Building an Interactive 3D Phone Showcase with Three.js Multimedia Elements (Text, Image, Audio, Video)

The article begins with an abstract that outlines the goal of learning Three.js multimedia features—including FontLoader , TextGeometry , TextureLoader , CubeTextureLoader , AudioListener , AudioLoader , PositionalAudio , and VideoTexture —and using them to build a 3D phone showcase where a video can be played on the device screen.

An example effect is shown: a 3D phone model rendered against a panoramic skybox, with mouse‑controlled rotation and zoom, and a click on the screen toggles video playback. The source code is hosted on GitHub, and a live preview link is provided.

Text Rendering

To display 3D text, FontLoader loads a JSON font file, and TextGeometry creates a mesh from a string. The constructor parameters (size, height, curveSegments, bevel options) are described, and a code snippet demonstrates loading the font and creating the geometry.

Image Loading

Images are loaded using TextureLoader for planar textures or CubeTextureLoader for environment maps. The article provides code for loading a texture and applying it to a mesh, as well as loading six images to create a cubemap for the scene background and environment.

Audio Integration

Audio is introduced with AudioListener attached to the camera, three AudioListener instances, and PositionalAudio objects linked to meshes. The article explains properties such as setRefDistance , setLoop , and setRolloffFactor , and includes a full code example that loads an audio file, configures playback, and adds a first‑person controller for navigation.

Video Texturing

Video playback on a 3D surface is achieved by creating a VideoTexture from an HTML video element and applying it to a MeshPhysicalMaterial . The constructor parameters and relevant properties ( generateMipmaps , needsUpdate ) are listed.

Implementation Steps

The implementation section details scene initialization, renderer configuration (physically correct lights, ACESFilmic tone mapping, sRGB output encoding), skybox creation with CubeTextureLoader , loading the phone model via GLTFLoader , and assigning the video material to the screen mesh. It also shows how to store the original screen material for later toggling.

Interaction is handled with a Raycaster : mouse coordinates are normalized, a ray is cast from the camera, and if it intersects the screen mesh, the material is swapped between the original and the video material, enabling click‑to‑play functionality.

Finally, the article suggests adding rotation animation, floating labels, and other decorative elements to enhance user experience, and provides links to the full source code repository.