What is BabylonJS?

BabylonJS is an open-source, robust JavaScript framework for creating and rendering 3D graphics and immersive experiences directly in web browsers.

It's used in building interactive 3D applications, games, simulations, and visualizations. It's also used with a combination of WebGLA JavaScript API that enables rendering of 3D graphics and interactive content directly within web browsers. and WebXRAn API that extends the capabilities of web browsers to support Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) experiences..

Setup

To set up BabylonJS, follow the steps mentioned below:

1. Open the terminal and execute the following command:

2. Run the following command to check if the framework has been installed successfully:

3. Create an HTML, JavaSctipt, and CSS file in the same directory. For example index.html, app.js, style.css, respectively.

4. In your App.js, import the BabylonJS framework as follows:

5. After that, you can write the content in your respective .html, .js, and .css files.

Tools

Following are some of the critical tools BabylonJS offers:

Rendering Engine

BabylonJS offers a high-performance rendering engine that utilizes WebGLA JavaScript API that enables rendering of 3D graphics and interactive content directly within web browsers., allowing for hardware-accelerated graphics rendering directly within web browsers.

Scene Graph

The framework includes a scene graph system that lets us manage and organize 3D objects and camera positions within a scene.

Note: Read more about camera positions in BabylonJS scene graph.

Meshes and Models

BabylonJS supports geometric primitives and allows us to model objects using many triangular facets joined together (a mesh). An array or a group of meshes can be referred to as a model. They are also compatible with other engines like Unity, Blender, etc.

Note: Read more about meshes in BabylonJS

Shaders

BabylonJS provides a wide range of built-in shaders to simulate various surface properties (e.g., colors and shadows) and lighting effects. You can also write custom shaders to achieve specific visual effects.

Animations

The framework provides tools to create complex and skeletal animations for objects.

Particle Systems

Babylon.js supports creating particle systems for creating effects like fire, smoke, rain, and explosions.

Note: Read more about the BabylonJS particle systems.

Physics

The framework integrates with physics engines (like CannonJS and OimoJS) to simulate realistic physical interactions, including collisions, gravity, etc.

Interactivity

BabylonJS supports user interaction through mouse clicks, touch, and keyboard events.

Note: We can see in the examples above that outputs are interactive (can be controlled using the mouse).

Conclusion

BabylonJS framework can be used to create browser-based 3D games with advanced graphics and interactivity. It can also be useful in designing and showcasing architectural models, physics simulations, and historical reconstructions.