IntroducingHTML5, the 5th version of theHypertext Markup Language. Revered as the universal standard for creating interactive, dynamic websites and applications, HTML5 is stalwartly supported by all modern browsers.
HTML5 Top Features
Accommodates direct multimedia embedding with Audio and Video tags.
Efficient way of creating mobile-friendly websites with improved accessibility.
Text processing ability, facilitating speedy video player creation.
Vector graphics reduce file size, speeding up graphic transfer and load.
Clear, well-organised semantic elements beneficial for disabilities and SEO.
Local Storage and Session Storage enables offline data access.
Built-in form validation ensures user input adherence to specific criteria.
Feature
Benefit
Offline and storage capabilities
Enhanced user experience
New input types and attributes
Creation of user-friendly, intuitive forms
Built-in support for canvas element
Allows drawing direct graphics on web pages
HTML5 Limitations
Frequent updates can be risky, though manageable due to simpler syntax.
Some tags, such as nav, aside, and section, are new and may require an adaptation period for developers.
HTML5 Pricing
HTML5’s usage is free, open to all, making it a cost-effective solution for any web developer who aims to create modern, interactive websites and applications.
HTML5 Use Cases
Use Case 1 – Creating Fast Loading, Interactive Web Applications
Thanks to its top-notch multimedia support, HTML5 enables the creation of interactive web applications which load faster, providing an improved user experience.
Use Case 2 – Developing Mobile-friendly Websites
HTML5 caters to the mobile web development landscape with finesse, instrumental in creating mobile-friendly websites that offer seamless, superior functionality across devices.
Use Case 3 – Implementing SEO
The use of semantic elements in HTML5 helps developers create clear, well-organised web pages that are highly appreciated by SEO algorithms, thus potentially boosting the website’s search engine rankings.
WebGL
Indulge in the realm of immersive online graphics with WebGL, a highly integrated, low-level 3D graphics API, deeply interconnected with ECMAScript via HTML5 Canvas. Engineered atop OpenGL ES, WebGL seamlessly weaves 3D visualizations into your web interfaces, sans plugins.
WebGL Top Features
Platform Cross-Completeness: WebGL’s API boasts compatibility across diverse platforms.
GPU Acceleration: Delve into 3D rendering bliss with its accelerated GPU 3D execution.
Natural GLSL Support: Courtesy of in-house GLSL aid, tap into comprehensive OpenGL ES syncing.
DOM Interface Integration: WebGL grants you precise interactions between Document Object Model (DOM) interfaces and innovative 3D models.
Developer-friendly: With automatic memory management in JavaScript, WebGL’s unique programming model is simpler to triumph over.
Features
Benefits
Open Ware
Controlled via the web browser, this open ware equips you with flexibility and no necessity of JVM.
HTML5 Tag Support
With HTML5’s <canvas> tag, WebGL augments your web designs with 3D graphic features.
GPU Access for Browsers
Internet browsers gain the power to execute the graphic processing units (GPUs) on operated computers. This carves out smoother, faster visuals.
WebGL Downsides
WebGL operates over OpenGL which can lag behind in terms of speed and lacks the comprehensive coverage of DirectX.
Quality issues with OpenGL have directed most games to choose Windows-targeted D3D10+. Yet, WebGL APIs are globally accepted.
WebGL Pricing
WebGL lures you into a journey of endless 3D possibilities, all while being entirely open-source and free of charge. Unleash your innovative spirit without budget constraints.
WebGL Use Cases
Use case 1: Mobile Web Development
In the mobile-obsessed era, WebGL emerges as a gamechanger for mobile web development. With support for iOS Safari, Android Browser, and Chrome for Android, WebGL bestows upon mobile browsers the aura of 3D graphics.
Use case 2: Online Gaming
In the pulsating arena of online 3D games, WebGL vies for center stage. The demise of Flash carved the path for WebGL’s dominance in crafting interactive, online 3D graphics.
Use case 3: Interactive Web Interfaces
A Web Interface dressed in 3D captivates like no other. WebGL’s canvas of interactive 3D visuals melded directly into the interface, right in your browser, reshapes the user engagement landscape.
