I’m a huge mapping nerd, so I’m a sucker for the Maps JavaScript API WebGL beta which was announced at Google I/O back in May:
Introduced are three new features:
- WebGL Overlay View lets you add custom 2D and 3D graphics and animated content to your maps.
- Tilt and heading can now be adjusted programmatically, and by using mouse and keyboard gestures.
map.moveCamera()lets you simultaneously change multiple camera properties.
To give you an idea of what you can do with this, the WebGL-powered Maps demo website has some nice examples, such as an airplane taking off, a car following directions on a map, a building being highlighted, etc.
There’s also a codelab you can follow to learn the details.
WebGL-powered Maps →
Maps JavaScript API » WebGL Features » Overview →
Codelab: Build 3D map experiences with WebGL Overlay View →