Part 2 – Babylon.js 8.0: Audio, Gaussian Splat and physics updates

Our mission is to create one of the most powerful, beautiful and simple web rendering engines in the world. The latest Babylon.js 8.0 engine packs a ton of new improvements to help you create stunning experiences.

Overhauled Audio Engine

Babylon’s audio engine is long overdue for a tune-up and Babylon.js 8.0 swings for the fences, bringing an entirely fresh audio engine to your ears. This new engine was designed to be powerful — taking advantage of the full suite of web-audio features, modern — class names and architecture you’ve come to expect, and simple-to-use — allowing anyone to leverage these features, no matter what your experience level. For those of you who care passionately about the marriage of audio and visuals to tell a compelling story, Babylon.js 8.0 was built for you!

Check out a demo: https://aka.ms/babylon8AudioEnginev2Demo

Learn more here: https://aka.ms/babylon8AudioEnginev2Doc

Gaussian Splat Updates

Babylon.js 8.0 builds on the exciting foundation of Gaussian Splat support with some exciting new updates such as SPZ and compressed PLY formats, spherical harmonics, as well as runtime optimizations for memory footprint and CPU/GPU usage.

Check out a demo for SPZ: https://aka.ms/babylon8gsplatImrovementsDemo

Learn more here: https://aka.ms/babylon8gsplatImprovementsDoc

Footage from: St. Peter’s Basilica. A collaboration with Microsoft and Iconem for the Fabbrica di San Pietro.

Havok Character Controller

With Babylon.js 8.0, we’ve continued our amazing partnership with the very talented team at Havok, this time bringing their fully featured character controller into Babylon.js. This brings a state-of-the-art character controller to your toolbox allowing you to start making your very own character-centered game with just a few lines of code!

Check out a demo: https://aka.ms/babylon8havokCCDemo

Learn more here: https://aka.ms/babylon8havokCCDoc

Smart Filters

Babylon.js 8.0 builds on our rich library of node-based creation tools with the introduction of Smart Filters and the Smart Filter Editor. This new tool allows you to create video filters, texture treatments, post-processes, you name it. If it’s a 2D visual effect, this tool is for you! Under the hood it leverages shaders in the same way you’d expect any of our GPU-based tools to do, but it focuses on helping you create elaborate 2D visual treatments for web experiences. We can’t wait to see what you make with this exciting new tool!

Try it out yourself (on desktop): https://aka.ms/babylon8sfe

Check out a demo (on desktop): https://aka.ms/babylon8sfeDemo

Learn more here: https://aka.ms/babylon8sfeDoc

Environment Improvements 

Babylon.js 8.0 continues to improve visual realism, leveling up the environment lighting to look closer and closer to real-time ray traced results! Another shout out to Michael Bond at Adobe for this additional great contribution.

Check out a demo: https://aka.ms/babylon8EnvImprovementsDemo

Learn more here: https://aka.ms/babylon8EnvImprovementsDoc

Node Geometry Editor Updates

Last year, Babylon.js introduced the ability to procedurally generate geometry without writing any code through the Node Geometry Editor.

With Babylon.js 8.0, Node Geometry takes a big step up with a massive list of new features including a lattice deformer, point list, clean geometry, interceptor, an aggregator and the ability to subdivide.

Check out a demo (on desktop): https://aka.ms/babylon8ngeDemo

Learn more here: https://aka.ms/babylon8ngeDoc

Node Material Editor Debug Node

Babylon’s Node Material Editor makes it incredibly simple to create complex visual shaders without writing any code. This artist-friendly tool bridges the gap between the complexity of building GPU shaders and the way artists think and work.

Babylon.js 8.0 introduces some exciting UI improvements as well as the new incredibly useful “visual debug node.” This node allows you to see the visual output at any point in your Node Tree. You no longer have to move the output around and hook it up to different places in your graph. It’s as simple as adding debug nodes throughout your tree to see how your shader changes throughout the computation!

Check out a demo (on desktop): https://aka.ms/babylon8nmedebugnodedemo

Learn more here: https://aka.ms/babylon8nmedebugnodedoc

Improved Booleans

No, not those Booleans. True and False are just fine the way they are. We’re talking about Geometric Booleans!

Babylon.js 8.0 introduces support for the popular Manifold.js library, allowing you to create new shapes with more consistent Geometric Booleans. Or more simply put, “Finally some Booleans that look the way I expect them to look!”

Check out a demo: https://aka.ms/babylon8booleanDemo

Learn more here: https://aka.ms/babylon8booleanDoc

This list is extensive, but there’s more to come! Check out the next post for updates on glTF, USDz, WebXR and more.

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