Why Isn't My Day-to-Night Skybox Scene Rendered in React/TypeScript?

I need to help you with your Three.js scene that's not displaying properly, but you haven't shared your code snippet. Without seeing your implementation, I can only provide general guidance about creating a day/night skybox transition in Three.js.

Here are some common issues that might be causing your scene not to display:

1. Scene setup issues: Make sure you have properly initialized your Three.js scene, camera, and renderer.

2. Missing render loop: Ensure you have a render/animation loop that continuously updates your scene.

3. Skybox implementation: For a day/night transition skybox, you need to either:

   • Use a shader-based approach to blend between day and night textures
   • Swap between different CubeTextures based on time
   • Use a single HDR environment map with adjustable exposure/tint

4. Camera positioning: Your camera might be positioned incorrectly or looking in the wrong direction.

5. Canvas mounting: In React, ensure your Three.js canvas is properly mounted to the DOM.

Here's a basic example of how you might set up a day/night cycle with Three.js:

JAVASCRIPTCopied
import * as THREE from 'three';

// Scene setup
const scene = new THREE.Scene();
const camera = new THREE.PerspectiveCamera(75, window.innerWidth / window.innerHeight, 0.1, 1000);
const renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer();
renderer.setSize(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight);
document.body.appendChild(renderer.domElement);

// Camera position
camera.position.z = 5;

// Load day and night skybox textures
const loader = new THREE.CubeTextureLoader();
const dayTexture = loader.load([
  'day_px.jpg', 'day_nx.jpg',
  'day_py.jpg', 'day_ny.jpg',
  'day_pz.jpg', 'day_nz.jpg'
]);

const nightTexture = loader.load([
  'night_px.jpg', 'night_nx.jpg',
  'night_py.jpg', 'night_ny.jpg',
  'night_pz.jpg', 'night_nz.jpg'
]);

// Function to get time of day as a value between 0 (midnight) and 1 (midnight)
function getTimeOfDay() {
  const now = new Date();
  const hours = now.getHours();
  const minutes = now.getMinutes();
  return (hours * 60 + minutes) / (24 * 60);
}

// Animation loop
function animate() {
  requestAnimationFrame(animate);
  
  // Calculate time of day (0-1)
  const timeOfDay = getTimeOfDay();
  
  // Simple day/night cycle - set background based on time
  // This is a simplified approach - a shader blend would be smoother
  if (timeOfDay > 0.25 && timeOfDay < 0.75) {
    // Daytime
    scene.background = dayTexture;
  } else {
    // Nighttime
    scene.background = nightTexture;
  }
  
  renderer.render(scene, camera);
}

animate();

If you could share your actual code, I could provide more specific guidance on what might be going wrong with your implementation.