Beyond Video Games: WebGL Proves Versatile to Designers, Too

When most people think about WebGL technology, they tend to associate it with 3D video games that can be played right on the web browser. While it is true that most WebGL projects completed thus far have been browser-based games, the reality of this programming language is that it is extremely dynamic and worthy of the attention of web design professionals. This has led many to refer to WebGL as C++11 or even JavaScript on steroids.

On a popular web design online forum, a member recently posted a WebGL project that looks amazing even though it is still a work in progress. The project lets users design a new home to be built on spec or according to customized instructions; although there are plenty of software applications that allow this functionality, this one is completely browser-based, and it starts with a Google Maps interface showing the lot where the property is to be developed. The rest of the design process, which is coded with WebGL, guides users through the various design stages through workflows that are as simple as playing with Lego blocks.

There are countless online tutorials available about how to add WebGL to any webpage. The main advantage of this technology over Java, in the opinion of many web developers, is that WebGL is an open-source development language that is open to anyone looking to improve it. Many are finding it difficult to make their applications compile, although none of the legacy WebGL libraries have been designed with performance in mind.

We can expect many newcomers to WebGL to find the resulting products very challenging to code. This is not to say that everything will be smooth sailing, as some projects take a long time to complete — the development of certain modules of the WebGL standard are only just being started in a large scale. Nonetheless, many developers are using WebGL to enhance the design of interactive video games that utilize its many features, such as dynamic lighting, shadow maps, and even animation.

WebGL has come to resemble OpenGL more and more, but the browser nature of this technology will likely bring more web designers into its realm; in other words, WebGL is no longer exclusive to video game developers. For more information click here https://v.redd.it/8cyocoiplg271.