builder-research/Week-1/Task-4/TaskNotes.md

Task: Basic Rotation / Motion

Objective

Create simple motion on an object (cube), such as constant rotation, and compare implementation across Vanilla three.js, R3F, and thob page builder.

Vanilla three.js

• Possible: Yes
• Notes: Implemented a simple cube and animated it in the render loop using renderer.setAnimationLoop(animate). Rotation is updated every frame on X and Y axes.
• Key concepts: Render loop, frame-time based motion, direct mesh.rotation updates.
• Complexity: Easy

R3F

• Possible: Yes
• Notes: Implemented the same rotating cube using useFrame, with per-frame rotation updates matching the Vanilla behavior.
• What R3F abstracted: Scene/render setup and loop integration are simplified with Canvas and useFrame, reducing boilerplate.
• Complexity: Easy

Thob Page Builder

• Possible: Partial
• Notes: Basic motion can be added through built-in presets, but custom animation logic cannot be authored.
• Custom animation is not possible; only the pre-provided animation can be applied.
• Builder steps:
  • Add cube/object in scene.
  • Select available animation preset from builder controls.
  • Adjust preset options (like speed).
• Complexity: Easy

Comparison Summary

• Possible in all 3? Partial
• Main differences:
  • Vanilla and R3F support fully custom per-frame animation logic.
  • Thob supports only preset animation options.
• Where Thob is better: Fast setup for non-technical users with ready-made motion presets.
• Where Thob is weaker: No custom animation authoring for specific motion behavior.
• What feels awkward or unclear: Limited control when required motion does not match a preset.

Limitation Type (if any)

• Editor UX limitation
• Runtime limitation
• Schema / data model limitation
• Component limitation
• Event system limitation
• Asset pipeline limitation
• Unknown / needs investigation

Workaround

• Is there a workaround?
  • Partial
• If yes, what is it?
  • Use the closest pre-provided animation preset and tune available settings.

Suggested Improvement

• What should improve in Thob?
  • Allow combining preset animation with user-defined motion parameters.
• it is:
  • editor
  • runtime
  • component
  • UX

Difficulty Estimate

• Hard

Business Value

• High

Recommendation

Should Thob support this better? Why?

• Yes. Motion is core to interactive 3D scenes, and lack of custom animation blocks many use cases beyond simple showcase interactions.