WebGPU is coming to Babylon.js
The geeky side of me is giddy right now :-) It has been a long time since we’ve seen any major new tech come to the Web 3D space. And, here it is, an experimental implementation of WebGPU is now available in Chrome Canary (macOS only for now). We are committed to bringing you one of the most powerful 3D web engines in the world. Just as we’ve done with harnessing the power of WebGL, we are always looking to the horizon to adopt any technology that will bring you even more power and performance. We’re excited to say that Babylon.js is beginning to implement the support for WebGPU!
At the time of writing this article, it is really early for both the WebGPU platform and specification. You’re probably wondering why we would choose to invest time on supporting this evolution. Aside from my inner “nerd” crying for it, here are some more reasonable answers:
- The promise behind WebGPU is to be closer to the “metal” and therefore a much faster API.
- Compute Shaders sound really compelling and powerful, which could lead to significant performance gains.
- There are also some new tools to help alongside development. Tools that should improve the speed of development, as well as improve overall performance.
And since we’re on the subject of perf, check out this video that shows WebGL and WebGPU implementations side by side:
Another important reason to introduce support for WebGPU, so early in its evolution, is to make sure that the amazing browser teams across the globe have real-world feedback and support as they develop this platform. By giving them support along the way, we can help ensure that it develops into the most powerful, javascript-friendly, and beginner-friendly platform possible.
Following the Google I/O talk “Next-generation 3D Graphics on the Web", we are genuinely proud to be a part of such a promising effort to accelerate media across the web.
If the inner nerd in you is as excited as mine, don’t hesitate to jump in and contribute to the Babylon.js implementation here on GitHub. Also if you’re on a WebGPU compatible browser, you can try our demo here.
Stay up-to-date on the status of WebGPU at https://webgpu.io and Babylon.js support at https://doc.babylonjs.com/extensions/webgpu.
