Q&A with WebGL: Up and Running Author Tony Parisi

Q&A with WebGL: Up and Running Author Tony Parisi O'Reilly Media: What made you write the book? Tony Parisi: WebGL is beginning to enjoy great popularity but it still a "black art" to the average web programmer. While there are dozens of online resources devoted to WebGL, and many libraries and tools now supporting the standard, the information is scattered, and the coverage incomplete. Also, the WebGL API is really low-level—likely out of reach for the typical developer—and in its raw form accessible only to experienced 3D programmers. This book bridges the gap between the incredible power of WebGL and the knowledge and tools needed to put it into practice. O'Reilly Media: Why is your book especially important now? Tony Parisi: HTML5, along with related technologies such as WebGL, has emerged as a premier platform for creating rich web applications. WebGL has been adopted in most major browsers and a growing number of phones, tablets, and netbooks. WebGL: Up and Running is intended to provide developers with the information they need to get started quickly and take best advantage of WebGL's awesome capabilities to build breakout content and applications. After reading my book, readers will be able to develop a working, production-quality WebGL application. O'Reilly Media: How important is the subject matter of your book? Tony Parisi: WebGL is the most exciting and transformational technology to make it into a web browser since Adobe Flash. WebGL can be used to develop games, visualize information, educate, and entertain. The visuals are stunning and, combined with other advanced animation and high-performance features in today's browsers, can make for incredible experiences. It is a powerful new weapon in the web development arsenal. My book is here to help developers tap into that amazing power right now. WebGL will continue to build momentum, with more features, more supported platforms, more tools, and killer apps. Expect to see new books covering specialized aspects of WebGL for game development, data visualization, rendering techniques and the like.