Three.js Windows 95 Maze

A simplified reconstrunction of the popular Windows 3D maze, made in Three.js

Project Purpose and Goal

As part of my studies, I embarked on Bruno Simon's Three.js Journey course and was inspired to experiment with recreating a particular scene in 3D. My thoughts immediately turned to the iconic Windows 3D Maze, evoking a mix of nostalgia and frustration from the days of Windows 95. Why not attempt to recreate it?

I discovered a repository containing the original textures. Armed with these and a trip-hop remix of the famous Windows 95 startup sound by Brian Eno, I began modeling a miniature version of the maze.

Lessons Learned

To generate the maze, I placed objects in the scene "by hand" rather than programmatically, except for the outer walls of the maze, which were generated using a loop. This manual approach made the scene difficult to maintain, particularly if I needed to move a wall or expand the maze. Implementing one of the many algorithms for maze generations would have made the project much more manageable.

3D graphics projects can be quite challenging and time-consuming, especially when aiming for a higher level of complexity. In this case, the camera was fixed to simplify the project. However, incorporating a first-person shooter (FPS) style view would introduce additional complexities, such as adding wall collisions and potentially enabling interaction with various objects, like changing the ceiling's appearance when a floating geometry is touched.

Overall, this project was an immensely interesting experience that has left me eager to explore more 3D projects, not just on the web but also in game development.