Book Image

Real-Time 3D Graphics with WebGL 2 - Second Edition

By : Farhad Ghayour, Diego Cantor
5 (1)
Book Image

Real-Time 3D Graphics with WebGL 2 - Second Edition

5 (1)
By: Farhad Ghayour, Diego Cantor

Overview of this book

As highly interactive applications have become an increasingly important part of the user experience, WebGL is a unique and cutting-edge technology that brings hardware-accelerated 3D graphics to the web. Packed with 80+ examples, this book guides readers through the landscape of real-time computer graphics using WebGL 2. Each chapter covers foundational concepts in 3D graphics programming with various implementations. Topics are always associated with exercises for a hands-on approach to learning. This book presents a clear roadmap to learning real-time 3D computer graphics with WebGL 2. Each chapter starts with a summary of the learning goals for the chapter, followed by a detailed description of each topic. The book offers example-rich, up-to-date introductions to a wide range of essential 3D computer graphics topics, including rendering, colors, textures, transformations, framebuffers, lights, surfaces, blending, geometry construction, advanced techniques, and more. With each chapter, you will "level up" your 3D graphics programming skills. This book will become your trustworthy companion in developing highly interactive 3D web applications with WebGL and JavaScript.
Table of Contents (14 chapters)

Colors, Depth Testing, and Alpha Blending

In the previous chapter, we covered global versus local transformations, matrix stacks, animation timers, and various interpolation techniques. In this chapter, we start by examining how colors are structured and handled in WebGL and ESSL. We will discuss the use of colors in objects, lights, and scenes. Then, we will see how WebGL leverages the depth buffer for object occlusion when one object is in front of another, blocking it from view. Lastly, we will cover alpha blending, which allows us to combine the colors of objects when one is occluding the other, while also allowing us to create translucent objects.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

  • Using colors in objects.
  • Assigning colors to light sources.
  • Working with several light sources in the ESSL program.
  • Learning how to use the depth test and the z-buffer.
  • Learning...