Introduction to Programming with Java 3D

SIGGRAPH 99 Course 40

Original Course Description:

Java3D is a new cross-platform API for developing 3D graphics applications in Java. Its feature set is designed to enable quick development of complex 3D applications and, at the same time, enable fast and efficient implementation on a variety of platforms, from PCs to workstations. Using Java3D, software developers can build cross-platform applications that build 3D scenes programmatically, or via loading 3D content from VRML, OBJ, and/or other external files. The Java3D API includes a rich feature set for building shapes, composing behaviors, interacting with the user, and controlling rendering details. In this course, participants learned the concepts behind Java3D, the Java3D class hierarchy, typical usage patterns, ways of avoiding common mistakes, animation and scene design techniques, and tricks for increasing performance and realism.

Henry A. Sowizral (Organizer: Sun Microsystems, Inc.), David R. Nadeau(San Diego Supercomputer Center and the University of California, San Diego)

PDF files

(both contain the full 600+ pages of the tutorial notes)

• course40.pdf - designed for page-by-page viewing using Acrobat Reader:
  each PDF page shows a single tutorial slide.
• java3d4p.pdf - designed for printing using Acrobat Reader:
  each PDF page shows FOUR tutorial slides.

For on-line reading and experimentation, however, we recommend that you install the archives below instead.

The on-line tutorial notes

These archive files each contain a copy of the full 600+ pages of the tutorial notes plus all of the Java 3D examples and their associated images, sounds, and geometry files. To use these files you must expand an archive on to your hard disk.
Both archives contain the same files, but in formats appropriate for PC or UNIX systems.

• java3d.tar
  UNIX users: Use "tar", or an equivalent application, expand the TAR archive on to your hard disk.
• java3d.zip
  PC users: Use "pkzip", "WinZip", or an equivalent application, to expand the ZIP archive on to your hard disk.

You will need approximately 15 Mbytes for the expanded files. Each of the archives will expand to create a "java3d" folder in which the remainder of the files are located. To view the tutorial notes and examples, open the file "java3d.htm" in your Web browser. All further files are hyperlinked from this one starting point.