3D User Interfaces with Java 3D [Paperback]

Jon Barrilleaux (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2000

Real-world examples and suggestions for incorporating 3D interfaces into next-generation business needs such as mass customization and online sales.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Jon Barrilleaux should be given a standing ovation for producing such an excellent piece of work for a topic...that desperately needs more documentation." -- John Wright, j3d.org

"a high level discussion of user interface design considerations and concepts" -- Adrian Hibbert, British Computer Society member and Senior Systems Developer

About the Author

Barrilleaux is a consultant specializing in the application of 3D graphics, imaging and virtual reality. He has been involved in numerous projects to develop 2D and 3D user interfaces for research, training, electronic library and end-user applications.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Manning Publications (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1884777902
• ISBN-13: 978-1884777905
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,857,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful concepts, July 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: 3D User Interfaces with Java 3D (Paperback)

Many people seem to think this is a book for learning Java 3D but this book was NOT intended as an introduction to Java 3D. Instead, it describes what the author calls "Swing 3D".

In many ways, this book is a little beyond it's time. It discusses 3D user interfaces for the most part of the book and how they can be useful in computer-human interactions. Java 3D is merely a specific platform in which the concepts were implemented and many of the ideas could easily apply to other 3D API. Only about a third of the book discusses the Java 3D API specifically and how various features can be used to solve problems when designing a 3D UI. It covers things from basic UI components to complex UI interactions.

This book delivers exactly what it set out to do, so don't expect more from it. If you want a Java 3D tutorial, you are better off looking elsewhere. I'm writing data visualization software but have little experience with user interfaces showing 3D data and I found this book suited me well. The updated code examples from the website also provide a good basis for my own code.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pioneering work, September 18, 2002

By 

Yue Fei "yue_fei" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 3D User Interfaces with Java 3D (Paperback)

If you are expecting to learn Java 3D programming, then you won't find much help from this book. This book is talking about the pioneering idea of '3D Virtual world for user interaction', instead of the current '2D GUI'. There are more principles than implementations in this book, which is the way I like. I will not use Java 3D to build any real applications, but Java 3D is purer and easy to grasp the concept than OpenGL or DirectX.
I guess many of the code and concepts of the book is coming from a research project on 3D user interaction, in Rice University. This book is a little bit too much focused on this special 3D framework.
And I don't like the writing style of the author. This book is somewhat difficult to read (I am a foreigner), the author uses lenghy words to describe a simple idea, and most times in a objective manner instead of a subjective manner, lists a lot of fact without giving a good reasoning. The reason for such a writing style maybe also because this book is comming from the result of a research project.
Bottom line: This book is excellent for who already have some 3D programming and OO pattern design background, and want to build/study next generation user interactive method. Currently not much people think 3D GUI is important, but I believe 5 years later VR, 3D GUI will become more and more popular. This book is really a pioneering work.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful also for beginners, January 14, 2004

By 

Lars Lindqvist (Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 3D User Interfaces with Java 3D (Paperback)

I found this book suit my needs as a 3d GUI beginner perfectly. The book covers basic 3d GUI techiques but more importantly presents a the design of a basic 3d GUI tool set. The many acronyms are annoying I have to say.