If you wish to maintain the functionality of the MeshPhongMaterial
, one option is to extend the material.
This topic encompasses various approaches, and for a more detailed exploration, you can refer to this resource.
Within the phong materials shader, there is a specific line that resembles this
vec4 diffuseColor = vec4( diffuse, opacity );
Through studying resources like the book of shaders or other tutorials, you'll discover that blending two colors involves using a normalized factor (ranging from 0 to 1).
This implies that you have the option to modify this line to something along these lines
vec4 diffuseColor = vec4( mix(diffuse, customColor, vec3(customFactor)), opacity);
You can expand the shader in the following manner
const customFactor = { value: 0 }
const customColor = {value: new THREE.Color}
myMaterial.onBeforeCompile = shader=>{
shader.uniforms.customFactor = customFactor
shader.uniforms.customColor = customColor
shader.fragmentShader = `
uniform vec3 customColor;
uniform float customFactor;
${shader.fragmentShader.replace(
vec4 diffuseColor = vec4( diffuse, opacity );
vec4 diffuseColor = vec4( mix(diffuse, customColor, vec3(customFactor)), opacity);
)}
`
Upon adjusting customFactor.value
, your object's color should transition from myMaterial.color
to customColor.value
.
To achieve a gradient effect, swapping out customFactor
with a dynamic element is essential. One suggestion is to utilize uvs as proposed by prisoners, which involves simple javascript implementation within the shader. Alternate methods may demand additional shader modifications.
vec4 diffuseColor = vec4( mix(diffuse, customColor, vec3(vUv.y)), opacity);
A potential issue that may arise - if you invoke new PhongMaterial({color})
, without specifying any textures, the shader will compile without vUv
. To ensure its availability in your shader, you could implement:
myMaterial.defines = {USE_MAP:''}
This action would render the vUv
variable accessible. Consequently, all lighting aspects of the phong material would influence the material, while the base color undergoes modification.