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

Getting started

Here is a guide to getting started running Worlds and coding on Ancient Brain.

We have a text Introduction to the site.
And we have the following video introduction.
This video does not assume you have ever coded, or ever heard of JavaScript (what is behind this site).
See also:

You can "run" any World by clicking on it. No install needed.
Try running some of the Editor's Choice Worlds.

There are currently 7,891 Worlds on this site.
Here are a few random choice Worlds to try (reload for more):


Blank Three.js World
1428 runs ♦ 2 likes
By Starter user  
Created: 20 Nov 2016
Modified: 17 Sep 2023
A simple starter World. An Array of spheres. Painted with textures. Random motion.
Chess : Mind v...
181 runs ♦ 0 likes
By Enhanced  
Created: 7 Aug 2018
Modified: 17 Sep 2023
Your mind plays against "Simple AI - Depth 1" with a little bit of random added so the games are...
P5 Mouse tracker
305 runs ♦ 2 likes
By Starter user  
Created: 4 Jul 2018
Modified: 17 Sep 2023
Example of P5 World integrated with AB framework. Desktop: Draw ellipse wherever the mouse hover...
Bowling
992 runs ♦ 0 likes
By Vanya Cadogan  
Created: 28 Nov 2022
Modified: 17 Sep 2023

OK you are ready to code. All Worlds are coded in JavaScript (JS). We use a JavaScript graphics "library" to make it easy to code the graphics.

You need to pick a library: The "P5" library or the "Three.js" library.

  • The P5 library has pluses and minuses:
    • It is easier to get into if you are a beginner coder.
    • It has features that may annoy non-beginners (global namespace taken up, timing loop controlled for you).
    • It is harder to do advanced graphics.
    • There are a number of P5 teaching courses on this site.

  • The Three.js library has pluses and minuses:
    • It is more intimidating for a beginner coder.
    • It is well suited to non-beginners.
    • It is designed for advanced graphics. Almost all the advanced graphics Worlds on this site are Three.js.
    • There is currently no Three.js teaching course here.

For beginners, we recommend P5.

Having picked your graphics library, do the starter tutorial.

Using P5:

P5 Starter tutorial

Or using Three.js:

Three.js Starter tutorial

When coding, the Docs menu has all the help and reference that you need:

Docs
One Cube World (P5)
1707 runs ♦ 1 like
By Starter user  
Created: 10 Nov 2018
Modified: 17 Sep 2023
Simple starter World (P5 version). No camera control. So cube rotates to show 3D.
One Cube World (...
1077 runs ♦ 2 likes
By Starter user  
Created: 11 Apr 2018
Modified: 17 Sep 2023
Simple starter World (Three.js version). Built-in camera control.
  • Once you have seen how to code on Ancient Brain, the easiest way to progress is to start modifying existing Worlds.
  • Pick one of the Starter Worlds. "Clone" it, and edit your copy.
  • The easiest parts of the code to change are in the "tweaker's box" at the top.
Complex World
7447 runs ♦ 3 likes
By Starter user  
Created: 1 Oct 2016
Modified: 17 Sep 2023
World with a Mind-controlled agent, actively-pursuing enemy, random maze, skybox, music.
Blank Three.js World
1428 runs ♦ 2 likes
By Starter user  
Created: 20 Nov 2016
Modified: 17 Sep 2023
A simple starter World. An Array of spheres. Painted with textures. Random motion.
Simple World
1580 runs ♦ 2 likes
By Starter user  
Created: 1 Oct 2016
Modified: 17 Sep 2023
Simple World with a Mind-controlled agent, randomly-moving enemy, paint blocks with texture.
MineCraft
1057 runs ♦ 2 likes
By Starter user  
Created: 27 Nov 2016
Modified: 17 Sep 2023
Use keyboard to draw blocks like in MineCraft. Use arrow keys and PgUp, PgDn to draw. Can save w...
There are a number of coding courses and exercises on this site that you can do:
  • Introduction to Programming. This is a proper Introduction to Programming course, with videos, using JavaScript and P5. This does not assume you have ever written a program.

  • Introduction to Programming: Part Two.

  • Alternative JavaScript course for kids. This is an alternative introduction to programming, with kid-friendly language. This does not assume you have ever written a program.

  • WebGL course. This is a course in JavaScript 3D graphics ("WebGL") programming, using P5.

  • AI exercises. This does not have a full set of notes explaining AI theory. You will need to get that somewhere else. Rather this is a series of online AI programming exercises, with problems for students to solve. All code is in JavaScript using P5.


As well as courses, there are accounts with certain collections of Worlds:

P5 Editor porting project  
Port to Ancient Brain of P5 Editor built-in sketches. Source: editor.p5js.org/p5/sketches. Port ...

threejs.org porting project  
Project to port threejs.org examples. All credit to: https://github.com/mrdoob/three.js/tree/mas...

"Coding Train" project  
Project to port JS Worlds from The Coding Train to Ancient Brain.

"3D Game Programming for K...  
Proposed project to port code from the book "3D Game Programming for Kids" by Chris Strom. Await...

Discover three.js  
Project to port code from "Discover three.js" book and site by Lewy Blue. Done with permission o...

As you keep learning, here are some examples of what you can build on this site. Build something beautiful!
ML5 image recogn...
89 runs ♦ 0 likes
By Starter user  
Created: 10 Jun 2021
Modified: 17 Sep 2023
Demo of image recognition using ML5 and MobileNet. Image URL is hardcoded.
Websockets boxes
792 runs ♦ 0 likes
By Starter user  
Created: 29 Feb 2020
Modified: 17 Sep 2023
Demo of Websockets in 3D World. Click to change the boxes on the other user's machine, while the...
3D Platform Game
227 runs ♦ 0 likes
By Ronghui  
Created: 5 Dec 2022
Modified: 17 Sep 2023
Race to the End! WASD to move.
Wrong Way Motorway
1216 runs ♦ 0 likes
By James Reilly  
Created: 9 Aug 2023
Modified: 17 Sep 2023
Ca318 repeat practical
Flickr World
193 runs ♦ 0 likes
By Starter user  
Created: 12 Aug 2018
Modified: 17 Sep 2023
Demo of "Web page" API. Just use JS to make a web page. This page gets images from Flickr using ...
Lego
472 runs ♦ 0 likes
By Michael Walsh  
Created: 14 Nov 2022
Modified: 17 Sep 2023
Clone of "webgl_interactive_voxelpainter" by threejs.org porting project
One Cube World (P5)
1707 runs ♦ 1 like
By Starter user  
Created: 10 Nov 2018
Modified: 17 Sep 2023
Simple starter World (P5 version). No camera control. So cube rotates to show 3D.
Hunting Season
1372 runs ♦ 1 like
By Niall Kelly  
Created: 3 Nov 2022
Modified: 17 Sep 2023
The aim is simple, shoot as many targets as you can in 60 seconds. Watch out for the hawk's, the...