PlayCanvas is an open-source[1] 3D game engine/interactive 3D application engine alongside a proprietary cloud-hosted creation platform that allows for simultaneous editing from multiple computers via a browser-based interface.[2] It runs in modern browsers that support WebGL, including Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. The engine is capable of rigid-body physics simulation, handling three-dimensional audio and 3D animations.

PlayCanvas
Developer(s)Will Eastcott, Dave Evans, Vaios Kalpias Ilias, Kevin Rooney, Maksims Mihejevs
Repositorygithub.com/playcanvas/engine
Written inJavaScript
Operating systemOS independent
PlatformCross-platform
TypeHTML5 3D engine
LicenseMIT License
Websiteplaycanvas.com
As ofJuly 2014

PlayCanvas has gained the support of ARM, Activision and Mozilla.[3]

The PlayCanvas engine was open-sourced on June 4, 2014.[4][5]

In April 2019, BusinessInsider.com reported that the company was acquired by Snap Inc. in 2017.[6]

Features

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The PlayCanvas platform has collaborative real-time Editor that allows editing a project by multiple developers simultaneously.[7] The engine supports the WebGL 1.0 and 2.0 standard to produce GPU accelerated 3D graphics and allows for scripting via the JavaScript programming language.[8] Projects can be distributed via a URL web link or packaged in native wrappers, p.g. for Android, using CocoonJS[9][10][11] or for Steam using Electron, and many other options and platforms.

Notable PlayCanvas applications

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Various companies[12] use PlayCanvas in projects of different disciplines of interactive 3D content in the web.

Disney created an educational game[13] for Hour of Code based on its Moana film.

King published Shuffle Cats Mini,[14] as a launch title for Facebook Instant Games.

TANX[15]massively multiplayer online game of cartoon styled tanks.

Miniclip published number of games[16][17] on their platform with increase of HTML5 games popularity on the web.

Mozilla collaborated[18] with PlayCanvas team creating After the Flood[19] demo for presenting cutting-edge features of WebGL 2.0.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "PlayCanvas goes open source". hacks.mozilla.org. June 4, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  2. ^ "GDC 2014: Mozilla and partners prove Web is the platform for gaming". blog.mozilla.org. March 18, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  3. ^ "Techstars London: Top Picks". techcrunch.com. September 27, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  4. ^ "PlayCanvas 3D WebGL Game Engine Now Open Source". gamingonlinux.com. June 4, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  5. ^ "PlayCanvas takes its WebGL video game engine open source". thenextweb.com. June 4, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  6. ^ Ghosh, Shona. "This tech CEO secretly sold his startup to Snap and spent 2 years building a product that could transform the firm's fortunes". Business Insider. Retrieved 2019-05-01.
  7. ^ "PlayCanvas Video Game Making".
  8. ^ "PlayCanvas Browser-Based Game Engine". phoronix.com. June 4, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  9. ^ "Ludei CocoonJS". Archived from the original on 2014-09-03. Retrieved 2014-07-14.
  10. ^ "Ludei CocconJS Tech Partners - Engines". ludei.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  11. ^ "PlayCanvas App On Mobile Using CocoonJS". magicsheepgames.co.uk. October 9, 2013. Archived from the original on September 17, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  12. ^ "Github PlayCanvas Users List". GitHub.
  13. ^ "Disney - Hour of Code - Moana (educational game)".
  14. ^ "Facebook - Shuffle Cats Mini (game)". Facebook.
  15. ^ "TANX (game)".
  16. ^ "Miniclip - Virtual Voodoo (game)".
  17. ^ "Miniclip - Flappy Bird (game)".
  18. ^ "Mozilla launching WebGL 2.0 support in Firefox".
  19. ^ "After the Flood (webgl 2.0 demo)".
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