OpenXR
OpenXR is a royalty-free, open standard that aims at unifying AR/VR software development, to enable broader hardware reach. It has been around since July 29, 2019 and is backed by notable tech corporations globally. Its core strengths lie in its high performance, reducing the need for porting or rewriting code, seamless integration with various platforms and devices, and reliable functionality as proven by thorough conformance testing.
OpenXR Top Features
Unified AR/VR software development: Broadens potential hardware reach and reduces need for rewriting code.
Seamless integration: Facilitates frictionless incorporation with various platforms and devices.
Public support: Backed by numerous esteemed tech corporations.
API aids: Assists developers targeting AR/VR hardware.
Extension mechanism: Provides a mechanism beyond core features for runtime.
Performance boosting: Enhances performance and reduces latency for end users.
Support
Contributions
Game engine support from giants like Unreal and Unity.
OpenXR contributes to standard enabling more immersive, interactive XR experiences.
Complete compatibility on Microsoft HoloLens 2, Windows Mixed Reality headsets.
Open-source: Maintained by Khronos Group consortium.
Supported browser Google Chrome & Microsoft Edge access OpenXR for WebXR.
Designed to solve AR/VR fragmentation.
OpenXR Limitations
While OpenXR receives steady updates, there may be scope for extended capabilities.
OpenXR is not an engine itself, but enables engines to write portable code for cross-platform. For some, this may be a deterring factor.
The focus on the extension of core API elements may pull resources from other areas.
OpenXR Pricing
As an open-source and royalty-free standard, OpenXR is accessible free of charge.
OpenXR Use Cases
Use case 1: Game and App Development
Particularly beneficial for game/app development, OpenXR streamlines the process by reducing the need to port or rewrite code for diverse hardware. This comprehensive compatibility saves developers time and resources.
Use case 2: Developers Eyeing Broad Hardware Reach
Developers needing to access a broad range of hardware will find OpenXR’s unified AR/VR software development capability invaluable.
Use case 3: Innovative Tech
Those seeking to implement innovative, next-gen graphic technologies for immersive VR/AR experiences would benefit from the OpenXR standard’s extensive capabilities and compatibility.
WebGL 2
Enter the realm of immersive and visually engaging 3D applications with WebGL 2, a next-generation rasterization engine endowed with a myriad of advanced features. While it can draw, it requires an understanding of critical 3D aspects and intricate matrix calculations, which must be provided by the developer.
WebGL 2 Top Features
Advanced Rasterization: WebGL 2 offers intricate detail by rendering points, lines, and triangles using user-supplied code.
GPU Processing: By working on the GPU, WebGL 2 achieves high performance, utilizing parallel processing of geometric primitives.
High-Quality Visuals: The use of Phong material aids in developing visually stunning 3D applications. With texture coordination and surface blending, it renders realistic 3D scenes.
Light Reflection and Texturing: The underlying WebGL architecture handles light reflection and texturing with finesse, offering lifelike outcomes.
JSON Compatibility: This functionality allows defining, storing, and loading complex geometries.
Feature
Benefit
Efficient Use of Functional Geometry
Prepares 3D organizations for the future with clear geometry use.
Use of GLSL Code
Offers robustness to the rendering engine with dedicated shader language.
Divide and Conquer Approach
Renders objects more efficiently, improving overall performance.
WebGL 2 Limitations
Knowledge-dependency: Requires extensive understanding of matrix math, normalized coordinates, and frustums.
No inbuilt 3D API: WebGL 2 is a rasterization engine, not a comprehensive 3D API.
Hands-on work: Demands a hands-on approach for efficient use of the software.
Use Cases
Use Case 1: 3D Application Development
For those immersed in 3D application development, WebGL 2 surfaces as a potent tool. Its advanced rasterization features coupled with the efficient use of functional geometry, significantly ease the creation of visually stunning and immersive 3D applications.
Use Case 2: Game Development
In the realm of game development, the divide and conquer approach of WebGL 2 in rendering objects can enhance the overall gaming experience by providing realistic, high-performance results.
