Of all the new capabilities offered with HTML5, WebGL is the most fascinating. WebGL is effectively a way for JavaScript to interface with the GPU, effectively allowing for full 3D experiences in the browser. If you haven’t seen the capabilities of WebGL, I invite you to look at the demos here or here. You don’t need to program for a living to think these are awesome.

There’s one obvious use case for WebGL – games. It’s long been predicted that the browser would be able to catch up to hardcore games, movies and TV in terms of the detail of the experience. We’re at the cusp of that. The idea that players may be able to play Warcraft from their browser – or play a 3D Farmville, if that’s their thing – seems oozing with excitement and potential.

But there are other spaces to explore with interactive 3D environments. Look no further than some of the crazy installations agencies create in 3D spaces. In the browser, the ROME interactive music video is an exciting execution that showcases a lot of the potential for 3D. And of course there’s been countless pieces of inspiration from the Flash community.

And then there’s the opportunity to innovate from a UI perspective. Integrating 3D elements with 2D literally offers a whole new dimension for the way people interact with applications. Whether it’s used for atmospheric effect, transitional elements or for some yet-to-invented interface standard, combining 3D and 2D well is a tricky and interesting possibility.

WebGL support is pretty limited at the moment – at this point Chrome is the browser of choice for anyone doing a lot of experimentation with it. Regardless, it’s inspiring to see new technologies surface and think about their possibilities.