Deep-sea flashlight viewer (three.js)

What this is

This is a lightweight web viewer built around one interaction. The scene stays dark until a flashlight beam sweeps through it. Creatures follow simple paths and only read clearly when they cross the light.

Build notes (three.js)

Built in three.js. The setup is simple: load the models, keep them roaming, and use a tight, focused light as the primary readability tool. The lighting is intentionally strict. Silhouettes show first, then texture and detail resolve as the beam centers.

What was being tested

• Readability in near-darkness (silhouette first, detail second).
• Beam reach and falloff (how quickly things appear and disappear).
• Creature speed versus camera speed (so reveals feel controlled, not random).
• Scene density (enough life without turning into noise).

Credits (Sketchfab assets)

Models below were imported from Sketchfab for this prototype. Credits are listed here for transparency:

• "Tuna Fish" by GoldenZtuff, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "tropical fish" by eelislay, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Sea Turtle" by Eloi, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Red Finned Fish" by Kigha, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Prins Jellyfish" by aeonfitzgerald, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Piranha, Red-bellied" by Turtle_Flipper, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Paracheirodon Innesi _ Tetra Neon" by BlueMesh, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Orca Killer Whale" by Lippanen, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Neon Tetra" by Cyclommatus11, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Muraena" by by.antihrist, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Сlownfish" by misaooo, licensed under CC-BY-NC 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Lactophrys bicaudalis" by The Smithsonian Institution, licensed under CC0 1.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Koi Fish" by 7PLUS, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Koi" by pendekar_mouse, licensed under CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Hydrilla" by Valery.Li, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Guppy Fish" by BlueMesh, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Guppie Animated" by Comitre, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Fish sculpture (Object Capture)" by emm, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Fish " Betta Splendens"" by photogrammetryblender3D, licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Fish 3d model free download: Animated" by 3d model free download, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Fish" by Yimit, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Downloadable Otodus megalodon" by Major, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Discus Symphysodon" by 🌴𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓴🌴, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Discus_Animated" by Comitre, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Discus 3" by Comitre, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Discus_1" by Comitre, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Crab 7- Eleven" by aaadragon, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Conch Seashell" by Replik8 Studios, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Carp Fish" by huykhoi2407, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Betta Splendens" by BlueMesh, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Baby Shark - Birch Aquarium" by UC San Diego - Digital Media Lab, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Atlantic Wolf Fish Skull (Smoothie-3D upload)" by MagicMaker, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.
• "Ancient Shark" by Toni García Vilche, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available on Sketchfab.