Use Case 3: Data Visualization
When it comes to data visualization, WebGL 2 can be used to create complex, interactive 3D models, enriching user understanding and interaction with the data.
WebGPU
Make way for the revolution in graphics and computations, the future-forward sibling of WebGL – the WebGPU. Brought to life by the W3C ‘GPU for the Web’ group, it trumpets the dawn of a new age for GPU APIs.
WebGPU Top Features
Infuses modern GPU hardware functionalities, introducing unmatched programming possibilities on browser.
Efficiently interfaces with GPU hardware akin to Direct3D 12, Metal, and Vulkan.
Generously reduces boilerplate code with its smart use of existing web platform characteristics and familiar JavaScript patterns.
Built on Vulkan, ensuring robust performance and balanced CPU/GPU usage.
Feature
Impact
Compute Shaders
Ensures optimal management of computational resources offering a pliable programming model.
Extensive Support
Embraces in-progress WebGPU ports in popular JavaScript WebGL libraries.
Automatic Resource Synchronization
Solves resource synchronization puzzles without breaking a sweat.
WebGPU Downsides
Still in the early stages of development, with considerable room for improvement and evolution.
By default, currently disabled as an extension and successor to WebGL.
WebGPU Use Cases
Use case 1
Got a knack for creating complex visual effects? Use WebGPU for bringing your imagination alive with graphics that couldn’t have been practically possible earlier.
Use case 2
Want to unleash the beast of machine learning computations? Take the giant leap with WebGPU, designed to absorb classes of algorithms and transfer them to the GPU with ease.
Use case 3
Crack the code for efficient resource optimization in web programming. Let WebGPU lead the charge with its vital offering of compute shaders!
WebXR
Alight upon the forefront of VR and AR evolution with WebXR, a unifying force for VR and AR realities. Imperative to the creation of immersive 3D art, VR tools and more, WebXR excels in low latency, swift data processing, and high precision. This utilizes web disruptions less than 20ms, which infuse an illusion of reality and provide a smooth user experience.
WebXR Top Features
Delivers a high-performance WebXR Device API, designed to counter performance drops, large data volume, device communication security.
Offers capabilities such as detecting VR or AR devices, translating movement vectors, and rendering 3D scenes.
Supported by major browsers, with Chrome leading the pack and Firefox integrating as experimental technology.
Major toolkits and libraries like AR.js, Three.js, A-Frame, ARCore all work seamlessly with WebXR.
Supporting Devices
Web Community Groups
HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard, etc.
Immersive Web Community Group, Immersive Web Working Group
WebXR Disadvantages
Not a rendering technology – requires developers to handle rendering and texturing.
Specific challenges tied to VR and AR reality creation, with traditional communication methods like Web Sockets often proving slower.
Any glitches can potentially impact user experience, thereby disrupting the illusion of reality.
WebXR Use Cases
Use case 1 – Interactive 3D Art
WebXR excels in the domain of interactive 3D art. It allows artists to create lifelike, highly immersive pieces with ease, harnessing its top-notch API capabilities.
Use case 2 – VR/AR Device Detection
Developers can harness WebXR’s powerful API to detect and locate VR or AR devices, crucial for enhancing user experience with these devices.
Use case 3 – VR Tools Creation
Thanks to its widespread browser support and working relationship with a host of toolkits and libraries, WebXR is an ideal choice for creating custom VR tools.
WebVR
WebVR is an unratified JavaScript API designed to facilitate the creation of VR experiences on the web. Primarily utilized within the gaming sector, its purpose has been positioning VR devices, such as Oculus Rift and Google Cardboard, on global web platforms.
WebVR Top Features
Device Compatibility: WebVR supports various popular devices including Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Gear VR, and Google Cardboard.
Extendable: Can be implemented in conjunction with The Gamepad API and the Device Orientation API, among others.
“Write once, run in any VR headset”: Emphasizes scalability and broad device applicability.
Accessible: WebVR is reached through the Navigator/getVRDisplays method, enabling access to essential VR device data.
Feature
Description
Sensible 3D modeling
Supports real-world scale 3D models with parent/child object relationships
Gamepad API Integration
For managing control inputs effectively
Device Orientation API compatibility
Enables optimal mobile display orientation
WebVR Limitations
Non-standardization: WebVR was never ratified and its support is largely experimental.
