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Adobe Plans Flash 3D API to Take On WebGL

The web is getting a third dimension

Jul 8, 2010 16:20 GMT  ·  By
The web is getting a third dimension as Flash and WebGL are gunning for the emerging 3D gaming market
   The web is getting a third dimension as Flash and WebGL are gunning for the emerging 3D gaming market

Flash is under attack from all sides, but Adobe doesn’t plan on going down without a fight. While the battle may be a little more clearly laid out with online video, there’s another area where things are heating up, 3D graphics. The trend is clear, everything is moving to the web, including gaming.

Web games today means FarmVille and company, but almost everyone agrees that this will change and fast. So, Adobe is now announcing that 3D graphics will be a major feature in an upcoming Flash release. Details are scarce at the moment, but it looks like Adobe is planning a full-fledged 3D API that it will unveil later this year.

“If you are into 3d development for games, augmented reality or just interactive stuff like websites, you just can't miss the session entitled Flash Player 3D future scheduled for Max 2010 scheduled on October 27 at 11:00AMin room 503. Sebastian Marketsmueller (Flash Player engineer) will deep dive into the next generation 3D API coming in a future version of the Flash Player,” Imbert Thibault, Flash Player product manager, wrote on his blog.

Flash currently has some support for 3D graphics but it’s not a true 3D environment. The next Flash could, and probably will, come with a complete 3D API and likely GPU acceleration as well. Adobe won’t go into details, but claims that it will be “big.”

The announcement should come as no surprise to anyone following the market. The WebGL project is picking up some serious Steam and enjoys the backing of most browser makers and other powerful players. The project is already one year underway so it clearly has a head start on Flash. WebGL promises native, GPU accelerated graphics for the web through an open standard. The project is backed by Mozilla, Google, and others. It’s already making its way into Firefox and the WebKit rendering engine, which powers Chrome, Safari and quite a few other browsers [via Cnet].
Adobe Flash Player 10.1 for Windows is available for download here. Adobe Flash Player 10.1 for Mac is available for download here. Adobe Flash Player 10.1 for Linux is available for download here.