLTFLoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/GLTFLoader.js';
DRACOLoader	import { DRACOLoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/DRACOLoader.js';
KTX2Loader	import { KTX2Loader } from 'three/addons/loaders/KTX2Loader.js';
FBXLoader	import { FBXLoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/FBXLoader.js';
OBJLoader	import { OBJLoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/OBJLoader.js';
MTLLoader	import { MTLLoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/MTLLoader.js';
RGBELoader	import { RGBELoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/RGBELoader.js';
MeshoptDecoder	import { MeshoptDecoder } from 'three/addons/libs/meshopt_decoder.module.js';

Format Recommendation

ALWAYS prefer glTF/GLB over other 3D formats. glTF is the recommended format for Three.js. It supports PBR materials, animations, cameras, lights, and scene hierarchy in a single file. Use .glb (binary glTF) for single-file distribution.

Critical Warnings

NEVER call loader.load() inside requestAnimationFrame or any render loop. Load assets once at initialization and cache the result.

NEVER forget to set the DRACOLoader decoder path before loading Draco-compressed models. The path MUST point to a directory containing draco_decoder.wasm.

NEVER skip error handling on loadAsync calls. ALWAYS wrap in try/catch. Failed loads without error handlers crash silently.

NEVER forget to dispose loaded models when removing them. GLTF models contain meshes, materials, and textures that ALL require disposal.

ALWAYS set texture.colorSpace = THREE.SRGBColorSpace on diffuse/color textures (map, emissiveMap). NEVER set SRGBColorSpace on data textures (normalMap, roughnessMap, metalnessMap, aoMap).

ALWAYS call dracoLoader.dispose() after all Draco-compressed models are loaded to free the WASM decoder memory.

---

Loader Base Class

Every loader inherits these methods from Loader:

Method	Signature	Purpose
load	(url, onLoad, onProgress, onError)	Callback-based loading
loadAsync	(url, onProgress) => Promise	Promise-based loading
setPath	(path: string)	Set base URL prefix for all loads
setResourcePath	(path: string)	Set resource resolution path
setCrossOrigin	(value: string)	Set CORS mode
setWithCredentials	(value: boolean)	Enable credentials for cross-origin
setRequestHeader	(header: object)	Set custom HTTP headers

---

LoadingManager

Coordinates multiple loaders and tracks overall progress.

import * as THREE from 'three';

const manager = new THREE.LoadingManager(
  () => { console.log('All assets loaded'); },
  (url, loaded, total) => { console.log(`Progress: ${loaded}/${total}`); },
  (url) => { console.error(`Failed to load: ${url}`); }
);

// Pass manager to any loader
const textureLoader = new THREE.TextureLoader(manager);
const gltfLoader = new GLTFLoader(manager);

Manager Callbacks

Callback	Signature	When
onStart	(url, itemsLoaded, itemsTotal)	First item begins loading
onLoad	()	All items finished
onProgress	(url, itemsLoaded, itemsTotal)	Each item completes
onError	(url)	An item fails

Manager Methods

Method	Purpose
itemStart(url)	Manually register a loading item
itemEnd(url)	Manually mark item as loaded
itemError(url)	Manually mark item as failed
resolveURL(url)	Resolve URL through modifiers
setURLModifier(callback)	Custom URL rewriting (blob URLs, service workers)

---

GLTFLoader

The primary loader for 3D models. glTF 2.0 supports meshes, PBR materials, animations, cameras, lights, and scene hierarchy.

Setup with Draco Compression

import { GLTFLoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/GLTFLoader.js';
import { DRACOLoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/DRACOLoader.js';

const dracoLoader = new DRACOLoader();
dracoLoader.setDecoderPath('https://www.gstatic.com/draco/versioned/decoders/1.5.6/');

const gltfLoader = new GLTFLoader();
gltfLoader.setDRACOLoader(dracoLoader);

Setup with KTX2 Textures

import { KTX2Loader } from 'three/addons/loaders/KTX2Loader.js';

const ktx2Loader = new KTX2Loader();
ktx2Loader.setTranscoderPath('/basis/');
ktx2Loader.detectSupport(renderer); // MUST pass renderer instance

gltfLoader.setKTX2Loader(ktx2Loader);

Setup with Meshopt Decoder

import { MeshoptDecoder } from 'three/addons/libs/meshopt_decoder.module.js';

await MeshoptDecoder.ready;
gltfLoader.setMeshoptDecoder(MeshoptDecoder);

Loading a Model

try {
  const gltf = await gltfLoader.loadAsync('model.glb');
  scene.add(gltf.scene);
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Failed to load model:', error);
}

GLTF Result Object

{
  scene: THREE.Group,                    // Root scene node -- add this to your scene
  scenes: THREE.Group[],                 // All scenes in the file
  cameras: THREE.Camera[],              // Embedded cameras
  animations: THREE.AnimationClip[],    // Animation data for AnimationMixer
  asset: { generator: string, version: string },  // File metadata
  parser: GLTFParser,                    // Internal parser (advanced use)
  userData: {}                           // Custom glTF extensions
}

