3D web design allows you to stand out from the crowd, create more engaging interfaces, and evoke emotions. However, it must be done responsibly so that performance issues do not arise. Current 3D technologies like Blender or Cinema 4D are challenging to use because of their high price tag and intimidating learning curve; they demand in-depth technical expertise to apply on a site. For interactions such as hover, drag, scroll and keyboard shortcuts, you would need a framework like ThreeJS and a lot of code.
However with Spline it is really easy. With game controls, it allows users to move an object around the scene with collisions. Spline lets you manage states, events and animations around the scene fairly easy from the editor. Most importantly, you can share or export your work in minutes.
Meet Spline
This course is completely free thanks to Spline’s Sponsorship. Spline is a full-fledged 3D tool that is widely considered the Figma of 3D tools. It has everything you’d expect in a modern design tool: simple interface, real-time collaboration, a library of sample files and it works in the browser which means compatible with Mac, Windows and Tablets. It even has interactions and code export.
This Course
With this course, we will add states and events to animate the scene. Using these states, we will create nice interactions. Spline has integrated game controls that allow users to manipulate objects around a scene with collisions. We will fully animate the character. Spline recently released its Physics feature, which allows objects to be affected by gravity. We will learn about cameras and how to utilize them to view the scene from a different angle. It is also possible to create a night scene in Spline within a few minutes. There’s an integrated Sound library where you can use sounds and trigger them using event. The most impressive feature in Spline is probably how easy it is to export your work.
Next, we will re-create a beautiful web design from Figma to a React website. I will leave the public URL, the React demo link and the Figma design link in the description below.
Getting Started
In order to follow this course, you need to download the assets file which includes the template file. Here’s the link to download the template.
Download Spline
You can download Spline for Mac, Windows or Linux. You can also use it directly in the browser which is convenient on the go and on devices like the iPad.
Library
When you first start using Spline, you have access to tutorials and a number of high-quality files that you can open, inspect and edit. Many of these beautiful 3D assets are also taught from scratch in their YouTube channel.
Examples
Here are some examples of how you can make a website with Spline.
- https://threejs-journey.com/
- https://lol3p7.csb.app/
- https://2giomw.csb.app/
- https://plasma-wallet.com/
Conclusion
This is the end of the intro, I hope you are excited to build this awesome scene with me. I’ll see you on the next one.
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