WebGL
 |
|
| Original author(s) | Mozilla Foundation |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Khronos WebGL Working Group |
| Initial release | March 3, 2011 |
| Stable release |
1.0.2 / March 1, 2013
|
| Platform | Cross-platform |
| Available in | English |
| Type | API |
| Website | www |
WebGL (Web Graphics Library) is a JavaScript API for rendering 3D graphics within any compatible web browser without the use of plug-ins. WebGL is integrated completely into all the web standards of the browser allowing GPU accelerated usage of physics and image processing and effects as part of the web page canvas. WebGL elements can be mixed with other HTML elements and composited with other parts of the page or page background. WebGL programs consist of control code written in JavaScript and shader code that is written in GLSL, a language similar to C or C++, and is executed on a computer's Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). WebGL is designed and maintained by the non-profit Khronos Group.
WebGL 1.0 is based on OpenGL ES 2.0 and provides an API for 3D graphics. 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.
Like OpenGL ES 2.0, WebGL does not have the fixed-function APIs introduced in OpenGL 1.0 and deprecated in OpenGL 3.0. This functionality can instead be provided by the user in the JavaScript code space.
Shaders in WebGL are expressed directly in GLSL.
WebGL evolved 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 and Opera had made their own separate implementations.
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