HTML and CSS Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 11
Further Explorations
There are many emerging technologies and frameworks that can help take HTML5
Canvas into rarely explored areas. In this chapter, we will cover a couple of those areas:
using Canvas for 3D with WebGL, and using Canvas for multiplayer applications. Both
of these areas are still experimental, requiring you to either download beta/developer
versions of browsers, or launch browsers using command-line switches so you can turn
various technologies off and on.
This chapter is structured a bit differently. The discussions are focused on giving you
some tools and information about these new and emerging areas for Canvas. While we
will offer code, examples, and some explanation, it's geared more toward getting you
started on the path to learning than on teaching you how every detail works. We have
structured these two topics in this way for one very simple reason:
they are incom-
plete
. With APIs, libraries, locations, browsers, names, etc., all subject to change, we
are not comfortable presenting these topics as finished and ready to go. You need to
approach this chapter knowing that things are bound to go wrong or change
frequently.
Having said that, even though these topics are experimental, that does not mean you
cannot use them right now, nor does it mean they are not useful or capable of doing
very cool things. You just need to be aware of the pitfalls before treading forward.
3D with WebGL
The 2D capabilities of HTML5 Canvas are impressive, but what about 3D? There is no
“production” 3D context available in the standard version of any web browser at this
time. However, the best support for a 3D context will probably come in the form of
WebGL.
