Preview of WebKit's WebGL / Canvas 3D
Yesterday, I was updating my local checkout of WebKit and I noticed a few tests for “WebGL” scroll by (view commit). Apparently, a big WebGL patch has quietly landed. With a name like “WebGL”, I couldn't help but investigate. — What is WebGL?
Context & Ripple Effects
WebKit had spent 2008 building credibility around browser conformance, including a public Acid3-perfect build, while its JavaScript, DOM and rendering work was cited as enabling that result. The WebGL patch extends that engine work from standards conformance toward a new graphics capability.
The patch also contrasts with Apple's reluctance to expose desktop web-based 3D earlier in 2009: implementation work has reached WebKit even though the product path for browser 3D was not yet settled.
First-order effects
- WebKit developers gain an in-tree WebGL implementation and tests to inspect, test and refine rather than treating browser-based 3D as a purely external proposal.
Second-order effects
- WebKit's rendering roadmap gains a 3D layer alongside its existing DOM and graphics work, increasing pressure on browser-engine rivals to decide whether comparable graphics APIs belong in their own platforms.
Third-order effects
- If browser engines converge on exposed 3D graphics interfaces, more graphics-intensive web applications will depend on browser implementation quality rather than proprietary desktop runtimes.
The trend: Browser engines are broadening from document rendering and standards compliance into platforms for increasingly graphics-intensive web applications.