HI,
>
> Magician is a Java OpenGL API including implementations
> for Linux, Win32, Mac and other OS, supporting JNI,
> RNI, and Netscape's JRI. In contrast to Java3D, this
> is a portable, popular, efficient solution.
I'd like to add that this opinion may not be shared by everyone.
I had the chance to attend a talk on Java3D by Peter Shirley, who is an
assistant professor in graphics at University of Utah who evaluated Java3D.
According to him, it is popular and very efficient. Companies are
porting their applications from other libraries to Java3D. Peter,
being a hardcore graphics person, is generally a Java skeptic because
of its performance. He was surprised to find out that these companies
chose Java3D partly for its performance benefits. These benefits,
according to him, stem from the fact that Java3D's model allows for
very fast rendering of scenes, at the cost of some flexibility. He
pointed out that Java3D's design shows the hand of people who are very
familiar with the design of 3D models and interfaces, among them people
from companies like SGI. I do not know about the portability aspect.
Furthermore, according to him, Java3D serves a completely different
purpose than OpenGL; while OpenGL is a way of describing the rendering
of 3D objects, Java3D is foremost a way to describe to describe objects
and their relationship in space. So Java3D is actually a lot closer
to such libraries as Open Inventor.
>From this perspective, I think that a Java binding for OpenGL, a JavaGL
is a very useful thing to have, both as an agreed upon, open interface as
well as an implementation. However, I do not believe it can or should
supplant Java3D.
- Godmar
