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Game Development with Three.js
Game Development with Three.js

Game Development with Three.js: With Three.js you can create sophisticated 3D games that run in the web browser. This book is aimed at both the professional game designer and the enthusiast with a step by step approach including lots of tips and examples.

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Profile Icon Isaac Sukin
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Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.4 (10 Ratings)
Paperback Oct 2013 118 pages 1st Edition
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Arrow left icon
Profile Icon Isaac Sukin
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Free Trial
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.4 (10 Ratings)
Paperback Oct 2013 118 pages 1st Edition
eBook
S$12.99 S$35.99
Paperback
S$44.99
Subscription
Free Trial
eBook
S$12.99 S$35.99
Paperback
S$44.99
Subscription
Free Trial

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Game Development with Three.js

Chapter 1. Hello, Three.js

This chapter will take you from zero to sixty with a new Three.js project. We'll cover what Three.js is, how to get started with writing code for it, and the components of a basic scene.

The wonderful world of Three.js


Three.js is a JavaScript library that simplifies displaying 3D graphics in web browsers. Artists, major brands, and many others are increasingly using Three.js to power immersive online experiences that can reach millions of people across many platforms. There are many inspiring demos of the technology at http://threejs.org/.

Three.js is usually used with a new technology called WebGL, a JavaScript API for rendering graphics without plugins. The API is based on OpenGL, a desktop graphics API (GL stands for graphics library). Because it uses the client's graphics processing unit to accelerate rendering, WebGL is fast! However, many mobile browsers as well as Internet Explorer 10 and below do not support WebGL. Luckily, Three.js supports rendering with the HTML5 Canvas API as well as other technologies such as Scalable Vector Graphics instead.

Note

You can find up-to-date information on browser support at http://caniuse.com/webgl.

Three.js is originally written and maintained by Ricardo Cabello, who is also known as Mr.Doob. The library is open source (MIT-licensed) and is available from its GitHub page, https://github.com/mrdoob/three.js. The documentation of Three.js is available online at http://threejs.org/docs/. When the documentation is insufficient, the best place to look is the examples folder of the project, which contains a large collection of examples demonstrating different features. You can browse the examples online at http://threejs.org/examples/. The source code in the src folder is also worth browsing if you need to know how a certain class works or what methods and properties it exposes. Developers respond to questions about Three.js on the Q&A site StackOverflow, so if you are confused about something, you can browse questions with the three.js tag or ask your own.

Tip

This book was written with Version r61 of the Three.js project. Certain parts of the API are still under development, but anything that is likely to change will be pointed out when it is introduced.

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Key benefits

  • Develop immersive 3D games that anyone can play on the Internet
  • Learn Three.js from a gaming perspective, including everything you need to build beautiful and high-performance worlds
  • A step-by-step guide filled with game-focused examples and tips

Description

The advent of WebGL and its inclusion in many browsers enabled JavaScript programs running in a web browser to access the GPU without a plugin or extension. Three.js is a next generation high-level library that makes it possible to author complex 3D computer animations that display in the browser using nothing more than a simple text editor. The development of these new tools has opened up the world of real-time 3D computer animations to a far broader spectrum of developers. Starting with how to build 3D games on the web using the Three.js graphics library, you will learn how to build 3D worlds with meshes, lighting, user interaction, physics, and more. Along the way, you'll learn how to build great online games through fun examples. Use this book as a guide to embrace the next generation of game development! Moving on from the basics, you will learn how to use Three.js to build game worlds using its core components, including renderers, geometries, materials, lighting, cameras, and scenes. Following on from this, you will learn how to work with mouse and keyboard interactions, incorporate game physics, and import custom models and animations. You will also learn how to include effects like particles, sounds, and post-processing. You will start by building a 3D world, and then create a first person shooter game using it. You will then be shown how to imbue this FPS game with a “capture the flag” gameplay objective. With Game Development with Three.js, you will be able to build 3D games on the Web using the Three.js graphics library.

Who is this book for?

This book is for people interested in programming 3D games for the Web. Readers are expected to have basic knowledge of JavaScript syntax and a basic understanding of HTML and CSS. This book will be useful regardless of prior experience with game programming, whether you intend to build casual side projects or large-scale professional titles.

What you will learn

  • Set up a Three.js scene representing a game world
  • Understand the types of Three.js components, including geometries, materials, lighting, cameras, and renderers
  • Interact with your games using the mouse and keyboard
  • Structure your worlds with various approaches to physical collision
  • Construct complex levels using several different methods
  • Extend the Three.js framework with custom game-specific classes
  • Gain insight into development processes and important design and performance considerations for web games
  • Achieve a basic understanding of multiplayer game networking

Product Details

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Publication date : Oct 24, 2013
Length: 118 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781782168539
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Product Details

Publication date : Oct 24, 2013
Length: 118 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781782168539
Languages :
Tools :

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Table of Contents

5 Chapters
Hello, Three.js Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Building a World Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Exploring and Interacting Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Adding Detail Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Design and Development Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

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claudio daffra Jan 17, 2014
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
ti fornisce le basi , chiare per poter iniziare a districarsi nel labirinto del 3d. L'ho trovato piuttosto utile in quanto attraverso un esempio completo ti permette presto di ottenere risultati
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David McLure Jul 13, 2014
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Great summary of the technology! Works well as a follow-on book to the book named"Learning Three.js: The JavaScript 3D Library for WebGL" by Jos Dirksen
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Game Reviews Nov 21, 2013
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This is an excellent book on 3D game programming for web browsers. It is a quick read (97 pages) and has many examples to help get you started. You also can download example code from an associated website so you can learn from the example code and get a head start. The book is well written and is an easy read. Somehow it also manages to cover an amazing range of complex topics including various methods of world generation, particle systems, 3D sound, optimization, networking/multiplayer, and even anticheating. Highly recommended!
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Kindle Customer Feb 04, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
The author's book was extremely helpful! I'm now sold on using javascript with three.js for game development. I think this is going to be essential knowledge, but as of now it's cutting edge. Fun stuff.
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Maximilian Friedmann Feb 20, 2014
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Das Buch erklärt alles nötige in angenehmer Geschwindigkeit. Das erlernte Codebeispiel macht Lust auf mehr und bietet ebenfalls einen guten Start für eigene Projekte. Ist das Geld vollkommen wert!!!
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