Creative Coding with WebGL

There's a magic in watching math become visual. Creative coding — the practice of writing code to create art — has always fascinated me. And with WebGL, the browser becomes a limitless canvas.

Why WebGL?

WebGL gives you direct access to the GPU from JavaScript. This means you can render millions of particles, complex 3D scenes, and real-time shader effects — all running at 60fps in a browser tab.

No plugins. No downloads. Just open a URL and experience it.

Getting Started with Shaders

Shaders are small programs that run on the GPU. Fragment shaders, in particular, are where the visual magic happens. They run once for every pixel on screen, determining its color.

// A simple gradient shader
precision mediump float;

uniform vec2 u_resolution;
uniform float u_time;

void main() {
  vec2 uv = gl_FragCoord.xy / u_resolution;

  float r = sin(uv.x * 3.14 + u_time) * 0.5 + 0.5;
  float g = sin(uv.y * 3.14 + u_time * 0.7) * 0.5 + 0.5;
  float b = sin((uv.x + uv.y) * 3.14 + u_time * 1.3) * 0.5 + 0.5;

  gl_FragColor = vec4(r, g, b, 1.0);
}

This simple shader creates an animated, flowing gradient. Every pixel's color is calculated independently and in parallel — that's the power of the GPU.

Three.js as an Abstraction

While raw WebGL is powerful, Three.js provides a friendlier API for 3D scenes:

const geometry = new THREE.TorusKnotGeometry(1, 0.3, 128, 16);
const material = new THREE.ShaderMaterial({
  vertexShader,
  fragmentShader,
  uniforms: {
    u_time: { value: 0 },
  },
});

const mesh = new THREE.Mesh(geometry, material);
scene.add(mesh);

The beauty is that you can mix high-level Three.js abstractions with low-level custom shaders.

Performance Considerations

Creative coding pushes browsers to their limits. Key tips:

• Use requestAnimationFrame for smooth animation loops
• Minimize draw calls by merging geometries
• Use instanced rendering for repeated objects
• Profile with Chrome DevTools GPU panel
• Provide fallbacks for devices without WebGL support

Art Meets Code

The most rewarding aspect of creative coding is the exploration. You start with a mathematical formula, tweak parameters, and discover unexpected beauty. It's a conversation between intention and emergence.

Whether you're building immersive landing pages, data visualizations, or pure art — WebGL gives you a powerful, accessible medium to express creativity through code.