The Java 3D(TM) API Specification (2nd Edition) 2nd Edition

This document describes the Java 3D™ API, version 1.2, and presents some details on the implementation of the API. This specification is not intended as a programmer's guide.

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 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.

Changes to the Java 3D API, version 1.2, are indicated by an icon in the margin. The icon ("New in 1.2" enclosed in arrows) appears in the outside margin for all new methods and constructors. 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 and Daniel Petersen for writing the scene graph sharing portion of the specification. We especially acknowledge Bruce Bartlett for his invaluable assistance with the editing, formatting, and indexing of the specification. Without Bruce's considerable help, this book would not have been possible.

We also thank the many individuals and companies that provided comments and suggestions. They have improved the Java 3D API.

Henry Sowizral
Kevin Rushforth
Michael Deering
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
April 2000

0201710412P04062001

In The Java 3D™ API Specification, Second Edition, the most current release of the Java 3D™ API, version 1.2, is fully specified, explained and discussed. This newest version of the API features a redesigned internal architecture that provides a foundation for higher quality applications with improved ability to scale. This is the most authoritative, complete, and detailed book on the Java 3D API.

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 the Java 3D API, 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 features a variety of input devices, picking mechanisms, audio capabilities, and behaviors and interpolators for animating objects. The Java 3D Execution and Rendering Model™ is described in depth. Other topics covered include math objects, 3D geometry compression, and exceptions. The accompanying CD-ROM, new to this edition, contains numerous live examples.

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

The Java 3D API, part of the Java™ Media 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. Using the Java 3D API, developers can efficiently define and render very large virtual worlds. Moreover, in line with the Java platform's "write once, run anywhere" vision, applications written using the Java 3D API can run on a wide range of platforms and systems and are adapted for use on the Internet.

For all programmers and developers in the field of three-dimensional Internet applications, The Java™ 3D API Specification, Second Edition is an essential resource.