three-globe

ThreeJS Globe Visualization

Largely inspired by WebGL Globe, this is a ThreeJS WebGL class to represent data visualization layers on a globe, using a spherical projection.

Check out the examples:

• Basic (source)
• Arc Links (source)
• Country Polygons (source)
• Hexagonal Binning (source)
• Labels (source)
• Custom Layer (source)

See also the standalone version.

Quick start

import ThreeGlobe from 'three-globe';

or

const ThreeGlobe = require('three-globe');

or even

<script src="//unpkg.com/three-globe"></script>

then

const myGlobe = new ThreeGlobe()
    .globeImageUrl(<imageUrl>)
    .pointsData(<myData>);

const myScene = new THREE.Scene();
myScene.add(myGlobe);

API reference

Initialisation

new ThreeGlobe({ configOptions })

Config options	Description	Default
animateIn: boolean	Whether to animate the globe initialization, by scaling and rotating the globe into its inital position.	true

Globe Layer

Method	Description	Default
globeImageUrl([url])	Getter/setter for the URL of the image used in the material that wraps the globe. If no image is provided, the globe is represented as a black sphere.	null
bumpImageUrl([url])	Getter/setter for the URL of the image used to create a bump map in the material, to represent the globe's terrain.	null
showAtmosphere([boolean])	Getter/setter for whether to show a bright halo surrounding the globe, representing the atmosphere.	true
showGraticules([boolean])	Getter/setter for whether to show a graticule grid demarking latitude and longitude lines at every 10 degrees.	false

Points Layer

Method	Description	Default
pointsData([array])	Getter/setter for the list of points to represent in the points map layer. Each point is displayed as a cylindrical 3D object rising perpendicularly from the surface of the globe.	[]
pointLat([num, str or fn])	Point object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the cylinder's center latitude coordinate.	lat
pointLng([num, str or fn])	Point object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the cylinder's center longitude coordinate.	lng
pointColor([str or fn])	Point object accessor function or attribute for the cylinder color.	() => '#ffffaa'
pointAltitude([num, str or fn])	Point object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the cylinder's altitude in terms of globe radius units (0 = 0 altitude (flat circle), 1 = globe radius).	0.1
pointRadius([num, str or fn])	Point object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the cylinder's radius, in angular degrees.	0.25
pointResolution([num])	Getter/setter for the radial geometric resolution of each cylinder, expressed in how many slice segments to divide the circumference. Higher values yield smoother cylinders.	12
pointsMerge([boolean])	Getter/setter for whether to merge all the point meshes into a single ThreeJS object, for improved rendering performance. Visually both options are equivalent, setting this option only affects the internal organization of the ThreeJS objects.	false
pointsTransitionDuration([num])	Getter/setter for duration (ms) of the transition to animate point changes involving geometry modifications. A value of 0 will move the objects immediately to their final position. New objects are animated by scaling them from the ground up. Only works if pointsMerge is disabled.	1000

