Optimizing Multiple Textures with PlaneGeometry in Three.js

When working with hundreds of textures applied to separate plane geometries, there are several optimization strategies you can implement:

Texture Management

1. Use a Texture Manager/Atlas

   • Consider combining multiple textures into texture atlases where appropriate
   • Implement proper texture loading and unloading based on visibility

2. Optimize Texture Loading

   • Use compressed textures like CompressedTexture for better performance
   • Implement progressive loading for textures that aren't immediately visible
   • Consider using mipmaps for textures that will be viewed at different distances

3. Reuse Textures

   • Share textures between geometries when possible
   • Use the base Texture class efficiently

Material Optimization

1. Share Materials
   • Use the same material instance for planes that share the same texture
   • Consider using MeshBasicMaterial for simple, unlit planes

JAVASCRIPTCopied
// Example of sharing materials
const texture = new THREE.TextureLoader().load('texture.jpg');
const material = new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial({ map: texture });

// Use this material for multiple plane geometries
const planes = [];
for (let i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
    const plane = new THREE.Mesh(new THREE.PlaneGeometry(1, 1), material);
    plane.position.set(i % 10, Math.floor(i / 10), 0);
    planes.push(plane);
    scene.add(plane);
}

2. Use Appropriate Materials
   • MeshBasicMaterial for non-lit planes
   • MeshLambertMaterial for simple lighting
   • MeshStandardMaterial only when needed for realistic rendering

Geometry Optimization

1. Reuse Geometry
   • Create a single PlaneGeometry instance and reuse it for all planes
   • This significantly reduces memory usage

JAVASCRIPTCopied
// Create a single geometry instance
const geometry = new THREE.PlaneGeometry(1, 1);

// Reuse it for all planes
for (let i = 0; i < hundreds; i++) {
    const material = new THREE.MeshBasicMaterial({ 
        map: textureArray[i] 
    });
    const plane = new THREE.Mesh(geometry, material);
    // Position the plane
    scene.add(plane);
}

Rendering Optimization

1. Implement Frustum Culling

   • Only render planes that are in the camera's view
   • Set plane.frustumCulled = true (this is the default)

2. Level of Detail (LOD)

   • Use lower resolution textures for distant planes
   • Consider implementing a custom LOD system

3. Object Pooling

   • Reuse plane objects by implementing an object pool
   • Only create new planes when necessary

By implementing these strategies, you can significantly improve performance when working with hundreds of textured planes in Three.js.