The Java(TM) 3D API Specification [Paperback]

Michael Deering (Author), Kevin Rushforth (Author), Henry Sowizral (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0201325764 | ISBN-13: 978-0201325768 | Publication Date: December 22, 1997

The Java 3D API, an exciting new part of the JavaMedia suite of APIs, enables the creation of three-dimensional graphics applications and Internet-based 3D applets. It gives developers high-level constructs for creating and manipulating 3D geometry and for building the structures used in rendering that geometry. With Java 3D, developers can efficiently define and render very large virtual worlds. Moreover, in line with Java's "write once, run anywhere" vision, applications written using Java 3D can run on a wide range of platforms and systems and are adapted for use on the Internet. This book represents the definitive Java 3D API specification, providing authoritative and detailed descriptions of each element of the API. It offers an informative overview of Java 3D, comprehensive instructions for "scene graph" definition and construction, and a detailed description of the Java 3D View Model, an innovative model enabling applications to be displayed on a wide array of devices. The book also covers: input devices, such as six-degrees-of-freedom trackers; picking mechanisms; behaviors and interpolators for animating objects; and audio capabilities. The Java 3D Execution and Rendering Model is described in depth, including the immediate, retained, and compiled-retained modes. Comprehensive and definitive, this book is an essential reference for any Java programmer interested in entering the exciting world of three-dimensional Internet applications. 0201325764B04062001

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

This document describes the Javao 3D API and presents some details on the implementation of the API. This specification is not intended as a programmeris guide. The programmeris guide will be written after the specification has been finalized.

This specification is written for 3D graphics application programmers. We assume that the reader has at least a rudimentary understanding of computer graphics. This includes familiarity with the essentials of computer graphics algorithms as well as familiarity with basic graphics hardware and associated terminology. Related Documentation

This specification is intended to be used in conjunction with the Java*3D reference guide, an online, browser-accessible, javadoc-generated API reference. Style Conventions

The following style conventions are used in this specification: Lucida type is used to represent computer code and the names of files and directories. Bold Lucida type is used for Java*3D API declarations. Bold type is used to represent variables. Italic type is used for emphasis and for equations. Programming Conventions

Java*3D uses the following programming conventions: The default coordinate system is right-handed, with +Y being up, +X horizontal to the right, and +Z directed toward the viewer. All angles or rotational representations are in radians. All distances are expressed in units or fractions of meters. Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge Warren Dale for writing the Sound API portion of this specification, Daniel Petersen for writing the scene graph sharing portion of the specification, and Bruce Bartlett for his assistance with the editing, formatting, and indexing of the specification.

We thank the Java*3D partners for their help in defining the Java*3D API. The Java*3D partner companies include Silicon Graphics, Inc., Intel Corporation, Apple Computer, Inc., and Sun Microsystems, Inc.

We also thank the many individuals and companies for their comments and suggestions on the successive drafts of this specification.

Henry Sowizral
Kevin Rushforth
Michael Deering
Sun Microsystems
November 1997 0201325764P04062001

From the Back Cover

This book represents the definitive Java 3D API specification, providing authoritative and detailed descriptions of each element of the API. It offers an informative overview of Java 3D, comprehensive instructions for "scene graph" definition and construction, and a detailed description of the Java 3D View Model, an innovative model enabling applications to be displayed on a wide array of devices.

The book also covers: input devices, such as six-degrees-of-freedom trackers; picking mechanisms; behaviors and interpolators for animating objects; and audio capabilities. The Java 3D Execution and Rendering Model is described in depth, including the immediate, retained, and compiled-retained modes.

Comprehensive and definitive, this book is an essential reference for any Java programmer interested in entering the exciting world of three-dimensional Internet applications. 0201325764B04062001

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 482 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley Publishing Company (December 22, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201325764
• ISBN-13: 978-0201325768
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,168,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good summary, but WAY out of date, October 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Java(TM) 3D API Specification (Paperback)

This book has a good summary of the beta version of the Java3D API. Unfortunately, the book hasn't been updated since then, and the API has significantly changed. This is a reference book, and it contains very sparse overall descriptive information.

As a reference book, it's very frustrating and difficult to use, because so much of the API has changed.

As an overview book, it contains some good information, but not much.

I'm not really happy with this book on either count.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not very useful, September 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Java 3D(TM) API Specification (2nd Edition) (CD-ROM)

Almost all of the material in this book is a slightly more verbose explanation of what can be found in the docs. If used as a reference this is fine, but for someone who is trying to learn Java 3D it would probably be more useful to get a book that goes through examples and explains more clearly from the ground up. While it was not written badly, this book does not explain the concepts as clearly as they could have been. All of the examples I looked at come with the Java 3D distribution. Personally I would just download all the documentation and the Java 3D tutorial and not spend the $50.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Technical Reference, January 12, 2000

By 

Thomas Huber (Grayslake, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Java(TM) 3D API Specification (Paperback)

I found this to be a very thorough technical reference on the Java 3D environment. Though it's available online through Sun's Java website, the printed version is conducive to bookmarks and highlighting. Keep in mind, though, that this is a technical reference. Sun's website has an excellent tutorial that explains the basic Java 3D constructs and walks you through several program examples.

The API introduction describes basic SceneGraph construction, Java 3D's three rendering modes, and has a so-called 'recipe' for writing a Java 3D program. Although the discussion of rendering modes was insightful, I thought the SceneGraph and 'recipe' material was much too brief. The online tutorial does a better job of describing SceneGraph construction, and uses the utility class SimpleUniverse as an alternative to constructing the View BranchGraph by hand.

The chapters following the Introduction delve more deeply into the various Scene Graph objects and their construction.

The book excels, however, at describing the finer points of Java 3D. Immediate-Mode Rendering, described in Chapter 13, gives the programmer the flexibility of drawing directly to the canvas and eliminates the need to construct the content portion of the scene graph. I'm surprised the book doesn't mention the SimpleUniverse class, because it's basically shown in the minimal scene graphs in Figures 8-2 and 13-1.

Appendix C, which describes Java 3D's view model, will be particularly useful to those of you porting OpenGL programs to Java 3D. The appendix is a thorough treatise of the how's and why's of Java 3D's view model, including the little-known Compatibility Mode which supports traditional Camera-based views.

Though the book is terse in parts and sometimes requires a bit of digging to find the more esoteric aspects of Java 3D, it is nevertheless an indispensable reference to have on hand.