You don't have to be just a graphic designer to create interactive designs. You can be a coder and still create visually appealing and eye-catching games. All thanks to JavaScript.
The first cross-browser JavaScript library–three.js–that can create 3D computer graphics was first released on 24 April 2010 by Ricardo Cabello. He first wrote the code in ActionScript language, which was then used by Adobe Flash.
But then in 2009, he ported the code to JavaScript. Previously, people used WebGL. But the problem was its limitation: it can create only simple pointers and lines.
Ricardo, instead of abandoning WebGL as something that is futile, used it to his own advantage. He built three.js on top of WebGL. This renders three.js to create 3D graphics in the browser. Even a 3D scene can be created easily using Canvas and WebGL now.
But then in 2013, Babylon.js was created. But why? Why did its creators, Microsoft and David Catuhe, make something that another JavaScript library–three.js –was already doing? Well, that's because Babylon.js can not only render photorealistic images. It can also create interactive games like Temple Run. To show gadgeteer how HoloLens would look like, Microsoft uses Babylon.js.
But what actually is the difference between Babylon.js and three.js? Well, I'll tell you here. The first difference between Babylon.js and three.js is that Babylon.js is a real-time 3D engine where 3D graphics are displayed after using HTML5. On the contrary, three.js is a JavaScript library as well as an API that's used to make and display animated 3D graphics in a web browser.
And since both Babylon.js and three.js are open source, their source code is available on GitHub. Further, the source code of Babylon.js is TypeScript-based and is further compiled into JavaScript. On the contrary, three.js programming languages are JavaScript, OpenGL, and Shading Language.
Babylon.js is already a web rendering engine as per their official websites. But is three.js also a rendering engine? Well, yes, it has 2 official engines - CSS and WebGL. Using Babylon.js one can add visual effects as well. But when it comes to three.js, you can't add visual effects. You can add a bit of visual effects only after post-processing. Babylon.js runs on Internet Explorer 11+, Firefox 4+, Google Chrome 9+, and Opera 15+ with WebGL support. Three.js, on the contrary, runs on browsers that are supported by WebGL 1.0.
For your ease, I have created a table that highlights the difference between both three.js and Babylon.js.
But What is Worth Learning in Babylon.js and Three.js in 2024?
Well, there isn't a straight answer to this. If you are new to 3D programming, then you should learn three.js in 2024. That's because three.js has a clean architecture. Even classes are of simple design. There are also some ready-to-use components in three.js. You can see how many people are downloading three.js here.
But if you already have a good knowledge of graphics and programming, prefer to learn Babylon.js in 2024. But then be ready to handle some mental breakdowns. Babylon.js is harder. But it does have thorough documentation that is better than three.js.
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