Limited Browser Compatibility: Only available in a select few browsers, mostly restricted to nightly or experimental builds.
Draft Status: WebVR spec is in the Editor’s Draft status and many web platforms are hesitant to adopt it.
WebVR Use Cases
Use case 1: VR Gaming
WebVR, with its ability to effectively manage control inputs and display orientation, is a boon in the gaming industry.
Use case 2: Virtual Tours
For applications such as WebVR Virtual Tour, devised by Shalini Sejwani and Mike Nutt, the technology offers intuitive, immersive 360-degree viewing capabilities.
Use case 3: Education
WebVR’s robust VR visualization aspects offer significant value in education, where real-world environments can be effectively simulated for enhanced learning.
Three.js
Masterminded by Ricardo Cabello and later evolved by an array of Three.js authors, Three.js stands as a remarkable JavaScript library that simplifies the creation and display of animated 3D computer graphics right in a web browser. Adapted from ActionScript to JavaScript in 2009 and released on Github in April 2010, its design thrives on WebGL, allowing for GPU-accelerated animations without the need for browser plugins.
Three.js Top Features
A cross-browser supporting WebGL 1.0 JavaScript library that lets you bring life to 3D objects and animations.
Supports Virtual and Augmented Reality via WebXR, expanding the boundary of realistic renderings.
Encompasses a variety of effects, scenes, cameras, animations, lights, materials, shaders, objects, and geometry for detailed designing.
Possesses a vast community of over 1700 contributors giving birth to ideas and improvements on Github.
Released under the MIT License, empowering anyone to use and contribute to the software.
Founded By
Ricardo Cabello (Mr.doob)
Release Date
April 24, 2010
Suited For
Web developers, 3D modelers
Three.js Limitations
Lacks in-built physics engine, requiring integration with other physics libraries for realistic simulations.
WebGL support is necessary, which might be an issue in older browsers.
Due to its high power and flexibility, beginners may face a steep learning curve.
Three.js Pricing
Three.js operates under the MIT License, making it a free and open-source software favouring innovation and exploration.
Three.js Use Cases
Use case 1: 3D Modeling
Three.js provides a comprehensive set of tools for creating intricate 3D models, making it a beneficial tool for 3D artists.
Use case 2: Web Development
For web developers, Three.js offers a way to incorporate interactive 3D animations into their web projects, enhancing user experience.
Use case 3: Virtual Reality
With its WebXR support, Three.js opens up possibilities for developing immersive VR experiences easily and effectively.
Unity
Launched in 2005, Unity has evolved to become a high-powered game development engine, adept in molding 3D and 2D games. Unity serves as a platform for cross-platform games, including Android and iOS, and offers a range in flexibility from Augmented Reality to 3D simulations.
Unity Top Features
A high-grade engine for developing 3D and 2D games.
Enables cross-platform game creation.
Offers a gamut of tools, rendering technology, and features to back high-fidelity game development.
Accommodates several coding languages such as BOO script, Javascript, and C#.
Offers an integrated asset store with a diverse range of pre-curated textures and features.
Hosts an active developer community for assistance and feedback.
Key Features
Description
Flexible Cross-platform
Facilitates development on various platforms including Android and iOS.
Diverse Coding Languages
Accepts multiple coding languages for inclusive development.
Advanced Rendering Technology
Supports high-quality game creation.
Unity Limitations
Introduction of per-install fees, exacerbating tension between Unity and developers, especially indie, solo, and mobile developers.
Unanticipated pricing changes, leading to apprehension about financial stability.
Fears of potential abuse of per-install fees through repeated downloads by a single user.
Concerns about hindrance to digital preservation efforts.
Unity Pricing
Unity experienced a pricing overhaul which included the introduction of a per-install fee. The new model is set to take effect from 1st January 2024. However, developers will only be charged once their game exceeds $200,000 in revenue and 200,000 installations.
Unity Use Cases
Use Case 1: Augmented Reality Applications
With the help of Unity, developers can design and build intriguing AR applications. This engine possesses the necessary features that assist in the creation of immersive AR experiences.
