Universo

Vincent CHEN

What is Universo

• Universo is a cross-platform “graphic engine” that provides HTML5 Canvas compatible API in JavaScript.

• http://universo.vincentchen.me• Pronouncing: 乌尼微索

Key Features

• A window frame that only contains one <canvas/> element of the modern browsers.

• Support all JavaScript APIs in <canvas/>– Drawing– Keyboard/Mouse event

• NOT able to render any other DOM element.• NOT support CSS.

The making of Universo

• It is completely implemented from the scratch– C++ & JavaScript

• NOT built upon any existing browser core (e.g. WebKit, Gecko, etc.)

Origin of Universo

• Why building Universo?– I want a race car, so I start from making its wheels

manually…• Why using JavaScript and be Canvas API

compatible?– HTML5 Canvas API is a “good enough” design (not the

best, but a good start point), by following the standard spec, I don’t need to design my own set of APIs from the scratch.

– Already a lot of development resources around HTML5 Canvas, and of course, in JavaScript.

History of Universo

• Before JavaScript, the first version of Universo is built upon C & Lua, in April 2011, I dropped the entire codebase and started over from C++ & JavaScript.

• I investigated Google DART in Sep 2011, and decided to stay on JavaScript because DART is still far from mature.

• The major part of code is done in just 1 month (spare time)

Roadmap

• DONE– Mac/Windows 2D Canvas API demo

• WIP– Buggy WebGL API implementation…– iOS porting

• TODO– WinRT porting– Application OTA loading and running– Android porting

Demos

• Playable demos and videos can be downloaded from http://universo.vincentchen.me

• NOTE: pre-alpha quality…

The value of Universo

• Universo is NOT a “game engine” at this stage, but it can be used as the graphic backend of a game engine or UI framework (cross-platform).

• I hope Universo can bring the first workable WebGL to mobile… (Come on! Chrome for Android!)

The future of Universo

• Refactoring & Performance tuning!• I have too many great ideas, but there is not

enough space to write them all down here…• What do you think?

Thanks!

• Ping me:– artyyouth@gmail.com– https://github.com/artyyouth– http://cn.linkedin.com/in/yuanc– http://vincentchen.me