Create an iPad optimised game
HTML5 canvas is of course brilliant. But it has to be said, performance on iPads (and most other devices) leaves much to be desired. The forthcoming GPU accelerated canvas in iOS will help, but in the meantime, it’s possible to create smooth animated graphics with CSS manipulated in JavaScript, even on a first generation iPad.
Three.js part 1 – make a star-field
Remember FastKat? Wanna know how you’d make it yourself? Well it’s quite easy to create a similar effect with three.js and particles. And as particles are the simplest 3D objects you can make, this is a fun way to get started with this powerful library.
Make an explosive firework display
Creating fireworks using the HTML 5 canvas: both awesome and fun to do. We’ll be covering particles, physics and easing so even if fireworks aren’t your thing (there’s the door!) there should still be a lot of transferable coding goodness.
The best tutorials from the web
Box2D JavaScript tutorials by Seth Ladd
Google developer advocate Seth Ladd has quietly but consistently been producing an excellent series of articles on his blog about a JavaScript port of Box2D, the physics engine used in Angry Birds.
31 days of canvas tutorials by Keith Peters
Creative code legend Keith Peters (aka Bit-101) is well known for his best-selling ActionScript Making Things Move book series (now being converted to JavaScript) and has generously turned his canvas explorations into a series of tutorials.
Getting started with WebGL – draw a square
Excellent tutorial from Bartek Drozdz for those of you looking to get started with WebGL. It’s clear that it’s quite a complex technology – a tutorial that draws a square is 4 pages long! But this will help you to understand exactly what’s going on.