Ancient Brain

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Ancient Brain
Code. Play. Teach. Learn. Research. Demo.

Our goal: To become one of the most fun places in the world to code.

23 countries 1,683 coders 4,505 worlds 237,019 runs 1.4 million lines of code Update stats

Sheepdog3(Submis...
649 runs ♦ 3 likes
By Neil Geoghegan
Created: 8 Dec 2016
Modified: 10 Feb 2018

Plain Three.js World
71 runs ♦ 0 likes
By Starter user Ireland

Created: 1 Sep 2018
Modified: 18 Apr 2021
Example of plain Three.js API. Porting a World unchanged. From github.com/mrdoob

Interstellar cubes
452 runs ♦ 3 likes
By Thomas Mc Cann
Created: 16 Oct 2019
Modified: 3 Nov 2019
A journey into Interstellar space. Run and press F12 (in chrome) to view the console. Try left c...

FLESHMAN PLAYS G...
4500 runs ♦ 2 likes
By Sean Hutchinson
Created: 21 Oct 2016
Modified: 10 Feb 2018

An online coding platform

Ancient Brain is an online coding and hosting platform for everyone.
See Intro and List of features.

Coders: Make 3D worlds and share them with friends. Clone and edit other people's worlds. Make touch mobile games. Embed your worlds on other sites.

Teachers: Run courses in coding and coding for kids and AI coding. Run programming practicals in 3D or 2D or text, with many features designed for teachers. Safely edit and run student code.

Learners: Do courses in coding and coding for kids and AI coding. Clone other people's worlds and change one or two lines. What's the worst that could happen?

Gamers: Play the endless game worlds the coders make. Come and browse an ever-growing archive of games.

Researchers: Upload problems, tender for solutions, test and rank them. Make hybrid AI systems from the code of multiple authors.

Enough talk. Show me a video!

OK, here is a high-level introduction.
This does not assume you have ever coded, or ever heard of JavaScript graphics (what is behind this site).

How to code

You can "run" any of the 4,505 programs or "Worlds" by clicking on them. But this is also a coding site, where you can code your own Worlds. You can use this site to learn to code. Or show off your creations if you are an experienced coder.

Click below to learn how to code on this site. Basically, there is a choice of "libraries" that you can use.

How to code

Skip the intro, let us decide the library, and go straight to the starter tutorial (with videos):

Show me the Starter tutorial

Programming course

Ancient Brain has a course in how to program from scratch.
You will get to make "Worlds" like the following. Click on them to run them.

Tutorial 7.8 variant
282 runs ♦ 0 likes
By "Coding Train" p... United States

Created: 6 Sep 2018
Modified: 11 Sep 2018
Tutorial 7.8 with music and other uploaded images, including from other users. Click on the images.

Tutorial 2.5
73 runs ♦ 1 like
By "Coding Train" p... United States

Created: 4 Sep 2018
Modified: 4 Sep 2018
The random() Function

Tutorial 7.3
148 runs ♦ 0 likes
By "Coding Train" p... United States

Created: 5 Sep 2018
Modified: 5 Sep 2018
Arrays of Objects

Tutorial 2.1
361 runs ♦ 1 like
By "Coding Train" p... United States

Created: 4 Sep 2018
Modified: 4 Sep 2018
Variables in p5.js (mouseX, mouseY)

Introduction to Programming

AI course

Ancient Brain has a set of AI programming exercises, with videos and notes. For use in any AI course.
You will get to modify "Worlds" like the following. Click on them to run them.

GA (Finnegans Wake)
543 runs ♦ 0 likes
By "Coding Train" p... United States

Created: 2 May 2019
Modified: 15 Dec 2019
Genetic Algorithm to write the first line of Finnegans Wake.

Character recogn...
831 runs ♦ 0 likes
By "Coding Train" p... United States

Created: 5 Jul 2019
Modified: 2 Jul 2021
Neural network to do character recognition from image database and from handwriting in real-time.

Breadth-first se...
1057 runs ♦ 0 likes
By "Coding Train" p... United States

Created: 30 Apr 2019
Modified: 15 Dec 2019
Breadth-first search with a Force-directed graph.

A star
1726 runs ♦ 1 like
By "Coding Train" p... United States

Created: 1 May 2019
Modified: 21 Oct 2021
"A Star" algorithm to find shortest path through maze.

AI exercises

WebGL course

Ancient Brain has a short course in JavaScript 3D graphics ("WebGL") programming.
You will get to make "Worlds" like the following. Click on them to run them.

Tutorial 18.8
47 runs ♦ 0 likes
By "Coding Train" p... United States

Created: 9 Sep 2018
Modified: 9 Sep 2018
3D Custom Shapes

Tutorial 18.3
25 runs ♦ 0 likes
By "Coding Train" p... United States

Created: 9 Sep 2018
Modified: 9 Sep 2018
Light and Material

Tutorial 18.5
58 runs ♦ 0 likes
By "Coding Train" p... United States

Created: 9 Sep 2018
Modified: 2 Jun 2019
Camera and Perspective

Tutorial 18.7
336 runs ♦ 0 likes
By "Coding Train" p... United States

Created: 9 Sep 2018
Modified: 11 Sep 2018
Tutorial 18.7 with full canvas, resized model, sound. Texture on box is image from another user.

