One 35-second moment from the American Revolution, built five different ways, so we can compare how each browser technology looks and feels. All five use the same narration, music and sound. The 3D and panorama versions work in a VR headset (open this page in the Meta Quest browser).
three.js
A lightweight 3D library, the same one our Spinning Earth and Engine apps use. A Durham boat with soldiers, oars that row, drifting ice and falling snow.
Open → Real-time 3D · game engineBabylon.js
A full web game engine drawing the same models. It adds real reflections in the water and its own particle snow, but its code is ten times bigger.
Open → Real-time 3D · desktop engineGodot 4.7
A free desktop game engine, exported to run in the browser. Same scene and models. It takes longest to start, because the whole engine downloads first.
Open → AI image · 360°360° panorama
One AI-painted photo sphere. Look all the way around you from inside the boat. The people look the most real of any version here, but nothing moves except the snow.
Open → AI videoAI film
Three AI-generated video shots. They look like a movie, but you can't look around, and the AI made a history mistake. Can you spot it?
Open →How they compare
| three.js | Babylon.js | Godot | 360° panorama | AI video | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| People | Low-poly, animated | Low-poly, animated | Low-poly, animated | Lifelike, frozen | Lifelike, moving |
| Explore freely | Yes | Yes | Yes | Look around only | No |
| VR headset | Ride in the boat | Ride in the boat | Ride in the boat | Sit in the boat | Flat screen only |
| Download | ~12 MB | ~14 MB | ~12 MB | ~2 MB | 14 MB |
| Cost to make | Free models | Free models | Free models | About 10¢ | About $3.65 |
| Easy to change | Edit code | Edit code | Edit code or the Godot editor | Make a new image | Make new clips |