HTML in Three Dimensions

WebGL, like the rest of HTML 5, will be an integral part of the web platform. Because WebGL renders to a canvas element, it is part of the document. You can position and transform 3D canvas elements, just as you can place images or 2D canvases on a page. In fact, you can do anything you can do with any other canvas element, including overlaying text and video and performing animations.

 Combining other document elements and a 3D canvas will make heads-up displays (HUDs) and mixed 2D and 3D interfaces much simpler to develop when compared to pure 3D display technologies. Imagine taking a 3D scene and using HTML mark-up to overlay a simple web user interface on it. Quite unlike the non-native menus and controls found in many OpenGL applications, WebGL software will incorporate nicely styled HTML 5 form elements with ease. The existing network architecture of the Web will also complement WebGL. WebGL applications will be able to fetch resources such as textures and models from URLs. Multiplayer games can communicate with WebSockets. Google recently ported the classic 3D game Quake II to the Web using HTML 5 WebSocket, Audio, and WebGL, complete with multiplayer competition. Game logic and graphics were implemented in JavaScript, making calls to a WebGL canvas for rendering. Communication to the server to coordinate player movement was achieved using a persistent WebSocket connection.