WITHIN is a browser-based 3D gallery where you can enter a scene instead of stopping at its frame. I am sharing it as the project's maintainer: live gallery · source · video collection.
A painting is a place, not just a texture
A digital gallery usually gives you a wall, a frame, and a zoom control. WITHIN takes a different direction: the picture becomes a place you can move through. Its 18 worlds include painting-inspired environments, natural landscapes, and a Roadster scene.
The aim is not archaeological reconstruction. It is to preserve the feeling of looking at a picture while giving the visitor control over distance, time, and viewpoint. The original painting remains a reference, not a claim that every building has been historically reconstructed.
Three ways to enter the same scene
The interaction is organized around three modes:
- Guided chapters: follow a composed route, useful for a first visit or a short visual tour.
- Free camera: leave the route and explore the scene's composition from another angle.
- Walking: experience the world closer to human scale rather than treating it as a model on a turntable.
Some worlds add their own interactions, including boating in the cherry-blossom environment and driving, paint changes, and jumping in Roadster. Walking is an exploration mode; building collision coverage is not complete.
Motion carries the atmosphere
People and boats move through the scenes. Weather, petals, changing light, and music make time visible without turning every moment into an effect demonstration. In the Qingming-inspired world, the river, bridge, boats, and evening lighting are the focus.
For a 3D gallery, camera freedom and atmosphere have to work together. A scene that only looks convincing from one recorded viewpoint is closer to a film set than an explorable place. WITHIN therefore offers quality settings and desktop/mobile controls alongside its guided presentation.
Seven scenes provide original-painting comparisons. Screenshot and video export let visitors keep their own view rather than only sharing the project's trailer.
Run it locally
The stack is React, TypeScript, Three.js, and Vite. Rendering uses WebGL; this is not a WebGPU showcase. The site can be deployed as static files.
With Node.js 22.12 or later:
git clone https://github.com/fatasia/within.git
cd within
npm ci
npm run dev
The repository's original code uses MIT. Referenced artworks, music, and other third-party assets have their own attribution information in the project.
AI involvement
Development used GPT-6 Astra at medium/high reasoning settings. That describes the development workflow, not a browser runtime dependency. This introduction was also prepared with AI assistance from the project's documented features.
Start with the live gallery, follow a guided chapter, then switch to free exploration. For technical feedback, a scene name, browser/device, quality setting, and reproduction steps are more useful than a general performance score. Issues are welcome in the repository.
