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

Catching up or Refreshing on Babylon.js

When starting a new project, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of different things that need to be done. Throw unfamiliar technologies or domains into the mix, and even the most seasoned software veteran might blanch a bit at the challenge. That’s an okay feeling to have! The key to overcoming and moving past it is both difficult and simple at the same time: you just need to find an atomic, well-defined task and then just do that task. After tackling a few of these tasks, you can take a step back to reassess things in light of what you now know. Most likely, you will find that the work you originally thought was needed isn’t.

Whether you’re a veteran game developer exploring the possibilities of BJS or someone who has never programmed a game before, a strategy of starting simple and building iteratively can be the best way to get usable, immediate results. Let’s start with the basics. The...