WebGL (Web Graphics Library) is a JavaScript API for rendering high-performance interactive 3D and 2D graphics within any compatible web browser without the use of plug-ins. WebGL does so by introducing an API that closely conforms to OpenGL ES 2.0 that can be used in HTML5 elements. This conformance makes it possible for the API to take advantage of hardware graphics acceleration provided by the user's device. <canvas> Support for WebGL is present in 4+, 9+, 12+, 5.1+, 11+, and build 10240+; however, the user's device must also have hardware that supports these features. Firefox Google Chrome Opera Safari Internet Explorer Microsoft Edge The API introduces support for much of the OpenGL ES 3.0 feature set; it's provided through the interface. WebGL 2 WebGL2RenderingContext The element is also used by the to do 2D graphics on web pages. <canvas> Canvas API Reference Standard interfaces WebGLRenderingContext WebGL2RenderingContext WebGLActiveInfo WebGLBuffer WebGLContextEvent WebGLFramebuffer WebGLProgram WebGLQuery WebGLRenderbuffer WebGLSampler WebGLShader WebGLShaderPrecisionFormat WebGLSync WebGLTexture WebGLTransformFeedback WebGLUniformLocation WebGLVertexArrayObject Extensions ANGLE_instanced_arrays EXT_blend_minmax EXT_color_buffer_float EXT_color_buffer_half_float EXT_disjoint_timer_query EXT_float_blend EXT_frag_depth EXT_sRGB EXT_shader_texture_lod EXT_texture_compression_bptc EXT_texture_compression_rgtc EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic OES_element_index_uint OES_fbo_render_mipmap OES_standard_derivatives OES_texture_float OES_texture_float_linear OES_texture_half_float OES_texture_half_float_linear OES_vertex_array_object OVR_multiview2 WEBGL_color_buffer_float WEBGL_compressed_texture_astc WEBGL_compressed_texture_atc WEBGL_compressed_texture_etc WEBGL_compressed_texture_etc WEBGL_compressed_texture_pvrtc WEBGL_compressed_texture_s3tc WEBGL_compressed_texture_s3tc_srgb WEBGL_debug_renderer_info WEBGL_debug_shaders WEBGL_depth_texture WEBGL_draw_buffers WEBGL_lose_context Events webglcontextlost webglcontextrestored webglcontextcreationerror Constants and types WebGL constants WebGL types WebGL 2 is a major update to WebGL which is provided through the interface. It is based on OpenGL ES 3.0 and new features include: WebGL 2 WebGL2RenderingContext 3D textures, Sampler objects, Uniform Buffer objects, Sync objects, Query objects, Transform Feedback objects, Promoted extensions that are now core to WebGL 2: Vertex Array objects, instancing, multiple render targets, fragment depth. See also the blog post and for a few demos. "WebGL 2 lands in Firefox" webglsamples.org/WebGL2Samples Guides and tutorials Below, you'll find an assortment of guides to help you learn WebGL concepts and tutorials that offer step-by-step lessons and examples. Guides Data in WebGL A guide to variables, buffers, and other types of data used when writing WebGL code. WebGL best practices Tips and suggestions to help you improve the quality, performance, and reliability of your WebGL content. Using extensions A guide to using WebGL extensions. Tutorials WebGL tutorial A beginner's guide to WebGL core concepts. A good place to start if you don't have previous WebGL experience. Examples A basic 2D WebGL animation example This example demonstrates the simple animation of a one-color shape. Topics examined are adapting to aspect ratio differences, a function to build shader programs from sets of multiple shaders, and the basics of drawing in WebGL. WebGL by example A series of live samples with short explanations that showcase WebGL concepts and capabilities. The examples are sorted according to topic and level of difficulty, covering the WebGL rendering context, shader programming, textures, geometry, user interaction, and more. Advanced tutorials WebGL model view projection A detailed explanation of the three core matrices that are typically used to represent a 3D object view: the model, view and projection matrices. Matrix math for the web A useful guide to how 3D transform matrices work, and can be used on the web — both for WebGL calculations and in CSS3 transforms. Resources A talk by Nick Desaulniers that introduces the basics of WebGL. This is a great place to start if you've never done low-level graphics programming. Raw WebGL: An introduction to WebGL The main web site for WebGL at the Khronos Group. Khronos WebGL site A basic tutorial with fundamentals of WebGL. WebGL Fundamentals An online tool for creating and sharing WebGL projects. Good for quick prototyping and experimenting. WebGL playground An HTML/JavaScript editor with tutorials to learn basics of webgl programming. WebGL Academy A site with statistics about WebGL capabilities in browsers on different platforms. WebGL Stats Libraries is a JavaScript matrix and vector library for high-performance WebGL apps. glMatrix is a WebGL framework for data visualization, creative coding, and game development. PhiloGL is a fast, open-source 2D WebGL renderer. Pixi.js is an open-source game engine. PlayCanvas is an open-source library for manipulating vectors and matrices. Not optimized for WebGL but extremely robust. Sylvester is an open-source, fully featured 3D WebGL library. three.js is a fast, free and fun open source framework for Canvas and WebGL powered browser games. Phaser is an open-source 3D WebGL library. RedGL is a JavaScript library for scientific visualization in your browser. vtk.js Specifications Browser compatibility WebGL 1 WebGL 2 Compatibility notes In addition to the browser, the GPU itself also needs to support the feature. So, for example, S3 Texture Compression (S3TC) is only available on Tegra-based tablets. Most browsers make the context available through the webgl context name, but older ones need as well. In addition, the upcoming is fully backwards-compatible and will have the context name . WebGL experimental-webgl WebGL 2 webgl2 Gecko notes WebGL debugging and testing Starting with Gecko 10.0 (Firefox 10.0 / Thunderbird 10.0 / SeaMonkey 2.7), there are two preferences available which let you control the capabilities of WebGL for testing purposes: webgl.min_capability_mode A Boolean property that, when , enables a minimum capability mode. When in this mode, WebGL is configured to only support the bare minimum feature set and capabilities required by the WebGL specification. This lets you ensure that your WebGL code will work on any device or browser, regardless of their capabilities. This is by default. true false webgl.disable_extensions A Boolean property that, when , disables all WebGL extensions. This is by default. true false See also Canvas API Compatibility info about WebGL extensions Credits Source: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebGL_API Published under licence Open CC Attribution ShareAlike 3.0

Google

Microsoft

Mozilla

WebGL Fundamentals: 2D and 3D Graphics For The Web

About Author

Comments

TOPICS

THIS ARTICLE WAS FEATURED IN

Related Stories

Untitled Story

A Quick Introduction to the Resize Observer API

10 Best Search Tool Extensions In Chrome Web Store

3 Best Web-based Remote Desktop: Just Click the Link and Connect

3 Reasons to Use a Private Browser and Where to Find One

4 Reasons to Use a Private Web Browser and Where to Find One

A Quick Introduction to the Resize Observer API

10 Best Search Tool Extensions In Chrome Web Store

3 Best Web-based Remote Desktop: Just Click the Link and Connect

3 Reasons to Use a Private Browser and Where to Find One

4 Reasons to Use a Private Web Browser and Where to Find One

Light-Mode

Classic

Newspaper

Dark-Mode

Neon Noir

Minty

HN StartUps