/threejs-camera-direction

name: threejs-camera-direction
description: Direct advanced Three.js camera systems. Use for scale-aware chase rigs, thrust lag, side/orbit cameras, body-relative up vectors, quaternion handoffs, authored cinematic framing, floating origins, pointer-look controls, camera collision constraints, projection ownership, and lifecycle restoration.

Camera Direction

Treat the camera as an authored visual system, not a passive viewport. Compose the subject, establish scale, choose a stable up frame, and make every mode handoff explicit.

Build order

1. Define the design frame: subject size, screen occupancy, lens, near/far, motion, and horizon/up convention. 2. Build camera targets in semantic frames: ship, body surface, docking axis, or scene-authored shot. 3. Derive position and orientation independently, then combine them once. 4. Add input orbit/look only inside declared yaw/pitch and spatial constraints. 5. Add frame-rate-independent follow or a bounded spring where the reference uses inertia. 6. Snapshot and restore camera projection/state when a scene owns it. 7. Test mode transitions, cuts, pointer-lock reacquisition, resize, and large coordinates.

Read [references/camera-rig-and-cinematic-systems.md](references/camera-rig-and-cinematic-systems.md) for exact chase/side/orbit rigs, projection values, transition rules, floating-origin shot, pointer controls, and implementation limits.

Non-negotiable rules

• Use subject dimensions to derive offsets; do not tune one fixed distance for

differently scaled assets.

• For planetary motion, derive up from the dominant body rather than global Y.
• Interpolate position with `lerp` and orientation with `slerp`.
• During an explicit handoff, use one interpolation stage. Do not stack a

transition blend and a second follow smoother over the same interval.

• Re-sync yaw/pitch from the camera when pointer lock is acquired.
• Update the projection matrix whenever FOV, near, far, or aspect changes.
• Keep stars or infinite backgrounds camera-relative when large translation

would create false parallax or precision loss.

• Restore camera and input ownership on scene disposal.

Routing boundary

Use `$threejs-procedural-animation` for object motion timelines, springs, docking, staging, and debris. This skill owns how the scene is viewed and how camera modes hand off.