webGL

Subject: webGL

• note: originally emailed 02/06/2014 and sanitized for public consumption
• sidenote: posting here so i can lead people here whenever they ask me about this stuff...

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From: [name1]
The limiting factor (as expressed in the posts comments) is that it is depending on webGL – a standard/feature that has very little traction just yet.

From: [name2]
Ohhhhh Nick is going to freak out at you [name1]  :)

All major desktop browser supports webGL. But, whether they are enabled (by default) is another question.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebGL

webGL is even supported in IE11: (even though they had a kung-fu death grip on their Direct3D < SNIP >)

• http://www.sitepoint.com/testing-limits-webgl-babylon-js-train-demo/

Most 'native' mobile browsers do not (out of the box) support webGL.  But, again, all major mobile browsers do -- and one in particular requires to be jailbroken to be enabled or a ‘custom browser’ built with the iAd library.

• I will say that mobile makers will try to delay webGL on their hardware as far away as possible due to the power hungry usage 3D visuals normally chews up compared to basic 2D render once and draw counterparts...  anyways...

Now, as to whether there’s little traction or not:

• http://www.chromeexperiments.com/webgl/


• https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/demos/tag/tech:webgl?sort=likes
• My favorite is the banana bread demo


• http://www.pouet.net/prodlist.php?platform[0]=JavaScript&page=1&order=thumbup
• "the" demo scene collection
• This section is all javascript -- a lot of them using the webGL for the performance and eye-candy goodies


• Then, there's http://threejs.org/ -- this has become the webGL version of the openGL NeHe site
• Their examples pages/link is quite large -- you will learn a lot to start your GFX programming skillz here...

[...] O'Reilly books [...] wrote this:

• http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920024729.do
• Almost a year and a half ago...

Little traction, huh...



I will make this prediction:  (oh wait, I already did -- RE: News: Epic shows... & Unity Dropping Flash...)...

• How about another prediction: let's see, I've already predicted that flash will die, I'm still waiting for java to die in the server world (to be over taken by NodeJS)...


• How about this:
• With the following online 3D modelers:
• https://sketchfab.com/
• https://tinkercad.com/
• http://shapesmith.net/
• http://www.3dtin.com/
• http://stephaneginier.com/sculptgl/


• And [name2]'s email on the cool video of the live webGL shader editing:
• https://hacks.mozilla.org/2013/11/live-editing-webgl-shaders-with-firefox-developer-tools/
• This is KILLER!


• ... it’s almost a no brainer... there will be an browser based 3D modeler, animation and game editor/engine for both cloud or 'local' based development "webapp" – coming really really soon (I’m hoping for Blender 3D that runs in a browser).


• Hmmm... that's not really a prediction.  It’s inevitable.

Let's go along the lines of my last claim that: HTML5 will kill flash projects in [XXX]:

• webGL will be used on [XXX product]s running off of webservers
• true multi-game deployment
• no custom OS requirements
• easy on-the-fly upgrades
• easy versioning deployment
• etc. etc. etc.