Tag Archives: webgl

3D on the Web is Dead, Long Live 3D on the Web

Apart from the everywhere solution that is UNITY, and the not so well known solution that is Flash in 3D, 3D models on the web appears dead. At least VRML is. Single-player, lack of browser standardisation, no killer app. Actually it is more of a zombie, still there, but not in wide usage because what can you do with it?

Well that has changed, the below are not VRML but its grandchildren, html5 and webgl and JavaScript. I was a little apprehensive about replacements for VRML, it needs to be quicker, pref no plugin required, but that is no deal-breaker now, multiplayer, quicker, with some rendering and scripting features of commercial game engines, for architectural visualisation etc.

Enter two contenders:

1 Playcanvas
demo http://apps.playcanvas.com/playcanvas/scifi/latest
features http://playcanvas.com/#features

  • 3D HTML5 Game Engine. Create games that run plugin-free in any modern browser. Hardware-accelerated using WebGL.
  • Cloud-based tools. Running right in your browser, nothing to download and install. Get started in seconds.
  • Designed for teams. Real-time collaboration. Work with your team-mates see their changes as they happen.
  • Game Developer Community. Join the PlayCanvas community and get help making your game.
  • Publish and Share. Publish your game to PlayCanvas, share it with the world.

2 BananaBread
“BananaBread is a 3D first person shooter that runs on the web. It takes the Cube 2: Sauerbraten engine, which is written in C++ and OpenGL, and compiles it using Emscripten into JavaScript and WebGL so that it can run in modern browsers using standards-based web APIs and without the need for plugins.”

https://developer.cdn.mozilla.net/media/uploads/demos/a/z/azakai/3baf4ad7e600cbda06ec46efec5ec3b8/bananabread_1373485124_demo_package/list.html
You can download the source//assets
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/demos/detail/bananabread

Thanks to netmagazine for the heads up:
URL: http://www.netmagazine.com/features/top-10-html5-games-2012

embedding 3D content in Firefox or Chrome

If you are using recent versions of the above browsers (Firefox 4 or, and preferably, Chrome) you should be able to download WebGL and then view and embed web3D content using ourbricks.com beta viewer – thanks to Henrik and team!

This post is my test that the embed function works fine with wordpress.com and if it does then perhaps I can use it with our Stream/Moodle LMS (learning management system).
http://vu.ourbricks.com/556b25706619315efa14d11b274ef67d/processed/embed.html
The link is below, the direct HTML (iframe scr) is above- but does not appear to work for me in wordpress.
http://vu.ourbricks.com/556b25706619315efa14d11b274ef67d/processed/embed.html

update; looks like I need to host my wordpress.com site via the wordpress.org tool (download) and then install an iFrames plugin so 3D models are run inside the browser.

WebGL

Is this a wow!?…Still digesting this..

http://www.abakia.de/blog/2010/02/10/webgl-my-first-impressions/

3d computer graphics in web applications seem to be still a topic thats is heavily associated with technologies like flash, shockwave or other plugin based platforms. This may become history soon. At least if the development of WebGL browsers will proceed as it currently does. If you already use a WebGL enabled browser and had a look at one of the several examples as they appear constantly on http://learningwebgl.com/, then you will figure out quickly what I’m talking about.