I Built an Interactive 3D Camera You Can Take Apart in Your Browser 📷

I've been exploring Three.js and WebGL lately, experimenting with different ways to make websites more interactive.

One thing I really enjoy about 3D on the web is that you're not limited to displaying objects. You can actually let people interact with them, explore them, and understand how things work.

So I decided to build something around that idea.

Meet Camera Lab — an interactive 3D experience where you can explore a DSLR camera, take it apart, and see what's happening inside.

📷 [Try the live demo here]

What's interesting about it?

Instead of simply displaying a 3D camera that rotates, I wanted people to be able to explore the engineering behind it.

Here's what you can do:

• 🔄 Rotate and explore: View the camera from different angles, zoom in, and inspect the details.
• 🧩 Take it apart: Use the exploded-view slider to separate the camera's components and put everything back together.
• 🔍 Explore 25 components: Click individual parts to learn more about them, including the lens, shutter, mirror, sensor, and internal electronics.
• 👁️ X-ray mode: Look through the camera's exterior to see what's happening inside.
• 🎯 Guided exploration: Follow a step-by-step tour showing how light travels through a DSLR camera.
• 📸 Capture screenshots: Save a view of the 3D model directly from the experience.

One of my favourite parts is the exploded view. Seeing the different components separate and come back together makes the whole experience much more interesting.

🛠️ What did I build it with?

The main technologies behind the project are:

• Three.js / WebGL — 3D rendering and interactions
• React + TypeScript — Application structure and UI
• GSAP — Animations and transitions
• Tailwind CSS — Styling
• Vite — Development and build tooling
• Vercel — Deployment

The camera model is generated using procedural 3D geometry rather than relying on a downloaded camera model.

This made it possible to work with the components individually and create the interactive disassembly experience.

💡 Why I enjoyed building this

What interests me most about Three.js is how it opens up a different approach to web development.

A website doesn't always have to be a collection of pages, buttons, and forms.

Sometimes it can be an experience.

Projects like this make me want to keep exploring interactive product visualizations, 3D storytelling, and educational experiences on the web.

And honestly, there's still a lot I want to learn.

🚀 Give it a try!

I'd really appreciate some feedback from fellow developers, especially anyone working with Three.js, WebGL, or creative frontend development.

Live demo: https://the-camera.vercel.app/

GitHub: https://github.com/jude4/the-camera

💬 I'd love to hear your thoughts!

If you try it out, I'm curious:

1. What's your favourite part of the experience?
2. Is there anything you'd improve about the interactions or design?
3. What other everyday objects would be interesting to explore this way in 3D?

I'm also thinking about what I could build next using Three.js.

Would love to hear your suggestions!

Thanks for checking it out! 🚀