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Browser-based WebGL terrain editor with authoring mode and camera

Browser-based WebGL terrain editor with authoring mode and camera

by bartoszu_·Feb 26, 2026·1 point·1 comment
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AI Analysis

●●SolidEye CandyCozyShip It

Three.js terrain editor with clean authoring modes, but lacks assets and feature depth.

Strengths
  • •Live 3D editing in browser with zero setup or account required
  • •Thoughtful UI separates authoring from exploration modes cleanly
  • •Auto-save to localStorage preserves work without friction
Weaknesses
  • •Only 14 trees and handful of assets limit expressiveness for real projects
  • •No collaborative features, export options, or integration hooks planned yet
Category
Design
Target Audience

Game developers, environment artists, world builders

Similar To

Spline · Nomad Sculpt · Needle Engine

Post Description

Hi HN,

I’m building browser-based WebGL terrain editor powered by a custom Three.js engine. It’s a real-time 3D scene, not a static render.

What’s new since the last iteration:

Authoring mode UI integrated into the left navigation (clean tool separation, no ad-hoc overlays)

Camera Mode vs Explore Mode (orbit/zoom author camera with a clear mode switch)

Visual modes for authoring (production parity vs simplified white “workspace” mode)

Live demo: https://playzafiro.com/isle-lab/

Short context: I’m doing this solo. The long-term goal is a lightweight world-building tool that can evolve into a broader editor/workflow.

I’d love feedback on:

- usability (does the navigation/tooling feel intuitive?) - performance on your machine - what feature would make this immediately useful for you (even as a prototype)

Thanks!

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