Learning Three.js – the JavaScript 3D Library for WebGL - Second Edition

Creating animations using external models

In Chapter 8, Creating and Loading Advanced Meshes and Geometries, we looked at a number of 3D formats that are supported by Three.js. A couple of those formats also support animations. In this chapter, we'll look at the following examples:

• Blender with the JSON exporter: We'll start with an animation created in Blender and exported to the Three.js JSON format.
• Collada model: The Collada format has support for animations. For this example, we'll load an animation from a Collada file and render it with Three.js.
• MD2 model: The MD2 model is a simple format used in the older Quake engines. Even though the format is a bit dated, it is still a very good format for storing character animations.

We'll start with ...