# Threejs Temporal Surfaces

Build view-aligned and screen-space surface effects in Three.js.

- Repository: https://github.com/scottstts/Threejs-Awesome-Graphics-Agent-Skills (956 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-10-22
- Runs scripts: yes, review before use

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add scottstts/Threejs-Awesome-Graphics-Agent-Skills --skill threejs-temporal-surfaces -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add scottstts/Threejs-Awesome-Graphics-Agent-Skills --skill threejs-temporal-surfaces -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add scottstts/Threejs-Awesome-Graphics-Agent-Skills --skill threejs-temporal-surfaces -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add scottstts/Threejs-Awesome-Graphics-Agent-Skills --skill threejs-temporal-surfaces -g -a gemini-cli -y`

## Description

Build view-aligned and screen-space surface effects in Three.js. Use for touch-history frost and thaw, ping-pong accumulation, reduced-resolution blur, crystalline masks, two-scale refraction, and procedural rain droplets that refract and blur a background through wet glass.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Temporal Surfaces

Choose persistent history or procedural screen-space evolution explicitly. Do
not fake accumulation with time-only noise, and do not allocate history for an
effect whose complete state is analytic in time.

This skill contains exemplary examples and assets beyond descriptive guidance,
they're worth studying, referencing, or even copying. Use them sufficiently
when relevant and do NOT blindly skip them.

## Pipeline

```text
persistent surface: input -> ping-pong state -> blur -> structure -> refraction
procedural surface: time/coverage -> analytic field -> optical normal -> refraction/blur
```

Read [references/ping-pong-accumulation.md](references/ping-pong-accumulation.md)
for an exact frost pass graph, pointer-history channels, blur and refraction
coupling, and implementation defects that must be corrected.

Read the
[touch-history frost implementation](examples/touch-history-frost/frost-surface-effect.js) for the
previous/deposit/next state transition, reduced blur, static structures,
frost-mask composition, and two-scale refraction.

Read [references/refractive-window-rain.md](references/refractive-window-rain.md)
and the
[refractive window rain implementation](examples/refractive-window-rain/window-rain-effect.js)
for layered static and travelling droplets, finite-difference optical normals,
background refraction, stochastic disc blur, aspect fill, and presentation.

## Rules

The rest: https://github.com/scottstts/Threejs-Awesome-Graphics-Agent-Skills/blob/HEAD/skills/threejs-temporal-surfaces/SKILL.md