WebGL course

Starter Worlds for Three.js

These are the main "Starter Worlds" that use the Three.js library (which tends to give the most advanced graphics).

You can Clone and Edit all of these and change their code. Look for a section at the top called the "Tweaker's Box". This contains the easiest things to change.

Zombie Death Baby
523 runs ♦ 1 like
By Starter user Ireland

Created: 11 Jun 2018
Modified: 4 Jul 2021
How to make a fun touch game for mobile. Touch drag and tap objects. Mouse drag and click object...

Simple World
1340 runs ♦ 2 likes
By Starter user Ireland

Created: 1 Oct 2016
Modified: 18 Apr 2021
Simple World with a Mind-controlled agent, randomly-moving enemy, paint blocks with texture.

One Cube World (...
878 runs ♦ 2 likes
By Starter user Ireland

Created: 11 Apr 2018
Modified: 21 Apr 2021
Simple starter World (Three.js version). Built-in camera control.

Websockets boxes
247 runs ♦ 0 likes
By Starter user Ireland

Created: 29 Feb 2020
Modified: 4 Jul 2021
Demo of Websockets in 3D World. Click to change the boxes on the other user's machine, while the...

Blank Three.js World
1110 runs ♦ 2 likes
By Starter user Ireland

Created: 20 Nov 2016
Modified: 18 Apr 2021
A simple starter World. An Array of spheres. Painted with textures. Random motion.

Touch World
341 runs ♦ 1 like
By Starter user Ireland

Created: 6 Jan 2018
Modified: 18 Apr 2021
How to override default touch handling. Mobile: Touch drag moves agent, touch pinch zooms camera...

Model World
643 runs ♦ 2 likes
By Starter user Ireland

Created: 8 Nov 2016
Modified: 18 Apr 2021
Demo of how to insert 3d models into World. Mind-controlled agent, actively-pursuing enemy. Skybox.

User-controlled ...
586 runs ♦ 2 likes
By Starter user Ireland

Created: 12 Feb 2017
Modified: 18 Apr 2021
3d model World. User controlled on desktop. Keyboard arrows to move. Switch to "Move with" camer...

MineCraft
795 runs ♦ 2 likes
By Starter user Ireland

Created: 27 Nov 2016
Modified: 4 Jul 2021
Use keyboard to draw blocks like in MineCraft. Use arrow keys and PgUp, PgDn to draw. Can save w...

Castle World
594 runs ♦ 4 likes
By Starter user Ireland

Created: 11 Nov 2016
Modified: 4 Jul 2021
Demo of how to insert 3d model into World. Mind-controlled agent, actively-pursuing enemy. Splas...

Complex World
4493 runs ♦ 3 likes
By Starter user Ireland

Created: 1 Oct 2016
Modified: 18 Apr 2021
World with a Mind-controlled agent, actively-pursuing enemy, random maze, skybox, music.

Random Worlds

Here are some random Worlds that have had more than 10 runs. Reload for more.

My Rotating Cube...
36 runs ♦ 0 likes
By Itisha Ireland

Created: 30 Sep 2021
Modified: 30 Sep 2021
Clone of "One Cube World (P5)" by Starter user

Sgt Peppers Lone...
16 runs ♦ 0 likes
By Dom
Created: 21 Nov 2019
Modified: 23 Nov 2019
Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band opening lyrics

A-maze-ing World
76 runs ♦ 0 likes
By Conor Smyth
Created: 26 Oct 2016
Modified: 10 Feb 2018

joes Cloned Comp...
29 runs ♦ 0 likes
By Joe Humphreys
Created: 29 Oct 2016
Modified: 10 Feb 2018

Cloned Cloned On...
11 runs ♦ 0 likes
By Katie McCarthy
Created: 17 Dec 2018
Modified: 17 Dec 2018
Clone of "Cloned One Cube World (P5)" by Katie McCarthy

v0.47 laggy Pool...
53 runs ♦ 0 likes
By lillisl2
Created: 11 Feb 2019
Modified: 12 Feb 2019
Clone of "lillisl2 v0.45 Pool Predictor Prototype" by lillisl2

v1.0 Pool Predic...
46 runs ♦ 0 likes
By lillisl2
Created: 6 Mar 2019
Modified: 8 Mar 2019
Clone of "v1.0 Pool Predictor Prototype" by Ian Gilligan

GA (Finnegans Wa...
12 runs ♦ 0 likes
By Avril Hayden
Created: 5 Dec 2019
Modified: 5 Dec 2019
Clone of "GA (Finnegans Wake)" by "Coding Train" project

Cloned CA318 201...
150 runs ♦ 0 likes
By nolanm45
Created: 5 Nov 2018
Modified: 15 Nov 2018
Clone of "CA318 2018 World" by test

Plain canvas web...
70 runs ♦ 0 likes
By Starter user Ireland

Created: 1 Sep 2018
Modified: 18 Apr 2021
Example of porting webgl World (almost) unchanged to AB using plain canvas API

The background is a program, showing the JavaScript graphics used on this site.
The globes light up when you log in.

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Website copyright Ancient Brain. 2018-2021.
Users retain ownership of user content.

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Call for partners!

If you are interested in writing a programming course, textbook or tutorial videos, Ancient Brain is looking for partners. We will work with you, and integrate your course into the site. This is an opportunity for someone looking to develop a course or textbook to partner with a site to support it and promote it.