Book Image

Going the Distance with Babylon.js

By : Josh Elster
Book Image

Going the Distance with Babylon.js

By: Josh Elster

Overview of this book

Babylon.js allows anyone to effortlessly create and render 3D content in a web browser using the power of WebGL and JavaScript. 3D games and apps accessible via the web open numerous opportunities for both entertainment and profit. Developers working with Babylon.js will be able to put their knowledge to work with this guide to building a fully featured 3D game. The book provides a hands-on approach to implementation and associated methodologies that will have you up and running, and productive in no time. Complete with step-by-step explanations of essential concepts, practical examples, and links to fully working self-contained code snippets, you’ll start by learning about Babylon.js and the finished Space-Truckers game. You’ll also explore the development workflows involved in making the game. Focusing on a wide range of features in Babylon.js, you’ll iteratively add pieces of functionality and assets to the application being built. Once you’ve built out the basic game mechanics, you’ll learn how to bring the Space-Truckers environment to life with cut scenes, particle systems, animations, shadows, PBR materials, and more. By the end of this book, you’ll have learned how to structure your code, organize your workflow processes, and continuously deploy to a static website/PWA a game limited only by bandwidth and your imagination.
Table of Contents (20 chapters)
1
Part 1: Building the Application
7
Part 2: Constructing the Game
13
Part 3: Going the Distance

Scratching the Surface of Shaders

Captain Edward J. Smith of the erstwhile and ill-fated ship the Titanic would no doubt be among the first to acknowledge the fact that the visible surface of an iceberg represents but a small fraction of an immensely greater object. When used as an analogy, the phrase “tip of the iceberg” is commonly understood to mean that what is visible, isn’t and shouldn’t be taken to be representative of the entire thing.

Note

The aforementioned, oddly specific call-out to Captain Ed Smith, is a fantastic Random Fact to know on Trivia Night.

Similarly, the idea of scratching the surface of a topic evokes imagery of kids attempting to dig a hole to the other side of the planet. Juxtaposed with a to-scale globe, it suggests the immensity of the digger’s undertaking. In no way does it diminish the enjoyment the children get from their quixotic adventure, but by depicting the differentiated layers of crust, mantle, and...