Feature: WebGL Viewer Support

[aparrapo]

The WebGL standard has been adopted by all modern web browsers and offers an API for rendering using the GPU on a browser. The browser is the end-all-be-all for many users, so making 6DoF consumable through the browser is a necessary step towards getting more people to experience the content.

The current behavior and new feature

GLViewer is the viewer for 6DoF content if not using a Rift headset. It is an extensive array of OpenGL and meshing code, so converting them to a similar WebGL viewer will likely be a significant undertaking. There is also the possibility of using wasm and compiling our C++ code to be ingested by a wasm-supported browser, but this seems more experimental and will likely have performance hitches.

Relevant Files:

• source/viewer/GlViewer.cpp and linked headers, i.e.:
  • source/gpu/GlfwUtil.h
  • source/render/RigScene.h
  • source/render/VideoFile.h

Expected use cases

This would have great impact in making 6DoF content more easily consumable and, therefore, more likely for people to engage with the content. However, it will likely be a significant undertaking, for which we would likely recommend working in a small group (of say 2-3 people) towards completion.