WebGL (very important technology to create 3D configurators) was developed by the Khronos Group, which is also responsible for the development of OpenGL. It is an open source library that is platform-independent and has established itself as a competitor to the 3D library Direct3D from Microsoft`s Windows-based DirectX.
WebGL is a JavaScript API and is accessed via an HTML page. The graphic design is done via CSS: WebGL is integrated into the HTML document area.
WebGL enables the representation of a 3D scenery, its basic objects from models, which represent the objects, a camera, which defines point of view and field of view as well as lights for the lighting.
There are numerous libraries for WebGL to simplify and summarize recurring tasks. On this basis, the development of objects is significantly simplified.
By default, WebGL is very code line heavy to offer the developer as many possibilities as possible for the development of his applications.
With the development of WebGL, a technology was born for the first time to display hardware-accelerated 3D graphics platform independent in the browser without additional extensions.
The following table illustrates the advantages and disadvantages of WebGL:
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| No PlugIns or additional extensions necessary. | No access to the full functionality of the specific platform possible. |
| Platform independence of HTML and JavaScript. | Applications are slower than compiled programs whose code is translated directly into machine language. |
| No high hardware requirements. | HTML source code can be read by external users. |
| A simple text editor is enough – no expensive software suite necessary. | |
| WebGL applications are located centrally on a web server and can be updated relatively easily for all users. |
Examples for WebGL.
The following real-time WebGL configurator visualize the design of a pen. The user can configure his desired pencil step-by-step:
The following example visualises a Polo from the car manufacturer Volkswagen:
In contrast to the pen configurator, there is no step-by-step configuration here. The entire configuration can be adapted at any time without the user having to go back one step.
Both applications are intuitive and easy to use. WebGL applications offer the greatest potential in the area of eCommerce. With the configurator, users can design their personal desired product. On this basis, companies can better serve specific customer inquiries.
Another interesting area of application is eLearning or computer-supported learning. The high level of involvement and interaction sinificantly increases the learning success.
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