> Tectonic Animation via Video with Wiki Time Triggers
We can avoid real-time WebGL animation and instead use a **pre-rendered video** that plays in a standard HTML player. As the video plays, time-coded triggers can open specific wiki pages using the standard `postMessage` API supported by the Federated Wiki frame plugin.
This approach allows us to: - Animate a long timeline with smooth transitions - Use simple HTML + JS, no WebGL or 3D code - Embed in any wiki via the `frame` plugin - Trigger new wiki pages based on timecodes
https://david.hitchhikers.earth/assets/history-of-the-earth/federated-wiki-timeline-updated.html HEIGHT 200 History of the Earth. This video shows how the Earth may have looked like in the distant past. The reconstruction of plate tectonics is based on Paleomagnetic Data, though may be inaccurate before 1,000 Ma. The temparature, atomospheric composition, and length of day are also given, though these are estimates.
# How It Works 1. Render an animation of Earth's surface (e.g. from GPlates or Blender) as a standard `.mp4` or `.webm` file. 1. Create a minimal HTML page with a `<video>` element and some JavaScript. 1. Use `video.ontimeupdate` to check the video timestamp. See Globe Timeline Triggers. 1. When a given time point is reached, send a `postMessage()` call to the parent Federated Wiki frame. 1. The wiki reacts by navigating to a named wiki page (e.g. `wiki.doInternalLink("Gondwana")`).
# Advantages - Simple and mobile-friendly - Works with any wiki that supports frame embedding - Video can be optimized for quality vs. file size - Avoids the complexity of live 3D rendering and data updates
# Requirements - A rendered `.mp4` or `.webm` animation of the timeline - One small HTML+JS file to manage video playback and triggers - A list of timecodes and corresponding wiki page names
# Next Steps - Create a working HTML file with embedded video and `postMessage()` support - Test inside a wiki `frame` block - Link timecodes to meaningful wiki pages - Later, add visual overlays or subtitles as needed
# See - Earth Timeline - Hitchhiker Globe and Globe Sprint - Globe Video Guide and GPlates Timeline - Globe Timeline Triggers - Globe.gl and Globe Timeline Triggers - Plate Tectonics