To begin, look at the output from a simple Java 3D program and compare it with the test-bed application MyJava3D.
Java 3d programming code#
We can use the source code as a basis for introducing the basics of 3D graphics programming and highlight some of the fundamental operations that a graphics library such as Java 3D provides.īy looking at the example, you’ll see the additional operations that a real graphics API provides, and that our homegrown, primitive API does not.
At the end of the day, we are simply converting from 3D coordinates to 2D coordinates and drawing a bunch of points and lines. This should remove some of the mystery from the operations performed by 3D graphics libraries like Java 3D and OpenGL. In this chapter, we will turn the clock back 10 years and build some sections of that program all over again, this time using Java, Java 2D, and some of the Java 3D utilities. The interesting thing about my first 3D effort is that I built upon my general programming knowledge and some simple 2D rendering techniques, such as drawing a line to the screen. You could also interactively rotate the shapes about one axis.
You could load 3D shapes described using ASCII text files and then display them on screen. The program was a very simple wire frame 3D model viewer and editor. I later ported the program to run on Solaris using the GKS rendering API. The program was a modified port of a simple BASIC program that I "borrowed" from a simple little BASIC programming book. It was written in C and ran on my venerable Intel 80386 with a whole 256 KB of RAM! Needless to say, it didn’t use Java 3D or OpenGL.
I wrote my first 3D graphics program about 10 years ago. I learned 3D graphics programming by experimenting. Given the enormous variety of teaching and learning styles, there probably is no best way of teaching 3D graphics programming. I’ll explain much of the needed terminology however, if you need more information, I recommend the online 3D graphics glossaries from Mondo Media ( ), ( ), and Chalmers Medialab ( ). In this chapter, I describe some of the fundamental underlying graphics techniques that allow a computer to transform a 3D scene description into a rendered image.
Java 3d programming drivers#
Unique coverage of Java game development using both the Java 3D API and Java for OpenGL, as well as invaluable experience from a recognized Java gaming guru, will provide you with a distinct advantage after reading this book.Java 3D Programming.Chapter 2 CHAPTER 2 3D graphics programmingĢ.2 Projecting from 3D world coordinates to 2D screen coordinatesģD graphics programming is a fairly complex topic, worthy of a book unto itself (and there are many), but this introduction should serve as a good roadmap for further reading and give an appreciation for what Java 3D and your OpenGL or DirectX drivers are doing behind the scenes. Learn all the latest Java SE 6 features relevant to gaming, including: splash screens, JavaScript scripting as well as the desktop and system tray interfaces. You'll look at three non-standard input devices: the webcam, the game pad, and the P5 data glove.Īlong the way, you'll utilize several other games-related libraries including: JInput, JOAL, JMF, and Odejava. Java 3D is a high-level 3D graphics API, and JOGL is a lower-level Java wrapper around the popular OpenGL graphics API. Topics are split into three sections: Java 3D API, non-standard input devices for game playing, and JOGL. It's assumed you have a reasonable knowledge of Java-the sort of thing picked up in a first Java course at school.
Java 3d programming how to#
Java gaming expert Andrew Davison will show you how to develop and program 3D games in Java technology on a PC, with an emphasis on the construction of 3D landscapes. Create strange lands filled with mysterious objects (cows frozen in blocks of ice, chirping penguins, golden globes with wavering eyes) and throw away your keyboard and mouse, to go exploring armed only with a gamepad, power glove, or just your bare hands!