Needle Engine

<SYSTEM>This is the developer documentation for Needle.</SYSTEM>

# Needle

## Overview 

Needle Engine is a web engine for complex and simple 3D applications alike. Work on your machine and deploy anywhere. Needle Engine is flexible, extensible and has built-in support for collaboration and XR. It is built around the glTF standard for 3D assets.

Powerful integrations for Unity and Blender allow artists and developers to collaborate and manage web applications inside battle-tested 3d editors. These Integrations allow you to use editor features for creating models, authoring materials, animating and sequencing animations, baking lightmaps and more with ease.

Our powerful compression and optimization pipeline for the web makes sure your files are ready, small and load fast.

Full llms.txt: https://cloud.needle.tools/llms-full.txt

## Docs

### Needle Cloud
- [Needle Cloud Documentation](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/cloud/index.md)
- [Needle Cloud: FAQ](https://cloud.needle.tools/faq)

### Needle Engine
- [Needle Website](https://needle.tools): Get an overview of Needle, learn about the company and products
- [Needle Engine Samples](https://engine.needle.tools/samples): See a variety of samples for Needle Engines that serve as starting points and reference for your own projects
- [Needle Engine API](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/api/latest): The Needle Engine API with detailed documentation for all classes and functions that the engine offers
- [Needle Engine Documentation](https://engine.needle.tools/docs): Learn how to use Needle Engine or the integrations for Unity or Blender
- [Needle Engine Releases](https://github.com/needle-tools/needle-engine-support/releases): Follow along the latest Needle Engine updates
- [Needle Engine: Getting started](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/getting-started/index.md)
- [Needle Engine: Getting started with Unity](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/unity/index.md)
- [Needle Engine: Getting started with Blender](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/blender/index.md)
- [Needle Engine: Getting started without an editor](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/three/index.md)
- [Needle Engine: Vision](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/vision.md)
- [Needle Engine: Feature Overview](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/features-overview.md)
- [Needle Engine: Technical Overview](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/technical-overview.md)
- [Needle Engine: Everywhere Actions](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/everywhere-actions.md)
- [Needle Engine: Deployment and Optimization](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/deployment.md)
- [Needle Engine: Networking](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/networking.md)
- [Needle Engine: WebXR: VR and AR](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/xr.md)
- [Needle Engine: `<needle-engine>` attributes](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/reference/needle-engine-attributes.md)
- [Needle Engine: `needle.config.json`](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/reference/needle-config-json.md)
- [Needle Engine: Scripting Examples](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/scripting-examples.md)
- [Needle Engine: Stub Component Compiler](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/component-compiler.md)
- [Needle Engine: Creating custom components](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/scripting.md)
- [Needle Engine: FAQ](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/faq.md)


## Typescript Examples

```ts
import { Behaviour } from "@needle-tools/engine";

export class MyComponent extends Behaviour { 

    start() {
        console.log("Hello World");
    }

    update() {
        console.log("Frame #" + this.context.time.frame);
    }

    onPointerClick() {
        console.log("CLICKED");
    }

}
```


## Optional

- [Community Support Forum](https://forum.needle.tools)
- [Developer Discord](https://discord.needle.tools)
- [Needle Customer Email]([email protected])

# FAQ

## Needle Cloud

### What is Needle Cloud?

Needle Cloud is an **online service provided by Needle** designed to **host, manage, optimize, and share 3D assets and spatial web applications**. Instead of setting up and managing your own web server infrastructure, you can use Needle Cloud to get your Needle Engine projects online.

**Key features and functions:**

*   **Spatial Web Hosting:** Directly deploy and host web applications built with Needle Engine (from Unity or Blender integrations, or via CLI) onto Needle's infrastructure. This makes your projects accessible via a public URL without manual server setup.
*   **Asset Management & Optimization:** Upload 3D assets in various formats (glTF, GLB, FBX, USD, VRM, etc.). Needle Cloud automatically processes and optimizes these assets (e.g., creating multiple levels of detail for meshes and textures) to ensure fast loading and good performance on the web.
*   **Content Delivery Network (CDN):** Hosted assets and applications benefit from Needle's CDN, ensuring fast access for users globally.
*   **Sharing & Version Control:** Easily share links to your hosted assets or applications. The platform supports uploading new versions while keeping URLs consistent, and allows tagging specific versions (e.g., 'main', 'experimental') for review workflows.
*   **Automation (CLI):** Offers a command-line interface (CLI) to automate uploading and optimization, allowing integration into existing CI/CD pipelines.
*   **Privacy & Security:** Designed for private management of assets, not as a public marketplace or social network. Options for password protection on hosted apps are available.

[**Learn More**: Needle Cloud Documentation](https://engine.needle.tools/docs/cloud/)

### Why should I use Needle Cloud?

Needle Cloud makes **hosting, sharing, and optimizing** your 3D projects easy. It removes the need for you to set up and manage your own web servers and CDNs, handles complex 3D asset optimization for fast web delivery, and provides easy ways to share projects with the world.

### Do I have to use Needle Cloud to deploy Needle Engine projects?

**No.** Needle Engine exports standard web projects (HTML, JS, CSS, glTF assets). You can host these projects on **any web server or hosting platform** you choose (like Netlify, Vercel, GitHub Pages, itch.io or your own server).