AetherView is a free, self-hosted 3D wallpaper engine that turns your screen into a live window into another world.
Using webcam face tracking, gyroscope input, and touch interaction, it delivers true off-axis parallax and dynamic depth effects on desktop and mobile.
AetherView recreates real depth — it doesn't fake it.
It uses off-axis projection, the same principle as head-tracked displays. Instead of moving objects, it shifts the camera’s frustum based on your perspective, producing an authentic depth illusion.
- Real off-axis parallax rendering — objects stay static, depth comes from the camera
- Panoramic 360° environments with sphere mapping
- Image & video backgrounds with depth-enhanced rendering
- 3D model support (.glb / .gltf) with responsive parallax rotation
- Webcam face tracking for natural perspective shift
- Mobile gyroscope support (HTTPS required)
- Touch/drag fallback works even offline (file://)
- Dynamic scene system with nebulae, starfields, forests, city streets, planets, and more
- Physically-based lighting + tone mapping for realistic materials
- Advanced color and scene controls (brightness, contrast, saturation, fog, particles)
- Modular architecture — no build step needed
- Zero setup — runs in-browser, perfect for GitHub Pages hosting
| Feature | Traditional Engines | AetherView |
|---|---|---|
| Parallax Type | 2D sprite movement | True 3D projection shift |
| Depth Perception | Simulated | Physically accurate |
| Perspective Tracking | Static view | Head-tracked |
| Browser Compatible | Usually not | ✓ Yes |
| Self-hosted | Rarely | ✓ Always |
- 🖥️ Live 3D desktop wallpapers
- 🎬 Immersive panoramic environments
- 🔬 Head-tracked rendering experiments in the browser
- 🎨 Interactive wallpapers and scene builders
AetherView runs entirely in your browser and can be self-hosted anywhere that serves static files: GitHub Pages, your personal web server, or locally.
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/somethingisnotrightokay/Aetherview.git
cd Aetherview
# Open index.html in a browser
open index.html
# or just drag it into any modern browser
⚠️ Local file:// limitations: Webcam face tracking and mobile gyroscope are disabled. Touch/drag works as a fallback. Hosting via HTTPS enables full functionality.
💡 How It Works
AetherView uses off-axis projection — the camera frustum moves in response to your head or device position.
This produces true perspective change without moving the objects, creating a realistic 3D effect similar to real-world head-tracked displays.
Additional effects include:
Depth-enhanced images and videos
Near-field objects shift dramatically with head movement
Far-field objects shift minimally for realistic parallax
Dynamic lights and shadows respond to camera movement
📝 License
This project is licensed under the CC BY-NC SA 4.0 License — see the LICENSE file for details.
You may use, modify, or host it freely, but you cannot sell it as your own product.
🤝 Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Open issues or submit pull requests to improve scenes, performance, or features.
Turn your screen into a window. 🪟
Or better yet — another world.