Memory Management with Three.js GLTF Models

Based on your code and description, I can see you're experiencing memory issues when continuously loading GLTF models. Here are some observations and suggestions to improve your memory management:

Issues in Your Current Approach

Your disposal code has a few gaps that might be causing the memory leaks:

1. You're not disposing of the renderer properly
2. Textures from materials aren't being fully disposed
3. The GLTFLoader instance might be retaining references

Improved Disposal Function

Here's an enhanced version of your disposal code:

JAVASCRIPTCopied
function disposeObject(object) {
  if (!object) return;
  
  object.traverse(node => {
    // Handle meshes
    if (node.isMesh) {
      if (node.geometry) {
        node.geometry.dispose();
      }
      
      // Handle materials (single or array)
      if (Array.isArray(node.material)) {
        node.material.forEach(material => disposeMaterial(material));
      } else if (node.material) {
        disposeMaterial(node.material);
      }
    }
  });
}

function disposeMaterial(material) {
  // Dispose all properties of the material that might be textures
  for (const propertyName in material) {
    const property = material[propertyName];
    if (property && typeof property.dispose === 'function') {
      property.dispose();
    }
  }
  
  material.dispose();
}

function clearScene() {
  // Dispose scene objects
  disposeObject(scene);
  disposeObject(model);
  
  // Clear scene and remove model
  scene.clear();
  if (model && model.parent) {
    model.parent.remove(model);
  }
  
  // Dispose controls
  if (controls && controls.dispose) {
    controls.dispose();
  }
  
  // Set references to null
  model = null;
}

Don't Forget the Renderer

Most importantly, when you're completely done with your Three.js application, you should dispose of the renderer:

JAVASCRIPTCopied
// Call this when you're completely done with the renderer
function disposeRenderer() {
  if (renderer) {
    renderer.dispose();
    renderer = null;
  }
}

The renderer.dispose() method frees GPU-related resources allocated by the renderer instance, which is crucial for memory management.

GLTFLoader Considerations

When using GLTFLoader repeatedly, consider:

1. Creating a new loader instance for each load or
2. Using the loader's cache property to control caching:

JAVASCRIPTCopied
// Disable caching if you're loading models once
const loader = new GLTFLoader();
loader.setResourcePath('/models/');
loader.setCrossOrigin('anonymous');

Additional Tips

1. Make sure to call renderer.dispose() when you're completely done with your Three.js application
2. Consider using Chrome's Performance Monitor and Memory panels to identify specific leaks
3. Updating to the latest version of Three.js might help, as memory management improvements are made regularly

Memory management in WebGL applications can be challenging, but properly disposing of all resources is key to maintaining good performance.