Overview
WebGL is an adaptation of the OpenGL ES specification for usage within the context of HTML5. This allows for unprecedented control over hardware directly from JavaScript and can provide a significant performance boost for essentially any graphics intensive application. HTML5 games on mobile have been very limited in what they can achieve in terms of visual fidelity and performance, unless some kind of native extension was used. These native extensions significantly reduce the flexibility of the applications, both from a distribution point of view and from a cross-platform point of view. These reasons are a large part of the choice to use HTML5 in the first place, and any hinderance of them drastically reduces the value of HTML5 as a mobile platform for games. WebGL provides a standardized mechanism to overcome many of the performance issues that had previously crippled mobile HTML5.
In this session, Chris Shankland will be exploring how to get WebGL into your application, even if it’s just a 2D application. He will also explore some of the drawbacks that come with the additional control: mobile HTML5 games that use WebGL can be a double-edged sword. Additionally, he will give some examples of how this is the case and share some best practices. Finally, given that the field of 3D graphics and OpenGL is extensive, Chris will also share a number of resources for further learning and exploration.
Objective
Understand what WebGL means for Mobile
Target Audience
Game developers with a focus on HTML5 related technologies
Assumed Audience Knowledge
Familiarity with JavaScript, HTML5 (what it is, what it isn’t), and a general understanding of what WebGL (or OpenGL) is. Any mobile development experience will be a big bonus, but not required.
5 Things Learned
- How to get WebGL running from scratch
- A sense of the significance of WebGL (performance comparison against 2D canvas)
- Differences across platforms to be aware of
- Common pitfalls
- Performance best practices