Use Case 2: Mobile Game Development
Unity allows for efficient mobile game development, enabling developers to take their games to Android and iOS platforms. It also supports the creation of mobile games with AR/VR features.
Use Case 3: 3D Simulations
Unity, with its advanced rendering technology, provides a fertile ground for developers to create realistic 3D simulations.
Canvas
As a dynamic powerhouse within the realm of web-based graphics creation, Canvas is an crucial tool for developers aiming to construct vibrant, interactive graphics. Canvas utilizes the HTML
Canvas Top Features
Create flexible and dynamic graphics with an extensive suite of Canvas API Features such as Path API, Drawing Styles, Gradients, and Patterns, Direct pixel manipulation, Images, and Transformations.
Draw detailed graphics with varied path features like beginPath(), closePath(), moveTo(x,y) etc.
Superior control of graphic attributes with a range of Canvas HTML5 attributes such as id, name, class.
The ability to draw images directly to the canvas using CanvasImageSource.
Feature
Description
Drawing Styles
Enhance graphic quality using styles like lineWidth, lineCap, lineJoin, miterLimit, font, textAlign, textBaseline.
Canvas uses transformation matrix for transforming input coordinates.
Canvas Limitations
Complexity and high learning curve required to master the extensive scripting required for creating graphics.
Graphic elements need to be drawn with script, which may require additional time and skills.
Limited support for IE8 and below.
Canvas Use Cases
Use case 1 – Gaming
The dynamic possibility of swift animations and interactivity makes Canvas an excellent tool for creating engaging gaming applications.
Use case 2 – Data Visualization
Canvas excels in data visualization by virtue of its ability to draw and manipulate graphical data presentations dynamically.
Use case 3 – Web Designing
With its versatile attribute support and graphics creation ability, Canvas proves instrumental for Web Designers aiming at crafting visually striking webpages.
OpenGL
OpenGL, or Open Graphics Library, originally produced under Silicon Graphics in 1992, evolved from proprietary IRIS GL and is an industry-standard low-level graphics library offering powerful rendering and modelling capabilities. It’s currently managed by the Khronos Group and boasts wide application across platforms, from gaming to scientific contexts.
OpenGL Top Features
Designed for hardware-accelerated 3D graphics, Augmented and Virtual Reality.
Widely used in commercial games like the ID Software’s Quake series, with hardware-specific upgrades accessible through extensions.
Supported by an architectural review board responsible for maintaining OpenGL specifications.
New functionalities and enhancements ushered in with each version, from 1.0 to 4.6.
ModernGL library allows the implementation of OpenGL 3.3 core or higher.
Introduction of the SPIR-V language to define shaders, additional features for Atomic Counters and function references in OpenGL 4.6.
OpenGL Versions
Significant Features
Version 3.3
First “Modern OpenGL” version
Version 4.3
Introduces Compute Shaders, image copying and compatibility with OpenGL ES 3.1
Version 4.2
Introduced shading language 4.20 and new buffer and shader accesses
OpenGL Downsides
Knowledge of the C++ programming language is a prerequisite, potentially limiting the user base.
The library uses mathematical concepts like linear algebra, geometry, and trigonometry which may be difficult for beginners.
Even though it led to improvements, the shift from IRIS GL to OpenGL was extensive and required significant effort.
OpenGL Pricing
OpenGL is a free and open-source platform.
OpenGL Use Cases
Use case 1 – Gaming
With proprietary extensions allowing access to advanced hardware features, OpenGL has proven impactful in the gaming industry, being incorporated into popular commercial games like the Quake series.
Use case 2 – Scientific Applications
The detailed rendering and modelling capabilities of OpenGL make it an ideal choice for scientific applications that demand precise 3D graphics.
Use case 3 – Augmented and Virtual Reality
Designed for hardware-accelerated 3D graphics, OpenGL offers powerful tools for Augmented and Virtual Reality application development.
Hannah Stewart
Content writer @ Aircada, tech enthusiast, metaverse explorer, and coffee addict. Weaving stories in digital realms.
