Creating Meta’s 3D Dynamic Logo with Three.js and Blender

Background : Meta (formerly Facebook) has rebranded and entered the Metaverse, and this article demonstrates how to reproduce Meta’s flashy 3D dynamic logo using a Three.js + Blender workflow.

What is the Metaverse : The term originates from Neal Stephenson’s 1992 novel Snow Crash and describes a persistent, shared 3D virtual space that converges with the physical world, powered by technologies such as 5G/6G, Web 3.0, AI, VR/AR/MR, and game engines.

Implementation Effect : An online preview (https://dragonir.github.io/3d-meta-logo) showcases the animated logo; a GIF illustrates the final result.

Development Implementation – Trial 1: THREE.TorusGeometry : Creates a donut‑shaped torus. Key parameters are radius (default 1), tube (default 0.4), radialSegments (default 8), tubularSegments (default 6), and arc (default 2 × π). Example usage: THREE.TorusGeometry(radius, tube, radialSegments, tubularSegments, arc);

Trial 2: THREE.TorusKnotGeometry : Generates a torus knot. Important parameters include radius , tube , radialSegments , tubularSegments , p (twist count), and q (loop count). Example: THREE.TorusKnotGeometry(radius, tube, radialSegments, tubularSegments, p, q);

Trial 3: THREE.TubeGeometry : Extrudes a tube along a 3D spline. Parameters are path (THREE.SplineCurve3), segments , radius , radiusSegments , and closed . Example: new THREE.TubeGeometry(path, segments, radius, radiusSegments, closed);

Trial 4: Blender + Three.js : Because pure geometry could not achieve a perfectly smooth twisted ring, the author modeled the logo in Blender, exported it as an FBX with baked animation, and imported it into the Three.js scene.

Modeling Tutorial : Use Blender to create the logo, export as .fbx with the “Bake Animation” option enabled.

Loading Dependencies : Include the required scripts: <script src="./assets/libs/three.js"></script> <script src="./assets/libs/loaders/FBXLoader.js"></script> <script src="./assets/libs/inflate.min.js"></script> <script src="./assets/libs/OrbitControls.js"></script> <script src="./assets/libs/stats.js"></script>

Scene Initialization : Create container, scene, camera, lights (HemisphereLight, DirectionalLight, AmbientLight), grid helper, WebGLRenderer (antialias, alpha, sRGBEncoding), OrbitControls, and Stats. Example snippet: var container = document.createElement('div'); document.body.appendChild(container); scene = new THREE.Scene(); camera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera(60, window.innerWidth/window.innerHeight, 0.1, 1000); renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer({antialias:true, alpha:true}); renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight); container.appendChild(renderer.domElement); controls = new THREE.OrbitControls(camera, renderer.domElement); stats = new Stats(); container.appendChild(stats.dom);

Loading the Logo Model : Use THREE.FBXLoader to load meta.fbx , set its rotation, position, and scale, and add it to the scene. var loader = new THREE.FBXLoader(); loader.load('assets/models/meta.fbx', function(mesh){ mesh.rotation.y = Math.PI/2; mesh.position.set(0,1,0); mesh.scale.set(0.05,0.05,0.05); scene.add(mesh); });

Adding Material : Apply a MeshPhysicalMaterial with a metal texture loaded via THREE.TextureLoader for realistic PBR rendering. var texLoader = new THREE.TextureLoader(); child.material = new THREE.MeshPhysicalMaterial({ map: texLoader.load('./assets/images/metal.png'), metalness: 0.2, roughness: 0.1, exposure: 0.4 });

Adding Animation : For each animation clip in the FBX, create an AnimationMixer , set the clip duration, and play it. Update mixers inside the render loop. loader.load('assets/models/meta.fbx', function(mesh){ mesh.animations.forEach(item => { let mixer = new THREE.AnimationMixer(mesh); let clip = item; clip.duration = 8; mixer.clipAction(clip).play(); mixerArr.push(mixer); }); }); function animate(){ renderer.render(scene,camera); let delta = clock.getDelta(); mixerArr.forEach(m=> m && m.update(delta)); stats.update(); requestAnimationFrame(animate); }

Displaying Loading Progress : Provide a simple HTML overlay with a #progress span and update it in the FBXLoader’s onProgress callback. loader.load('assets/models/meta.fbx', mesh=>{}, res=>{ let progress = (res.loaded/res.total*100).toFixed(0); document.getElementById('progress').innerText = progress + '%'; if(progress=== '100') document.getElementById('loading').style.display='none'; }, err=> console.error(err));

Click to Change Material : Use a THREE.Raycaster to detect clicked objects, then replace their material with a randomly colored MeshStandardMaterial . var raycaster = new THREE.Raycaster(); var mouse = new THREE.Vector2(); function onMouseClick(event){ mouse.x = (event.clientX/window.innerWidth)*2-1; mouse.y = -(event.clientY/window.innerHeight)*2+1; raycaster.setFromCamera(mouse,camera); let intersects = raycaster.intersectObjects(clickableObjects); if(intersects.length>0){ let obj = intersects[0].object; obj.material = new THREE.MeshStandardMaterial({ color: `#${Math.random().toString(16).slice(-6)}`, metalness: Math.random(), roughness: Math.random() }); } } window.addEventListener('click', onMouseClick, false);

Loading a Character Model : The same FBX loading process is used for a Mixamo character, with its own AnimationMixer and progress handling.

Summary of Key Points : THREE.TorusGeometry – creates a torus (ring). THREE.TorusKnotGeometry – creates a torus knot. THREE.TubeGeometry – extrudes a tube along a spline. Blender – used for detailed modeling and FBX export. FBXLoader – loads models and provides progress callbacks. TextureLoader – loads material textures. THREE.AnimationMixer – plays model animations. THREE.Raycaster – enables click interaction.

References : Using three.js to create a cool acid‑style 3D page. Three.js material guide. Three.js animation basics. What is the Metaverse? Full source code: https://github.com/dragonir/3d-meta-logo