Performance Optimization Basics

"Optimize for mobile, scale up for desktop – 60 FPS is the goal."

When to Use

Use when:

• FPS drops below 60
• Debugging performance issues
• Starting optimization work

The 16ms Budget (60 FPS)

Quick Start Canvas Config

// Performance-optimized Canvas
<Canvas
  dpr={[1, 2]} // Limit pixel ratio
  performance={{ min: 0.5 }} // Auto-reduce quality
  gl={{ antialias: false }} // Disable for mobile
>
  <Suspense fallback={null}>
    <Scene />
  </Suspense>
</Canvas>

Decision Framework

Progressive Optimizations

Level 1: Basic

// Limit device pixel ratio
<Canvas dpr={Math.min(window.devicePixelRatio, 2)}>

// Disable expensive features on mobile
const isMobile = /iPhone|iPad|Android/i.test(navigator.userAgent);

<Canvas
  shadows={!isMobile}
  gl={{
    antialias: !isMobile,
    powerPreference: 'high-performance',
  }}
>

Level 2: Object Reuse

// Reuse Vector3, Quaternion instances
const position = useRef(new THREE.Vector3());
const rotation = useRef(new THREE.Quaternion());

useFrame(() => {
  position.current.set(0, 0, 0); // Reuse, don't create
});

Level 3: Memory Management

// CRITICAL: Dispose of Three.js objects
useEffect(() => {
  const geometry = new THREE.BoxGeometry();
  const material = new THREE.MeshStandardMaterial();

  return () => {
    geometry.dispose();
    material.dispose();
    if (material.map) material.map.dispose();
  };
}, []);

Performance Monitoring

import { useFrame } from '@react-three/fiber';
import { useRef } from 'react';

function PerformanceMonitor() {
  const frameCount = useRef(0);
  const lastTime = useRef(performance.now());

  useFrame(() => {
    frameCount.current++;

    const now = performance.now();
    if (now - lastTime.current >= 1000) {
      console.log(`FPS: ${frameCount.current}`);
      frameCount.current = 0;
      lastTime.current = now;
    }
  });

  return null;
}

Anti-Patterns

❌ DON'T:

• Create objects inside useFrame
• Skip dispose() calls
• Use shadows on mobile without testing
• Render invisible objects
• Use uncompressed textures

✅ DO:

• Reuse Vector3, Quaternion instances
• Always dispose geometries and materials
• Profile before and after optimizations
• Compress textures (WebP, Basis)

Checklist

• DPR limited appropriately
• No object creation in useFrame
• Dispose called on cleanup
• Shadows disabled on mobile
• Textures compressed
• FPS stable at 60

Common Performance Killers

1. Too many draw calls → Use Instances
2. High polygon count → Use LOD
3. Unoptimized textures → Compress, resize
4. No frustum culling → Enable frustumCulled
5. Memory leaks → Call dispose()
6. GC pressure → Object pooling

Reference

• Three.js Performance Tips
• [instancing.md](./instancing.md) - Instanced rendering
• [lod-systems.md](./lod-systems.md) - LOD techniques