Lifecycle

This document describes the lifecycle of the rhinoartisan-web-3d web component, from initialization to cleanup.

📊 Lifecycle Overview

The web component follows a predictable lifecycle with several stages and corresponding events:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Component Created                         │
│                   (Custom Element Defined)                   │
└───────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────┘
                            │
                            ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  Component Mounted to DOM                    │
│              (connectedCallback triggered)                   │
└───────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────┘
                            │
                            ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 React Component Initializes                  │
│            - State setup                                     │
│            - Options parsing                                 │
│            - Refs initialization                             │
└───────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────┘
                            │
                            ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   Canvas & Scene Setup                       │
│            - Three.js renderer                               │
│            - Camera initialization                           │
│            - Controls setup                                  │
└───────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────┘
                            │
                            ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Model Loading Phase                       │
│            - Fetch GLTF/GLB file                            │
│            - Parse geometry                                  │
│            - Apply materials                                 │
│            - Compute bounding box                            │
│                                                              │
│            Progress: 0% → 100%                               │
│            Event: 'model-loaded' (on success)                │
│            Event: 'model-load-error' (on failure)            │
└───────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────┘
                            │
                            ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   Viewer Ready State                         │
│            - All methods exposed                             │
│            - Interactive controls enabled                    │
│            - Event: 'ready' dispatched                       │
│                                                              │
│            ✅ FULLY OPERATIONAL                              │
└───────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────┘
                            │
                            ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Active/Interactive                        │
│            - User interactions                               │
│            - Material changes → 'material-changed'           │
│            - Selection changes → 'selection-changed'         │
│            - Method calls                                    │
└───────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────┘
                            │
                            ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  Component Unmounted                         │
│            (disconnectedCallback triggered)                  │
│            - Cleanup resources                               │
│            - Dispose geometries                              │
│            - Clear caches                                    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

🔄 Lifecycle Stages

1. Component Creation

When the custom element is defined in the browser.

What happens:

Custom element registered with customElements.define()
Default styles injected into document head
Component class ready for instantiation

Code:

// Automatic when script loads
import "/dist/rhinoartisan-web-3d.es.js";

2. Component Mount

When the element is added to the DOM.

What happens:

React root created
Web component connected to DOM
Attribute parsing begins

Code:

<rhinoartisan-web-3d id="viewer"></rhinoartisan-web-3d>

Timing: Immediate when element appears in DOM

3. Initialization

Internal setup phase after mount.

What happens:

Options parsed from attributes
State initialized
Refs created (camera, controls, experience, etc.)
Version logged to console

Console Output:

RhinoArtisan Web 3D v1.0.0

Timing: ~10-50ms after mount

4. Scene Setup

Three.js scene and renderer initialization.

What happens:

Canvas element created
WebGL context initialized
Camera positioned
Controls attached
Environment loaded
Lights created

Timing: ~50-200ms after mount

5. Model Loading

The 3D model is fetched and processed.

What happens:

GLTF/GLB file fetched from URL
Geometry parsed and optimized
Materials applied to meshes
Bounding box computed
Textures loaded (if needed)

Events:

✅ Success: model-loaded event fires
❌ Failure: model-load-error event fires

Timing: 200ms - 5s (depends on model size and network)

Example:

viewer.addEventListener("model-loaded", (event) => {
  console.log("✅ Model ready:", event.detail.modelUrl);
  console.log("Items:", event.detail.items.length);
});

6. Ready State

Viewer is fully operational and ready for interaction.

What happens:

All methods exposed on the element
Interactive controls enabled
ready event dispatched

Event: ready

Timing: ~500ms after model loading completes

Example:

viewer.addEventListener("ready", () => {
  console.log("✅ Viewer is ready!");
  // Now safe to call methods
  viewer.zoomExtents();
  viewer.setAutorotate(true);
});

7. Active State

Normal operation - user interactions and API calls.

What happens:

User can interact with the model
Click to select items
Methods can be called
Materials can be changed
Camera can be controlled

Events:

selection-changed - When items are selected/deselected
material-changed - When materials are updated
texture-load-error - If texture loading fails

Duration: Until component unmounts or model changes

8. Model Change

When a new model URL is set.

What happens:

Loading state reactivated
Previous model cleared from memory
New model loading begins
Returns to Stage 5 (Model Loading)

Trigger:

viewer.setModelUrl("https://example.com/new-model.glb");

9. Component Unmount

When the element is removed from the DOM.

