30 amazing examples of WebGL in action

Almost all modern computers and most smartphones have powerful GPUs, graphics processors that often have more number-crunching power than the CPU. But until recently web pages and mobile websites couldn’t use them – meaning slow, low-quality graphics, almost always in 2D.

That all changed when WebGL was released in the latest versions of Firefox and Chrome. WebGL, based on the well-known OpenGL 3D graphics standard, gives JavaScript plugin-free access to the graphics hardware, via the HTML5 canvas element – making realtime 3D graphics in web pages possible.

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Apple are supporting the standard too, so we can (hopefully!) expect to see it cropping up in Safari on Macs, iPhones and iPads sometime (though probably not soon) – and Opera are testing their own version, so the only holdout is Microsoft.

So sit back, crank up your latest browser, and check out these demos – if you think you can do better, go for it: there are some hints and tips on how at the end.

01. 3 Dreams of Black

3 Dreams of Black is a semi-interactive film by Chris Milk, using technology developed by Google and others, featuring the song Black from the album ROME by Danger Mouse and Daniel Luppi, with Norah Jones and Jack White. It takes you through three separate dreams, mixing 2D and 3D computer graphics with video. It works best on Chrome. Read net magazine‘s report on the project here.