Chapters

TOC Geometry Lighting Textures Behaviours User Feedback Navigation Audio Input Devices No Monitors

Contents

A Window to the World Scene Graph Basics Geometry Textures Event Model Cameras and Viewing

Getting Started

Java3D is an extension API provided by Sun that provides 3D graphics capabilities to Java applications. It is not the only 3D API for Java. There are several commercial APIs that are available that provide bindings to more established APIs like OpenGL and Direct3D. On the other end of the scales are modelling languages like VRML that are very high level and conceptual in nature. All of these can be used to create the building blocks of a 3D application.

Java3D, as a relatively new 3D API, tries to learn a lot from the existing camps that have provided 3D graphics interfaces for programmers. It sits somewhere in the middle of the low level APIs like OpenGL and high level like VRML. However, in the end it is still a programming API. You won't find an artist or your mum and dad building 3D worlds with Java3D.

In this chapter we'll start by giving you a basic understanding of the various parts of Java3D. For this we will be sticking to the core API as defined by the javax.media.j3d and javax.vecmath packages. Sun provides a number of extension and utility packages as part of its implementation, but these cannot be guaranteed for every distribution. Also, we assume that you can download and install Java3D by yourself.

Note

If you want to know more about how to install Java 3D, then please check the FAQ for more information.

Chapter Contents

• A Window to the World
• Scene Graph Basics
• Geometry
• Textures
• Event Model
• Cameras and Viewing

Download

Click on the link below to download the code for the code for this chapter.The files contain the completed code for this chapter. HTTP FTP ZIP AWT, Swing AWT, Swing TGZ AWT, Swing AWT, Swing

That concludes the look at the basics of Java3D. This is a broad sweep across all of the areas of the core specification that provides you with some idea of the capabilities and elementary setup in the Java3D environment. In the next few chapters we'll be covering the topics in much greater detail. The idea is to take these very basic concepts and explore each in depth so that you could build any part of your application from first principles.