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Learn the PlayCanvas API with the Engine Examples Browser

· 2 min read

PlayCanvas has a rich JavaScript API that allows you to build just about any type of interactive content imaginable - games, playable ads, product configurators, AR, VR and more! But learning a new API can be tough. Reading API reference documentation is all well and good, but many people prefer to learn by experimentation. And by examining the code of real world examples. This led the PlayCanvas team to build a new application: the Engine Examples Browser.

Basis Texture Compression arrives in PlayCanvas

· 3 min read
Steven Yau
Partner Relations Manager

PlayCanvas implemented the fantastic hardware texture compression workflow in 2016 which allowed users to build bigger and better WebGL apps, even on low memory devices like mobile phones.

JPGs and PNGs are great formats for transmission over a network because they tend to compress nicely. But once the images are downloaded and handed over to WebGL, they must decompressed to raw RGB(A) data. Using hardware compressed textures is important as decompression is performed in silicon on the GPU which avoids the need to utilize lots of memory.

Copy and Paste Assets between Projects

· One min read
Steven Yau
Partner Relations Manager

PlayCanvas has a pretty cool (but not widely known about) feature that allows you to copy and paste entities and entity hierarchy between two instances of the Editor. This can save a lot of time, particularly when setting up new projects.

Many of you have requested the ability to do the same with assets. Well, we listened - and now you can! 🚀