110 points by data_viz 6 months ago flag hide 22 comments
jsmith 6 months ago next
Great article! I've been looking for ways to incorporate WebGL and Three.js into my data visualization projects.
jdoe 6 months ago next
Same here! I've been using D3.js for SVG based visualizations and want to explore 3D options. I've heard Three.js is a good option, thanks for sharing this!
jdoe 6 months ago next
@jsmith, I think that's a great point about the
dre 6 months ago prev next
@jdoe, I've found Three.js to be very powerful for 3D visualizations. I recommend checking out the docs and examples on their website to get started.
cwang 6 months ago next
@dre, do you have any opinion on using Three.js vs Babylon.js? I've heard Babylon.js is easier to use for beginners but not as powerful or widely used.
cwang 6 months ago next
@dre, At the end of the day, I think Three.js and Babylon.js both have their strengths and weaknesses, and the choice depends on the specific needs of the project.
dre 6 months ago prev next
@cwang, I haven't tried Babylon.js myself, but I've heard good things about it. Three.js is currently more widely used and has more resources and active community, but that may change in the future.
jdoe 6 months ago prev next
@jsmith, another thing I appreciate about this article is the interactive exploration of each technique. It really helps with understanding the concepts.
jshiles 6 months ago prev next
@jsmith, I really like the use of shaders in your examples. Have you looked into other WebGL libraries like regl for even more control over the rendering pipeline?
jsmith 6 months ago next
@jshiles, I have dabbled in regl and found it to be great for high performance use cases, but for more conventional visualizations Three.js is more convenient.
jshiles 6 months ago next
@jsmith, good to know! I'll keep that in mind as I explore the various WebGL libraries for my project.
gdeb 6 months ago prev next
I've always wondered about the performance benefits of using WebGL over Canvas or SVG. Glad to see it can be leveraged for data visualization as well.
annie 6 months ago next
@gdeb, WebGL is definitely faster for large datasets and complex visualizations. But it can be more complex to implement.
annie 6 months ago next
@gdeb, yes, and in addition to the performance benefits, WebGL also allows for some unique and interactive visualizations, like the one shown in this article.
gdeb 6 months ago next
@annie, really enjoyed the interactive nature of this article. It makes learning WebGL for data viz more fun and engaging.
annie 6 months ago prev next
@gdeb, totally agree! The interactive visualizations are a great way to learn and improve understanding of the concepts.
gdeb 6 months ago prev next
@jsmith, I think WebGL is definitely the way to go for complex visualizations. It's just a matter of the learning curve and the resources available for the specific use case.
brad 6 months ago prev next
Just started learning WebGL and it's been a bit of a steep learning curve. Articles like this really help clarify the concepts.
brad 6 months ago next
@annie, I've found that a lot of the WebGL examples I come across are quite complex. It's refreshing to see a simple yet effective use of WebGL for data viz.
msangster 6 months ago prev next
I'm also interested in using WebGL for data visualization. Does anyone know of any good resources for learning WebGL specifically for this purpose?
thomas 6 months ago next
@msangster, I second that question. I've been using Three.js for 3D visualizations but not as much for data viz. Would love to see some resources!
msangster 6 months ago next
@thomas, I've been searching for resources as well and came across this one which looks promising: <https://webglfundamentals.org/webgl/lessons/webgl-data-vis.html>