GLTFLoader Methods

Method	Signature	Purpose
load	(url, onLoad, onProgress, onError)	Load with callbacks
loadAsync	(url, onProgress) => Promise<GLTF>	Load with Promise
parse	(data, path, onLoad, onError)	Parse ArrayBuffer or JSON directly
setDRACOLoader	(dracoLoader: DRACOLoader)	Enable Draco decompression
setKTX2Loader	(ktx2Loader: KTX2Loader)	Enable KTX2 texture decompression
setMeshoptDecoder	(decoder)	Enable meshopt decompression
register	(plugin)	Register a glTF extension plugin
unregister	(plugin)	Unregister a glTF extension plugin

---

DRACOLoader

Decodes Draco-compressed geometry. Reduces mesh file size by 80-90%.

Method	Signature	Purpose
setDecoderPath	(path: string)	Path to directory containing WASM decoders
setDecoderConfig	(config: object)	{ type: 'js' | 'wasm' } -- WASM is default and faster
preload	()	Pre-fetch decoder WASM before first use
dispose	()	Free WASM decoder memory

ALWAYS call dracoLoader.dispose() after loading all Draco-compressed models.

---

TextureLoader

Loads 2D textures (PNG, JPG, WebP) into THREE.Texture.

const loader = new THREE.TextureLoader();
const texture = await loader.loadAsync('diffuse.jpg');
texture.colorSpace = THREE.SRGBColorSpace; // ALWAYS for color textures
texture.wrapS = THREE.RepeatWrapping;
texture.wrapT = THREE.RepeatWrapping;
material.map = texture;

---

CubeTextureLoader

Loads six images as a cube map for skyboxes or environment reflections.

const cubeLoader = new THREE.CubeTextureLoader();
cubeLoader.setPath('/textures/cube/');
const cubeTexture = cubeLoader.load([
  'px.jpg', 'nx.jpg',  // positive-x, negative-x
  'py.jpg', 'ny.jpg',  // positive-y, negative-y
  'pz.jpg', 'nz.jpg'   // positive-z, negative-z
]);
scene.background = cubeTexture;
scene.environment = cubeTexture;

---

RGBELoader

Loads HDR environment maps in Radiance .hdr format.

import { RGBELoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/RGBELoader.js';

const rgbeLoader = new RGBELoader();
rgbeLoader.load('environment.hdr', (texture) => {
  texture.mapping = THREE.EquirectangularReflectionMapping;
  scene.environment = texture; // PBR environment lighting
  scene.background = texture;  // Optional: visible HDR background
});

The RGBELoader sets color space automatically. NEVER manually override the color space on HDR textures.

---

FBXLoader

Loads Autodesk FBX models. Supports meshes, materials, and skeletal animations.

import { FBXLoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/FBXLoader.js';

const fbxLoader = new FBXLoader();
const model = await fbxLoader.loadAsync('character.fbx');
scene.add(model);

---

OBJLoader + MTLLoader

Loads Wavefront OBJ geometry with optional MTL material files.

import { OBJLoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/OBJLoader.js';
import { MTLLoader } from 'three/addons/loaders/MTLLoader.js';

const mtlLoader = new MTLLoader();
const materials = await mtlLoader.loadAsync('model.mtl');
materials.preload();

const objLoader = new OBJLoader();
objLoader.setMaterials(materials);
const model = await objLoader.loadAsync('model.obj');
scene.add(model);

ALWAYS load the MTL file first, then pass the materials to OBJLoader before loading the OBJ file.

---

Disposing Loaded Models

ALWAYS traverse and dispose ALL resources when removing a loaded model:

function disposeModel(model) {
  model.traverse((child) => {
    if (child.isMesh) {
      child.geometry.dispose();
      if (Array.isArray(child.material)) {
        child.material.forEach((mat) => {
          disposeMaterial(mat);
        });
      } else {
        disposeMaterial(child.material);
      }
    }
  });
  model.removeFromParent();
}

function disposeMaterial(material) {
  for (const key of Object.keys(material)) {
    const value = material[key];
    if (value && typeof value === 'object' && 'dispose' in value) {
      value.dispose(); // Disposes textures
    }
  }
  material.dispose();
}

---

Reference Links

• references/methods.md -- Complete API signatures for all loaders
• references/examples.md -- Working code examples for common loading scenarios
• references/anti-patterns.md -- What NOT to do when loading assets

Official Sources

• https://threejs.org/docs/#api/en/loaders/Loader
• https://threejs.org/docs/#api/en/loaders/LoadingManager
• https://threejs.org/docs/#api/en/loaders/TextureLoader
• https://threejs.org/docs/#examples/en/loaders/GLTFLoader
• https://threejs.org/docs/#examples/en/loaders/DRACOLoader
• https://threejs.org/docs/#examples/en/loaders/KTX2Loader
• https://threejs.org/docs/#examples/en/loaders/FBXLoader
• https://threejs.org/docs/#examples/en/loaders/OBJLoader
• https://threejs.org/docs/#examples/en/loaders/RGBELoader