Arcs Layer

Method	Description	Default
arcsData([array])	Getter/setter for the list of links to represent in the arcs map layer. Each link is displayed as an arc line that rises from the surface of the globe, connecting the start and end coordinates.	[]
arcStartLat([num, str or fn])	Arc object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the line's start latitude coordinate.	startLat
arcStartLng([num, str or fn])	Arc object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the line's start longitude coordinate.	startLng
arcEndLat([num, str or fn])	Arc object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the line's end latitude coordinate.	endLat
arcEndLng([num, str or fn])	Arc object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the line's end longitude coordinate.	endLng
arcColor([str, [str, ...] or fn])	Arc object accessor function or attribute for the line's color. Also supports color gradients by passing an array of colors.	() => '#ffffaa'
arcAltitude([num, str or fn])	Arc object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the arc's maximum altitude (ocurring at the half-way distance between the two points) in terms of globe radius units (0 = 0 altitude (ground line), 1 = globe radius). If a value of null or undefined is used, the altitude is automatically set proportionally to the distance between the two points, according to the scale set in arcAltitudeAutoScale.	null
arcAltitudeAutoScale([num, str or fn])	Arc object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the scale of the arc's automatic altitude, in terms of units of the great-arc distance between the two points. A value of 1 indicates the arc should be as high as its length on the ground. Only applicable if arcAltitude is not set.	0.5
arcStroke([num, str or fn])	Arc object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the line's diameter, in angular degrees. A value of null or undefined will render a ThreeJS Line whose width is constant (1px) regardless of the camera distance. Otherwise, a TubeGeometry is used.	null
arcCurveResolution([num])	Getter/setter for the arc's curve resolution, expressed in how many straight line segments to divide the curve by. Higher values yield smoother curves.	64
arcCircularResolution([num])	Getter/setter for the radial geometric resolution of each line, expressed in how many slice segments to divide the tube's circumference. Only applicable when using Tube geometries (defined arcStroke).	6
arcDashLength([num, str or fn])	Arc object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the length of the dashed segments in the arc, in terms of relative length of the whole line (1 = full line length).	1
arcDashGap([num, str or fn])	Arc object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the length of the gap between dash segments, in terms of relative line length.	0
arcDashInitialGap([num, str or fn])	Arc object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the length of the initial gap before the first dash segment, in terms of relative line length.	0
arcDashAnimateTime([num, str or fn])	Arc object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the time duration (in ms) to animate the motion of dash positions from the start to the end point for a full line length. A value of 0 disables the animation.	0
arcsTransitionDuration([num])	Getter/setter for duration (ms) of the transition to animate arc changes involving geometry modifications. A value of 0 will move the arcs immediately to their final position. New arcs are animated by rising them from the ground up.	1000

Polygons Layer

Method	Description	Default
polygonsData([array])	Getter/setter for the list of polygon shapes to represent in the polygons map layer. Each polygon is displayed as a shaped cone that extrudes from the surface of the globe.	[]
polygonGeoJsonGeometry([str or fn])	Polygon object accessor function or attribute for the GeoJson geometry specification of the polygon's shape. The returned value should have a minimum of two fields: type and coordinates. Only GeoJson geometries of type Polygon or MultiPolygon are supported, other types will be skipped.	geometry
polygonCapColor([str or fn])	Polygon object accessor function or attribute for the color of the top surface.	() => '#ffffaa'
polygonSideColor([str or fn])	Polygon object accessor function or attribute for the color of the cone sides.	() => '#ffffaa'
polygonAltitude([num, str or fn])	Polygon object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the polygon cone's altitude in terms of globe radius units (0 = 0 altitude (flat polygon), 1 = globe radius).	0.1
polygonsTransitionDuration([num])	Getter/setter for duration (ms) of the transition to animate polygon altitude changes. A value of 0 will size the cone immediately to their final altitude. New polygons are animated by rising them from the ground up.	1000

Hex Bin Layer

Method	Description	Default
hexBinPointsData([array])	Getter/setter for the list of points to aggregate using the hex bin map layer. Each point is added to an hexagonal prism 3D object that represents all the points within a tesselated portion of the space.	[]
hexBinPointLat([num, str or fn])	Point object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the latitude coordinate.	lat
hexBinPointLng([num, str or fn])	Point object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the longitude coordinate.	lng
hexBinPointWeight([num, str or fn])	Point object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the weight of the point. Weights for points in the same bin are summed and determine the hexagon default altitude.	1
hexRadius([num])	The radius of the hexagons that tesselate the globe's surface. The radius is specified in terms of degrees of the globe's great circle perimeter.	0.25
hexMargin([num or fn])	The radial margin of each hexagon. Margins above 0 will create gaps between adjacent hexagons and serve only a visual purpose, as the data points within the margin still contribute to the hexagon's data. The margin is specified in terms of fraction of the hexagon's surface diameter. Values below 0 or above 1 are disadvised. This property also supports using an accessor method based on the hexagon's aggregated data, following the syntax: hexMargin(({ points, sumWeight, center: { lat, lng }}) => ...). This method should return a numeric constant.	0.2
hexAltitude([num or fn])	The altitude of each hexagon, in terms of globe radius units (0 = 0 altitude (flat hexagon), 1 = globe radius). This property also supports using an accessor method based on the hexagon's aggregated data, following the syntax: hexAltitude(({ points, sumWeight, center: { lat, lng }}) => ...). This method should return a numeric constant.	({ sumWeight }) => sumWeight * 0.01
hexColor([fn])	Accessor method for each hexagon's color. The method should follow the signature: hexColor(({ points, sumWeight, center: { lat, lng }}) => ...) and return a color string.	() => '#ffffaa'
hexBinMerge([boolean])	Getter/setter for whether to merge all the hexagon meshes into a single ThreeJS object, for improved rendering performance. Visually both options are equivalent, setting this option only affects the internal organization of the ThreeJS objects.	false
hexTransitionDuration([num])	Getter/setter for duration (ms) of the transition to animate hexagon changes related to geometry modifications (altitude, radius). A value of 0 will move the hexagons immediately to their final position. New hexagons are animated by scaling them from the ground up. Only works if hexBinMerge is disabled.	1000

