This document summarizes a presentation about using C++11 to build 3D applications for desktop, web, and mobile. It discusses using C++11 features like closures and shared pointers. It also describes tools like Emscripten that allow compiling C++ to JavaScript for HTML5/WebGL deployment and ANGLE which maps OpenGL to DirectX for Windows apps. Key benefits highlighted are cross-platform support, native speeds, and compatibility with app stores. Some challenges mentioned are higher RAM usage for HTML5 apps and lack of Windows Phone support.

1. #WindowsApps – Nov. 2013
Build 3D web and desktop applications with C++11
Jean-Marc Le Roux
CEO and co-founder of Aerys
jeanmarc@aerys.in
@promethe42

2. Join!
WebGL France
http://www.meetup.com/WebGL-France
@WebGLFrance

3. by

4. 3D. Everywhere.
Deliver engaging, interactive and rich 3D content and applications on
desktops, mobiles and the web.

5. Focus on design. Boost with code.
Minko « Studio » Edition
Designers integrate 3D content, customize materials, setup lights and animations.
Developers plug in scripts and interactivity.

6. The sky is the limit.
Minko « Community » Edition
Build desktop, web and mobile 3D applications with
Minko’s free and open source SDK including
a fully-featured 3D engine and plugins.

7. IronForce (EA/Coolfish)

8. « We chose Minko to be the 3D engine in one of our new Flash-based
games because we think it’s a highly professional solution in terms of
development ecosystem and high performance. »
André Weissflog, Head of Development at BigPoint

9. Features
 100% compatible with Windows, Mac,
Linux, iOS, Android and WebGL
 WYSIWYG Scene editor
 3D scene graph API
 80+ 2D/3D file formats supported
 Dynamic assets loading
 Über-shaders
 Components & scripts system
 3D compression, simplification and
streaming
 Physics (Bullet)
 Plugin system (Oculus, Leap, ….)
 Data-driven rendering engine
 Particles engine

10. Why?
 3D apps are usually bigger/more complex projects
 Bigger teams
 Bigger expectations
 Complex assets workflow
 C++ is more expressive and brings some specific optimizations




Static typing, templates
Inlining
Low level memory management (no GC)
…
 C++ can be used on any platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Flash, Windows
Phone…)
 « Anything that can be done with JavaScript will be done in Javascript »
 Well anything that can be done has already been done in C++ so…

11. Targeting HTML5/WebGL

12. C++ 2011
 Standard, fast, well documented and supported by a vast community
 Already fully supported by all major compilers (VS, GCC, LLVM…)
 New additions make it closer to what we’re used to with Javascript
– Closures/lambda functions
– Type inference (instead of dynamic typing)
– Shared pointers (instead of GC)

13. C++11 Example – Closures
// callback is removed when mouseWheel is set to nullptr

14. C++11 Example – Shared pointers

15. Emscripten https://github.com/kripken/emscripten
 Open source project driven by Mozilla
– Based on LLVM, which is supported by Google, Apple, Intel and many more
 Cross-compile C++ code to Javascript code
– Binds OpenGL to WebGL
– Provide virtual file system
– C++  Javascript bindings
 Code optimizations
– LLVM and C++ specific optimizations
– Closure compiler
– asm.js (2x performances of native code!)
 Code compression using LZMA

16. ASM.js –Benchmarks
Source: http://kripken.github.io/mloc_emscripten_talk/#/28

17. http://minko.io/showcase/sponza-html5
EXAMPLE: SPONZA HTML5!

18. TARGETING WINDOWS/DIRECTX

19. ANGLE https://code.google.com/p/angleproject/
 Almost Native Graphics Layer Engine
 Open source project driven by Google
– Used by Chrome and Firefox WebGL implementations
 OpenGL wrapper that will map OGL calls to the DirectX API
– Provide better performances on Windows
– Makes it possible to target DirectX with an OpenGL based implementation
– Should provide Windows Phone 8 compatibility out of the box
 Also converts GLSL shaders to HLSL
– Completely transparent to the developer!
– Write once, deploy everywhere
 Supports DirectX 11
– Compatible with the Windows 8.1 App Store

20. Conclusion

21. My Feedback – The Good Parts
 Working with C++ 2011 is amazing
 More complex but so much powerful/expressive than AS3/JS
 Useful and reliable STL containers (list, maps, sets, etc…)
 Shared pointers make memory management just as easy as with managed
languages: not a single memory leak so far!
 Visual Studio/XCode are very good IDEs
 Minko 3’s implementation is much lighter and yet just as much
powerful
 Vagrant + Premake provides an efficient build system with crosscompilation

22. My Feedback – The Good Parts
 Compatibility
 The app runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and WebGL
withouth a single modification!
 Haven’t tested iOS/Android yet, but should work out of the box
 Speed
 Native speed on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android
 2x speed of native code in HTML5/WebGL thanks to asm.js!
 Target DirectX 11 thanks to ANGLE
 Direct push on the Windows 8.1 App Store

23. My Feedback – The Bad Parts
 RAM consumption for HTML5/WebGL apps x-compiled
with emscripten
 Will likely improve with every new release
 Not yet compatible with the Windows Phone 8 App Store
 Forbidden to use the « online » HLSL compiler for mobile apps

24. Don’t forget to check http://minko.io !
Merci !