Introduction to 3D Rendering Technologies: OpenGL, OpenGL ES, WebGL, and Front‑End Engines

This article introduces the fundamentals of 3D rendering, covering the three classic programmer "romances"—operating systems, compilers, and computer graphics—and focuses on the graphics part.

It explains the concepts and evolution of OpenGL, OpenGL ES, and WebGL, describing how WebGL is a JavaScript API that mirrors OpenGL ES 2.0 and runs in a <canvas> element, while OpenGL ES targets embedded devices and OpenGL remains the cross‑platform desktop standard.

The relationship among the three APIs is illustrated: WebGL calls the underlying OpenGL ES implementation on mobile, and both ultimately rely on GPU hardware acceleration.

Shader programming with GLSL (OpenGL Shading Language) is introduced as a C‑like language for vertex and fragment shaders, enabling programmable rendering pipelines.

Common 3D model formats (OBJ, FBX, glTF, STL) are listed, with FBX highlighted as the most widely used for its support of meshes, materials, and textures.

Front‑end rendering libraries such as Three.js, Babylon.js, and PlayCanvas are mentioned, with Three.js being the most popular for WebGL‑based 3D scenes.

The article also discusses two main rendering techniques—rasterization and ray tracing—highlighting their trade‑offs and recent GPU support.

Modeling tools (Blender, Unity) and emerging AI‑driven methods like NeRF are briefly covered, pointing to resources for further learning.