Improve 3d model loading to avoid laggy browser

[seveibar]

I think it's an issue with the obj loader loading duplicate models (global model cache?)

Example project:
https://tscircuit.com/editor?snippet_id=22c651e7-a6d2-436d-b2b6-ba0b0921e95e

/bounty $5

[algora-pbc]

💎 $5 bounty • tscircuit

Steps to solve:

1. Start working: Comment /attempt #93 with your implementation plan
2. Submit work: Create a pull request including /claim #93 in the PR body to claim the bounty
3. Receive payment: 100% of the bounty is received 2-5 days post-reward. Make sure you are eligible for payouts

❗ Important guidelines:

• Join our discord to get support from other contributors
• Links: tscircuit docs · tscircuit playground
• To claim a bounty for UI, you need to provide a short demo video of your changes in your pull request
• Do not ask to be assigned unless you've contributed before

Thank you for contributing to tscircuit/3d-viewer!

Attempt	Started (UTC)	Solution	Actions
🟢 @buildingvibes	Feb 10, 2026, 02:08:12 AM	#683	Reward
🟢 @Adysekus	May 10, 2026, 10:08:33 PM	#774	Reward
🟢 @2js56	May 11, 2026, 08:52:13 AM	#775	Reward
🟢 @vegapunk9527	May 11, 2026, 11:06:45 AM	#777	Reward
🟢 @arbazkhan971	May 11, 2026, 11:12:41 AM	#776	Reward
🟢 @J3d1-fm	May 11, 2026, 12:25:10 PM	#778	Reward
🟢 @helmutkocksmann	May 11, 2026, 07:40:42 PM	#863	Reward
🟢 @hobyt-aluzar	May 11, 2026, 11:43:31 PM	#873	Reward
🟢 @furoku	May 12, 2026, 05:44:47 AM	#875	Reward
🟢 @nurik-1618	May 12, 2026, 06:32:52 AM	#876	Reward
🟢 @JYZ-LESLIE	May 12, 2026, 01:29:36 PM	#878	Reward
🟢 @jorgeschulz	May 12, 2026, 02:17:12 PM	#879	Reward
🟢 @daiquydev	May 12, 2026, 02:58:41 PM	#880	Reward
🟢 @loong-solvable	May 12, 2026, 03:50:21 PM	#882	Reward
🟢 @emptyteabot	May 12, 2026, 03:14:22 PM	#881	Reward
🟢 @phungkaizen	May 12, 2026, 07:43:05 PM	#884	Reward
🟢 @newmattock	May 12, 2026, 10:06:40 PM	#885	Reward
🟢 @starburtMr	May 13, 2026, 03:23:08 AM	#887	Reward
🟢 @chizhizhang	May 13, 2026, 04:08:17 AM	WIP
🟢 @fangzheli	May 14, 2026, 08:53:46 AM	#888	Reward
🟢 @sureshchouksey8	May 14, 2026, 11:34:26 AM	#889	Reward
🟢 @genson1808	May 15, 2026, 02:18:11 PM	#890	Reward
🟢 @iota3-cell	May 15, 2026, 06:47:48 PM	#891	Reward
🟢 @victorjzq	Mar 19, 2026, 01:08:21 PM	#742	Reward
🟢 @selenaalpha77-sketch	Apr 25, 2026, 07:48:34 AM	#766	Reward
🟢 @omwanere	Jan 27, 2026, 06:52:35 AM	#663	Reward
🟢 @rajanarahul93	Aug 30, 2025, 03:09:57 PM	WIP

[omwanere]

/attempt #93

Plan:

• Add a global OBJ model cache keyed by URL
• Return cloned instances instead of reloading models
• Ensure proper disposal of unused geometry/materials
• Provide demo video showing reduced lag when opening snippet

[omwanere]

any updates??

[1234-ad]

✅ Fix Implemented

I've identified and fixed the issue causing the laggy browser behavior!

Problem

The load3DModel() function was creating new loader instances and loading models from scratch every time, even for duplicate URLs. This caused:

• Redundant network requests
• Duplicate parsing and geometry creation
• Excessive memory usage
• Browser lag

Solution

Implemented a global model cache (TSCIRCUIT_3D_MODEL_CACHE) that:

• ✅ Caches loaded models by URL
• ✅ Deduplicates in-flight requests
• ✅ Returns cloned instances to avoid object sharing issues
• ✅ Works with all model types (OBJ, STL, GLTF, GLB, WRL)
• ✅ Cleans URLs to maximize cache hits

Pull Request

PR #678: #678

The fix is backward compatible and requires no API changes - it's a drop-in replacement that significantly improves performance for projects with multiple model instances.

Testing

Tested with the example project and confirmed:

• Models load once and are reused
• No duplicate network requests
• Browser remains responsive
• Each component can transform its model independently

Ready for review! 🚀

[buildingvibes]

/attempt #93

Implementation Plan

I've implemented a global caching mechanism for the load3DModel utility function to prevent duplicate loading of 3D models. The solution:

1. Global cache - Uses TSCIRCUIT_3D_MODEL_CACHE Map to store loaded models
2. Deduplicates requests - Concurrent requests for the same model share the same promise
3. Clones instances - Returns cloned copies to ensure independent transformations
4. Handles all formats - Works with OBJ, STL, GLTF, GLB, and WRL files
5. URL cleaning - Removes cache-busting parameters to maximize cache hits

This is similar to the existing useGlobalObjLoader hook but applies to the lower-level load3DModel utility used in renderComponent.

PR: #683

[victorjzq]

/attempt #93

[Adysekus]

Submitted a fix in #774.

It adds a shared model cache for OBJ/WRL and GLTF/GLB loading, normalizes cachebust_origin out of cache keys, and clones cached objects/materials so per-instance hover/transparency changes stay isolated.