Labels Layer

Method	Description	Default
labelsData([array])	Getter/setter for the list of label objects to represent in the labels map layer.	[]
labelLat([num, str or fn])	Label object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the latitude coordinate.	lat
labelLng([num, str or fn])	Label object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the longitude coordinate.	lng
labelText([str or fn])	Label object accessor function or attribute for the label text.	text
labelColor([str or fn])	Label object accessor function or attribute for the label color.	() => 'lightgrey'
labelAltitude([num, str or fn])	Label object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the label altitude in terms of globe radius units.	0
labelSize([num, str or fn])	Label object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the label text height, in angular degrees.	0.5
labelTypeFace([typeface ])	Getter/setter for the text font typeface JSON object. Supports any typeface font generated by Facetype.js.	helvetiker regular
labelRotation([num, str or fn])	Label object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the label rotation in degrees. The rotation is performed clockwise along the axis of its latitude parallel plane.	0
labelResolution([num])	Getter/setter for the text geometric resolution of each label, expressed in how many segments to use in the text curves. Higher values yield smoother labels.	3
labelIncludeDot([bool, str or fn])	Label object accessor function, attribute or a boolean constant for whether to include a dot marker next to the text indicating the exact lat, lng coordinates of the label. If enabled the text will be rendered offset from the dot.	true
labelDotRadius([num, str or fn])	Label object accessor function, attribute or a numeric constant for the radius of the dot marker, in angular degrees.	0.1
labelDotOrientation([str or fn])	Label object accessor function or attribute for the orientation of the label if the dot marker is present. Possible values are right, top and bottom.	() => 'bottom'
labelsTransitionDuration([num])	Getter/setter for duration (ms) of the transition to animate label changes involving position modifications (lat, lng, altitude, rotation). A value of 0 will move the labels immediately to their final position. New labels are animated by scaling their size.	1000

Custom Layer

Method	Description	Default
customLayerData([array])	Getter/setter for the list of items to represent in the custom map layer. Each item is rendered according to the customThreeObject method.	[]
customThreeObject([Object3d, str or fn])	Object accessor function or attribute for generating a custom 3d object to render as part of the custom map layer. Should return an instance of ThreeJS Object3d. The callback method's signature includes the object's data as well as the globe radius: customThreeObject((objData, globeRadius) => { ... }).	null
customThreeObjectUpdate([str or fn])	Object accessor function or attribute for updating an existing custom 3d object with new data. This can be used for performance improvement on data updates as the objects don't need to be removed and recreated at each update. The callback method's signature includes the object to be update, its new data and the globe radius: customThreeObjectUpdate((obj, objData, globeRadius) => { ... }).	null

Utility

Method	Description
getCoords(lat, lng [,altitude])	Utility method to translate spherical coordinates. Given a pair of latitude/longitude coordinates and optionally altitude (in terms of globe radius units), returns the equivalent {x, y, z} cartesian spatial coordinates.
toGeoCoords({ x, y, z })	Utility method to translate cartesian coordinates to the geographic domain. Given a set of 3D cartesian coordinates {x, y, z}, returns the equivalent {lat, lng, altitude} spherical coordinates. Altitude is defined in terms of globe radius units.

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