playcanvas-engine

PlayCanvas Engine Skill

Lightweight WebGL/WebGPU game engine with entity-component architecture, visual editor integration, and performance-focused design.

When to Use This Skill

Trigger this skill when you see:

• "PlayCanvas engine"
• "WebGL game engine"
• "entity component system"
• "PlayCanvas application"
• "3D browser games"
• "online 3D editor"
• "lightweight 3D engine"
• Need for editor-first workflow

Compare with:

• Three.js: Lower-level, more flexible but requires more setup
• Babylon.js: Feature-rich but heavier, has editor but less mature
• A-Frame: VR-focused, declarative HTML approach
• Use PlayCanvas for: Game projects, editor-first workflow, performance-critical apps

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Core Concepts

1. Application

The root PlayCanvas application manages the rendering loop.

import * as pc from 'playcanvas';

// Create canvas
const canvas = document.createElement('canvas');
document.body.appendChild(canvas);

// Create application
const app = new pc.Application(canvas, {
  keyboard: new pc.Keyboard(window),
  mouse: new pc.Mouse(canvas),
  touch: new pc.TouchDevice(canvas),
  gamepads: new pc.GamePads()
});

// Configure canvas
app.setCanvasFillMode(pc.FILLMODE_FILL_WINDOW);
app.setCanvasResolution(pc.RESOLUTION_AUTO);

// Handle resize
window.addEventListener('resize', () => app.resizeCanvas());

// Start the application
app.start();

---

2. Entity-Component System

PlayCanvas uses ECS architecture: Entities contain Components.

// Create entity
const entity = new pc.Entity('myEntity');

// Add to scene hierarchy
app.root.addChild(entity);

// Add components
entity.addComponent('model', {
  type: 'box'
});

entity.addComponent('script');

// Transform
entity.setPosition(0, 1, 0);
entity.setEulerAngles(0, 45, 0);
entity.setLocalScale(2, 2, 2);

// Parent-child hierarchy
const parent = new pc.Entity('parent');
const child = new pc.Entity('child');
parent.addChild(child);

---

3. Update Loop