Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Three.js VS OpenGL

Compare Three.js VS OpenGL and see what are their differences

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Three.js logo Three.js

A JavaScript 3D library which makes WebGL simpler.

OpenGL logo OpenGL

OpenGL is the premier environment for developing portable, interactive 2D and 3D graphics...
  • Three.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-05-05
  • OpenGL Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-25

Three.js features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Three.js simplifies the complex task of 3D rendering with an intuitive API, making it accessible to developers who may not have deep expertise in 3D graphics.
  • Cross-Browser Compatibility
    Three.js is built upon WebGL, ensuring compatibility across modern browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    The library offers extensive documentation, examples, and an active community, which helps in quickly resolving issues and understanding implementation.
  • Integration with HTML and CSS
    Three.js can be easily integrated with HTML and CSS, allowing for the blending of 2D and 3D elements in web applications.
  • Extensive Features
    It supports a wide range of features including cameras, lights, materials, shaders, and post-processing effects, making it highly versatile for various 3D projects.

Possible disadvantages of Three.js

  • Performance Overhead
    Despite its powerful capabilities, Three.js can have significant performance overhead, especially for complex scenes, which might require optimization.
  • Learning Curve
    While easier than raw WebGL, Three.js still has a learning curve, particularly for those new to 3D graphics, requiring time to become proficient.
  • Limited Built-in Advanced Tools
    Although feature-rich, Three.js lacks some advanced tools out-of-the-box compared to more specialized or industry-standard 3D engines, necessitating custom solutions for certain tasks.
  • Dependency on WebGL
    Three.js relies on WebGL, meaning it cannot be used in environments where WebGL is not supported, which can limit accessibility and compatibility.
  • Frequent Updates
    The library is actively developed, which is generally positive, but frequent updates can mean breaking changes, requiring developers to frequently refactor their code.

OpenGL features and specs

  • Cross-platform Compatibility
    OpenGL is platform-independent, allowing developers to write code that can run on multiple platforms such as Windows, macOS, Linux, and others without modification.
  • Wide Hardware Support
    Extensive support across a broad range of graphics hardware, making it a reliable choice for ensuring that applications will work on various devices.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source graphics API, OpenGL allows for extensive collaboration and contributions from the community, improving its features and performance over time.
  • Industry Standard
    Used widely in the industry for professional applications in areas like CAD, virtual reality, and video games, providing good community support and documentation.
  • Rich Feature Set
    Provides a comprehensive set of features for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics, offering flexibility for developers to create complex visual effects.

Possible disadvantages of OpenGL

  • Complexity
    OpenGL's vast array of features and options can lead to a steep learning curve for new developers who may find it challenging to implement even basic tasks.
  • Obsolete Features
    Some parts of OpenGL are considered outdated, with legacy functionality that may complicate development and require additional effort to modernize older codebases.
  • Performance Overhead
    While generally efficient, OpenGL can introduce overhead compared to lower-level APIs like Vulkan or Direct3D, which offer more direct control of graphics hardware resources.
  • Fragmented Support
    Different platforms and graphics card vendors may implement OpenGL features inconsistently, requiring extra testing and potentially platform-specific workarounds.
  • Low Abstraction
    Despite its flexibility, OpenGL provides a lower level of abstraction compared to some newer APIs, meaning that developers must manage more of the graphics pipeline manually.

Three.js videos

Getting Started With Three.js

More videos:

  • Review - Ricardo Cabello (Mr doob) - 5 years of three.js

OpenGL videos

OSBUDDY 3.0 OPENGL REVIEW - Not as promised??

More videos:

  • Review - Latest OpenGL and Vulkan GPU drivers Pubg gaming Review Poco F1 | 0.18 Mad Miramar Update
  • Review - OpenGL Basic (Fastest Review)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Three.js and OpenGL)
Javascript UI Libraries
100 100%
0% 0
Game Development
56 56%
44% 44
Flowcharts
100 100%
0% 0
Game Engine
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Three.js and OpenGL

Three.js Reviews

Top 20 Javascript Libraries
Cross-browser JS library and API that allows for the creation of beautiful animations, Three.js relies on WebGL rather than conventional browser-plugins. Through its library utilities, developers can include complex 3D animations on their website without much effort. Three.js include many features like geometry, lights, materials, shaders, effects, scenes, data loaders,...
Source: hackr.io

OpenGL Reviews

We have no reviews of OpenGL yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Three.js seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 248 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Three.js mentions (248)

  • React Three Ecosystem
    Note three.js [1] has nothing to do with React out of the box though, this page highlights an atypical way of using three.js through a popular React binding. [1] https://threejs.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 4 days ago
  • Turn your phone into a wireless Joy-Con with SyncoPath
    The phone in the codepath sample got rendered using Three.js. For fun, I also added some beep sound generated using ZZfx when you tap. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • How to Build a Portfolio Website with React
    Also, to make your portfolio stand out to recruiters and clients, you can add some creative and interactive animations to it. The following libraries can help you easily do this: Framer Motion, tsParticles, and Three.js. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Rant: state of generative AI in code generation.
    In my experience with AI code generation, in visual projects like UI development or JavaScript based animation (using three.js or p5.js) etc. AI tools work pretty well. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • My son (9 yrs old) used plain JavaScript to make a game, and wants your feedback
    After he's done with v2, might I propose... THE GAMEY GAME 3D ?? https://threejs.org/ I started coding at 9 as well (which was a long time ago now), so I was very happy to play and see this today. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
View more

OpenGL mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of OpenGL yet. Tracking of OpenGL recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Three.js and OpenGL, you can also consider the following products

p5.js - JS library for creating graphic and interactive experiences

SDL - Simple DirectMedia Layer is a cross-platform multimedia library designed to provide low level...

PixiJS - Fast and flexible WebGL-based HTML5 game and app development library.

Vulkan - Vulkan is a new generation graphics and compute API that provides high-efficiency, cross-platform access to modern GPUs used in a wide variety of devices from PCs and consoles to mobile phones and embedded platforms.

Paper.js - Open source vector graphics scripting framework that runs on top of the HTML5 Canvas.

Unreal Engine - Unreal Engine 4 is a suite of integrated tools for game developers to design and build games, simulations, and visualizations.