WebGL

Original author(s)	Mozilla Foundation
Developer(s)	WebGL Working Group
Stable release	1.0 / March 3, 2011; 15 months ago  (2011-03-03)[1]
Operating system	Cross-platform
Type	API
Website	www.khronos.org/webgl

WebGL (Web Graphics Library) is a JavaScript API for rendering interactive 3D graphics within any compatible web browser without the use of plug-ins. WebGL programs consist of control code written in JavaScript and shader code that is executed on a computer's Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). WebGL is designed and maintained by the non-profit Khronos Group.^[2]

Design[link]

WebGL is based on OpenGL ES 2.0 and provides an API for 3D graphics.^[3] It uses the HTML5 canvas element and is accessed using Document Object Model interfaces. Automatic memory management is provided as part of the JavaScript language.^[2]

History[link]

WebGL grew out of the Canvas 3D experiments started by Vladimir Vukićević at Mozilla. Vukićević first demonstrated a Canvas 3D prototype in 2006. By the end of 2007, both Mozilla^[4] and Opera^[5] had made their own separate implementations.

In early 2009, the non-profit technology consortium Khronos Group started the WebGL Working Group, with initial participation from Apple, Google, Mozilla, Opera, and others.^[6][2] Version 1.0 of the WebGL specification was released March 2011.^[1] As of March 2012, the chair of the working group is Ken Russell.

Notable early applications of WebGL include Google Maps and Google Body.^[7][8]

Implementation[link]

Desktop Browsers[link]

• Mozilla Firefox - WebGL has been enabled on all platforms that have a capable graphics card with updated drivers since version 4.0.^[9] Mozilla Firefox 8.0 and newer versions use Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) to control all WebGL cross-domain textures.^[10][11]
• Google Chrome - WebGL has been enabled on all platforms that have a capable graphics card with updated drivers since version 9.^[12] Google Chrome 13.0 and newer versions use Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) to control all WebGL cross-domain textures.^[13]
• Safari - Safari 5.1 and newer versions installed on Mac OS X Lion and Mac OS X Snow Leopard implemented support for WebGL, which is disabled by default.^{[14][15][16][17][18]}
• Opera - WebGL has been implemented in Opera 11 and 12 alpha (pre-release) snapshots.^[19][20]
• Internet Explorer - Microsoft has not announced any plans to support WebGL. The Chrome Frame and IEWebGL^[21] plugins provide options to add support for WebGL to Internet Explorer 6.0 and newer versions, although these plugins are not supported or endorsed by Microsoft.

Mobile Browsers[link]

• Nokia N900 - WebGL is available in the stock microB browser from the PR1.2 firmware update onwards.^[22]
• BlackBerry PlayBook - WebGL is available via WebWorks and browser in PlayBook OS 2.0^[23]
• Firefox for mobile - WebGL is available for Android devices in unstable builds since early 2011.^[24]
• The Sony Ericsson Xperia range of Android smartphones have had WebGL capabilities following a firmware upgrade.^[25]
• Opera Mobile 12 final supports WebGL (on Android only).^[26]

Developer libraries[link]

There are several libraries for WebGL development:^[27]

• WebGLU, the first WebGL library made publicly available^[28]
• GLGE
• C3DL
• CopperLicht
• GLOW (WebGL wrapper)
• SpiderGL (JavaScript 3D Graphics library based on WebGL)
• PhiloGL (WebGL framework)
• gwt-g3d (WebGL wrapper) for GWT (Google Web Toolkit)
• SceneJS (3D engine for JavaScript based on WebGL)
• X3DOM
• Oak3D
• Processing.js
• Three.js
• OSGJS (WebGL framework based on OpenSceneGraph)
• XB PointStream (WebGL framework)
• CubicVR.js (WebGL 3D engine)
• A3 (Aerotwist) (3D engine for JavaScript based on WebGL)
• Jax (WebGL environment)
• ANGLE (Almost Native Graphics Layer Engine) is an ongoing open source project released under the BSD license that allows translating WebGL content OpenGL ES 2.0 API calls to DirectX 9 API calls on Microsoft Windows platforms without the need for separate OpenGL drivers. In November 2011 ANGLE has reached an important milestone: it now passes the OpenGL ES 2.0 test suite and has been certified as a compliant GL ES 2.0 implementation.^[29] In April 2012 ANGLE passed the WebGL 1.0.1 conformance tests.^[30]
• WebGL playground (an online tool for quick prototyping and experimenting with WebGL. Allows sharing, forking, creating projects from templates, and contains a gallery of user contributions.
• XTK The X Toolkit: WebGL for Scientific Visualization

Content creation[link]

WebGL scenes can be created without programming in a content creation tool such as Blender or Autodesk Maya. The scenes are then exported to WebGL. This was first possible with Inka3D, a WebGL export plugin for Maya. There are also services to publish interactive 3D content online using WebGL such as p3d.in and Sketchfab.

Sample renderings[link]

See also[link]

• O3D
• GLSL
• VRML
• X3D
• Java OpenGL

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• WebGL /Canvas 3D Preview in WebKit r48331
• www.DoesMyBrowserSupportWebGL.com
• WebGL Demo from Google Chromium
• WebGL Demo from Google Chromium (deprecated)
• EndlessForms.com See the power of WebGL by comparing this site (where you can evolve objects) in Chrome and Safari.
• Sand Toy: Particle Physics An example of doing particle physics on the GPU using a shader.
• OpenWebGlobe SDK Virtual Globe SDK using WebGL
• WebGL Earth Complex 3D Earth visualization
• WebGL.com Blog covering the latest webgl/html5 news
• Sketchfab to publish interactive 3D models in your browser
• Tutorials
  • Mozilla Developer Network
  • Learning WebGL