Is it possible to export playcanvas so it can be used offline?

Can a 3D game be exported so it can run offline. eg. localhost and use VR headsets to view content? Or can the game be embeded into something like an iOS application? I am conscious that big 3d environments will kill a mobile connection if it downloads assets each play?

Yes, if you have a Personal or Organization plan, you can export (download) your apps. User Manual page on self-hosting.

And yes, PlayCanvas has full support for authoring VR-based apps/games. See the blog.

You can package a PlayCanvas app as an iOS application (also known as an IPA). User Manual page on native app wrapping.

PlayCanvas has built-in support for asset streaming, which means you can load a minimal set of data to get your game started and then stream other assets in the background. User Manual page on asset streaming.

Also, remember that browsers have a cache, so the second time a player loads a game, it’s likely that many files will be available from the local browser cache.

There are various rules of thumb to ensure that you structure your game data to be efficient in terms of download size. For example:

  • Don’t create textures larger than they need to be.
  • Don’t create meshes with more polygons/vertices than necessary.
  • Use JPG where possible over PNG. (Although PNGs may be better for map types that exhibit compression artifacts like normal maps and gloss maps).