About PlayCanvas
PlayCanvas is an open source 3D engine and collaborative editor that runs in the browser. It is built for games, product viewers and other real-time 3D experiences on the web.
What it does
PlayCanvas lets you build 3D scenes with a visual editor or with code. The engine is a JavaScript library that renders with WebGL or WebGPU, and the editor lets a team work on the same project together in a web browser. The engine can also be added to an existing app with npm, so you are not tied to the editor.
Key features
- Visual editor for scenes, assets and scripts
- Engine usable from plain JavaScript or npm
- WebGPU and WebGL rendering
- Gaussian splat rendering and editing tools
- Options for React and HTML web components
Who it's for
Game studios, interactive agencies and developers who want to make 3D games, product configurators or architectural previews for the web. It also suits teams where designers and developers need to work in the same editor.
Pricing and good to know
The whole platform is open sourced on GitHub under the MIT license, so the core can be used, forked and changed without a licence fee. The license is permissive, so the engine can also be used in commercial work. Using the editor requires a web browser, and code projects are installed with npm.
Highlights
- Build 3D scenes in a visual editor
- Use the engine from npm or plain JavaScript
- Render with WebGPU or WebGL2
- Edit and render 3D Gaussian splats
- Build UI with React or HTML web components
