Amazing 3D Animation with three.js

The hottest topic for client-side developers seems to be animation. Whether it be from CSS transformations, keyframe animations, or animations managed with JavaScript APIs, it seems like each day we come across another demo that shows us how can we've come outside of Flash. The latest shocker comes from the three.js project. The creators of three.js explains the project best:

The aim of the project is to create a lightweight 3D engine with a very low level of complexity; in other words, for dummies. The engine can render using <canvas>, <svg> and WebGL.

The three.js engine allows developers to create mindblowing 2D and 3D animations with Canvas and WebGL, from basic cubes to advanced animations so smooth you'll wet yourself.

Favorite three.js Demos

The three.js repository comes with several dozens examples of the engine's capabilities. Here are a few of my favorites:

• http://mrdoob.github.com/three.js/examples/webgl_trails.html
• http://mrdoob.github.com/three.js/examples/webgl_terrain_dynamic.html
• http://mrdoob.github.com/three.js/examples/webgl_shading_physical.html
• http://mrdoob.github.com/three.js/examples/webgl_materials_cubemap_refraction.html
• http://mrdoob.github.com/three.js/examples/webgl_animation_skinning.html
• http://mrdoob.github.com/three.js/examples/webgl_geometries.html

You can see all of the examples here: http://mrdoob.github.com/three.js/

Mind status: blown. three.js is an incredible project that allows developers to achieve amazing animations efficiently and without Flash. Mr.Doob: take a bow -- three.js is ahead of its time.