Spline for Designers: Real-Time 3D Design in the Browser

Spline is a browser-based 3D design tool that makes creating interactive 3D experiences accessible to designers without traditional 3D or coding backgrounds. Design 3D objects, add materials and lighting, create animations, and export directly to the web. Spline has become the go-to tool for adding 3D elements to websites, landing pages, and product experiences.

Key Specs

How Designers Use Spline

Spline fits into modern web design workflows where 3D adds depth and engagement.

For Website Hero Sections

Create eye-catching 3D hero sections that respond to mouse movement or scroll. Build abstract shapes, floating objects, or product visualizations. Export as an embed and drop into Webflow, Framer, or custom sites. The interactivity differentiates your site from flat designs.

For Product Visualization

Design 3D product mockups that users can rotate and explore. Show hardware products, packaging, or app icons from all angles. Add materials that look realistic under different lighting. Export for e-commerce pages or marketing sites.

For Interactive Experiences

Build mini-experiences: a 3D room users can explore, a game-like interaction, or an animated infographic. Spline’s event system lets you trigger animations on click, hover, or scroll. Create engaging content without writing JavaScript.

For Animated Illustrations

Replace flat illustrations with 3D versions that have subtle motion. Floating icons, rotating objects, or morphing shapes add life to landing pages. Spline’s animation tools make looping animations easy.

Spline vs. Alternatives

Choose Spline if: You want to add 3D to websites without learning traditional 3D software or code. Perfect for designers.

Choose Blender if: You need high-end rendering, complex modeling, or assets for games/film. Free but steep learning curve.

Choose Three.js if: You’re a developer who wants full control over 3D on the web. More powerful, requires coding.

Getting Started with Spline

Create your first 3D scene in 30 minutes.

Step 1: Create a scene and add objects

Sign up at spline.design and create a new project. Use the toolbar to add primitive shapes (cube, sphere, torus) or import 3D models. Position objects in the 3D viewport using move, rotate, and scale tools.

Step 2: Add materials and lighting

Select an object and open the material panel. Choose colors, add textures, adjust roughness and metalness. Add lights to your scene (point, directional, ambient) and position them to create the mood you want.

Step 3: Create interactions and export

Add events: select an object, click the lightning bolt icon, and add a trigger (hover, click, scroll). Add responses (rotate, move, change color). Preview your scene, then export via the share menu. Copy the embed code for your website.

Spline in Your Design Workflow

Spline adds a 3D layer to web design projects.

• Before Spline: Design 2D layouts in Figma, plan where 3D elements will enhance the experience
• During design: Build 3D scenes in Spline, iterate on materials and animations
• After Spline: Export and integrate into Webflow, Framer, or React projects

Common tool pairings:

• Spline + Webflow for no-code websites with embedded 3D
• Spline + Framer for landing pages with interactive 3D heroes
• Spline + React using @splinetool/react-spline for custom integration
• Spline + Figma for designing 2D layouts that incorporate Spline exports

Common Problems (and How to Fix Them)

“My Spline embed is slow on mobile”

3D is demanding. Reduce polygon count by using simpler shapes. Compress textures. Enable lazy loading in export settings. Test on actual mobile devices, not just browser dev tools. For very slow devices, consider showing a static image fallback.

“The 3D doesn’t match my brand colors exactly”

Colors in 3D are affected by lighting. A red object under blue light looks different than under white light. Adjust your lights to be neutral (white) if you need precise colors, or embrace the lighting for a more realistic look.

“I can’t figure out the interaction system”

Spline’s events work like this: Trigger (what starts it) → Action (what happens). Start simple: object hover → rotate. Build complexity gradually. Watch Spline’s YouTube tutorials for the events system specifically.

“Export file size is too large”

High-poly models and large textures inflate file size. Use Spline’s built-in optimization when exporting. Consider baking complex materials into simpler textures. For web, aim for under 5MB if possible.

“My scene looks different in the export than in the editor”

Some effects render differently in the web viewer. Test exports frequently during design. The Spline viewer uses WebGL which has limitations compared to the editor preview. What you see in the editor is close but not identical.