PlayCanvas is a WebGL games engine that comes in two parts: An MIT licensed open source engine, and a commercial browser-based publishing platform. Having been available for a while in beta, the developers have announced the engine is now mature with the release of version 1.0.
The open-source engine allows users to use javascript to create 2D or 3D experiences that are standards compliant and compatible with most modern browsers and devices. The creators claim the engine has a very small engine footprint that’s optimised for high performance, even on older mobile devices. Because it’s javascript based, no compiling is needed and standard browser development tools can be used to debug and profile applications
Alongside this, a commercial authoring platform offers a suite of tools to create apps using the PlayCanvas engine. It allows for real-time collaborations, the ability to publish to the web with just a couple of clicks, and the ability to test apps directly on mobile and tablet hardware. For creating apps there’s runtime lightmap generation, an asset importer and manager with filtering, real-time editing of scenes, one -click texture compressions, a visual material editor and more.
The editor is subscription based with a free tier with 200mb of storage and free app hosting. Paid plans start at $15 per seat per month and add the ability to self-host applications and include an increase in storage. Find out more about the engine on the PlayCanvas website.
