Browser-based Interactive 3D

INTERNAL CONFIDENTIAL: Contents under active change.

Interactive 3D aquarium WebGL example:

About 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.

WebGL 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.

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.

Browser Support

Mozilla Firefox - WebGL has been enabled on all platforms that have a capable graphics card with updated drivers since version 4.0. Mozilla Firefox 8.0 and newer versions use Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) to control all WebGL cross-domain textures.

Google Chrome - WebGL has been enabled on all platforms that have a capable graphics card with updated drivers since version 9. Google Chrome 13.0 and newer versions use Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) to control all WebGL cross-domain textures.

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.

Opera - WebGL has been implemented in Opera 11 and 12 alpha (pre-release) snapshots.

Internet Explorer - Microsoft has not announced any plans to support WebGL. The Chrome Frame and IEWebGL 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.