What happens:

React cleanup effects run
Three.js resources disposed
Event listeners removed
Memory freed

Timing: When element removed from DOM

📍 Key Lifecycle Events

Event Timeline

Time     Event               Description
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
0ms      [mount]             Component added to DOM
50ms     [init]              React initialization
200ms    [scene]             Three.js setup complete
500ms    model-loaded        Model successfully loaded
1000ms   ready               All systems operational
         ├─ ready for interaction
         └─ methods available
...      selection-changed   User selects item
...      material-changed    Material updated
...      [unmount]           Component removed from DOM

🎯 Best Practices

1. Wait for Ready State

Always wait for the ready event before calling methods:

const viewer = document.querySelector("rhinoartisan-web-3d");

// ❌ BAD - might be called too early
viewer.zoomExtents();

// ✅ GOOD - wait for ready
viewer.addEventListener("ready", () => {
  viewer.zoomExtents();
});

2. Handle Loading States

Show appropriate UI during loading:

const viewer = document.querySelector("rhinoartisan-web-3d");
const loadingUI = document.getElementById("loading");
const errorUI = document.getElementById("error");

viewer.addEventListener("model-loaded", () => {
  loadingUI.style.display = "none";
});

viewer.addEventListener("model-load-error", (event) => {
  loadingUI.style.display = "none";
  errorUI.textContent = `Error: ${event.detail.error}`;
  errorUI.style.display = "block";
});

3. Cleanup on Unmount

If you're dynamically creating/destroying the component:

function removeViewer() {
  const viewer = document.querySelector("rhinoartisan-web-3d");

  // Optional: Clear cache before removing
  viewer.clearModelCache();

  // Remove from DOM (triggers cleanup automatically)
  viewer.remove();
}

4. Preload for Better UX

Preload models before showing them:

const viewer = document.querySelector("rhinoartisan-web-3d");

// Preload while user browses
await viewer.preloadModel("https://example.com/ring2.glb");

// Instant switch when user selects
viewer.setModelUrl("https://example.com/ring2.glb");

⚠️ Common Pitfalls

Calling Methods Too Early

// ❌ BAD - viewer might not be ready
const viewer = document.querySelector("rhinoartisan-web-3d");
viewer.getItems(); // Returns []

// ✅ GOOD
viewer.addEventListener("ready", () => {
  const items = viewer.getItems(); // Returns actual items
});

Not Handling Model Load Errors

// ❌ BAD - no error handling
viewer.setModelUrl("https://broken-url.com/model.glb");

// ✅ GOOD
viewer.addEventListener("model-load-error", (event) => {
  console.error("Failed to load:", event.detail.error);
  // Show error UI or load fallback model
});

viewer.setModelUrl("https://broken-url.com/model.glb");

Memory Leaks

// ❌ BAD - creates new viewer repeatedly without cleanup
function showNewViewer() {
  document.body.innerHTML += "<rhinoartisan-web-3d></rhinoartisan-web-3d>";
}

// ✅ GOOD - reuse or properly remove old viewer
function showNewViewer() {
  const existing = document.querySelector("rhinoartisan-web-3d");
  if (existing) {
    existing.remove();
  }
  document.body.innerHTML += "<rhinoartisan-web-3d></rhinoartisan-web-3d>";
}

Events - All available lifecycle and interaction events
Methods - Available methods (ready after ready event)
Configuration - Initial configuration options
Examples - Complete usage examples

📊 Lifecycle State Diagram

                    ┌──────────────┐
                    │   Created    │
                    └──────┬───────┘
                           │
                           ▼
                    ┌──────────────┐
                    │   Mounted    │
                    └──────┬───────┘
                           │
                           ▼
                    ┌──────────────┐
                    │ Initializing │
                    └──────┬───────┘
                           │
                           ▼
                    ┌──────────────┐
              ┌────▶│   Loading    │◀────┐
              │     └──────┬───────┘     │
              │            │             │
              │            ▼             │
              │     ┌──────────────┐    │
              │     │    Ready     │    │
              │     └──────┬───────┘    │
              │            │             │
              │            ▼             │
              │     ┌──────────────┐    │
              │     │    Active    │────┘
              │     └──────┬───────┘ (model change)
              │            │
              │            ▼
              │     ┌──────────────┐
              └─────│  Unmounted   │
                    └──────────────┘

PreviousEvents NextFramework integration

Last updated 16 days ago

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hashtag📊 Lifecycle Overview

hashtag🔄 Lifecycle Stages

hashtag1. Component Creation

hashtag2. Component Mount

hashtag3. Initialization

hashtag4. Scene Setup

hashtag5. Model Loading

hashtag6. Ready State

hashtag7. Active State

hashtag8. Model Change

hashtag9. Component Unmount

hashtag📍 Key Lifecycle Events

hashtagEvent Timeline

hashtag🎯 Best Practices

hashtag1. Wait for Ready State

hashtag2. Handle Loading States

hashtag3. Cleanup on Unmount

hashtag4. Preload for Better UX

hashtag⚠️ Common Pitfalls

hashtagCalling Methods Too Early

hashtagNot Handling Model Load Errors

hashtagMemory Leaks

hashtag🔗 Related Documentation

hashtag📊 Lifecycle State Diagram

📊 Lifecycle Overview

🔄 Lifecycle Stages

1. Component Creation

2. Component Mount

3. Initialization

4. Scene Setup

5. Model Loading

6. Ready State

7. Active State

8. Model Change

9. Component Unmount

📍 Key Lifecycle Events

Event Timeline

🎯 Best Practices

1. Wait for Ready State

2. Handle Loading States

3. Cleanup on Unmount

4. Preload for Better UX

⚠️ Common Pitfalls

Calling Methods Too Early

Not Handling Model Load Errors

Memory Leaks

🔗 Related Documentation

📊 Lifecycle State Diagram