John Wright wrote:
>
> Terminology... sigh... I'd have to agree more with Lee, Java 3D is a
> "high level" rendering API. Although the term "mid level" would be more
> appropriate.
OK, my perspective comes from the user level - a content author who
wants some 3D graphics stuff to appear on screen. They don't care how it
gets done, just that it has to happen in the way they expect. This is
the way they see things:
A low level API is one were they have to worry about polygons, making
the mouse interact with the scene and build stuff. Only programmers can
build the content.
A medium level API is something that does a lot of the basic work for
you. There doesn't need to be much work to get a textured polygon on
screen. You don't need to implement mouse handling or anything like
that. A good example is the Superscape system. Mainly built by scripting
type people and some modeller people to provide content.
A high level API is where they can just plug bits of components together
and have the system deal with it. Tell the system I want to walk through
the scene and when event X happens, run script Y. This is VRML and
friends like MetaStream, Shockwave3D etc. Only build by graphical tools
and modelling type people. Rarely see a programmer here.
By these definitions Java3D is a low level system. It effectively
excludes the non-programmer user because you have to know how to turn
this mouse in 2D thing to these awful looking set of numbers that
I've-got-no-idea-what-they-mean-but-they-do-tricky-stuff.
There is quite a difference between "3D Graphics API" and "3D Rendering
API" definitions. The context of the original question, and like most
other beginner questions that we see here are from the content
perspective. "I have this problem and I don't know how to solve it. I've
never done 3D work before and java 3d looks kinda cool, will it work?".
To them, they need to understand that java 3d is like OpenGL. Message
gets across plain and simple - "oh shit, I need to write code. OK, not
the solution I'm after". If you answered to these people that Java3d was
a high level API, they immediately think in terms of superscape and
VRML. The result is a set of very confused, severely pissed off bunch of
people that then go on and badmouth Java3D, which does not help the
cause. Answering in the other way, they wander off contented not having
wasted their time on something that was not appropriate for their
talents and skills.
When answering these sorts of questions, you need to place yourself in
the box of the person asking it, not from the confines of the community
in which you are comfortable. What may seem like common-sense
definitions to you are not to the newbie. We as a community must
understand this and think not just about ourselves, but all those around
us who are not party to the same level of knowledge or even the same
worldview. It greatly helps in the marketing.
--
Justin Couch http://www.vlc.com.au/~justin/
Freelance Java Consultant http://www.yumetech.com/
Author, Java 3D FAQ Maintainer http://www.j3d.org/
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"Humanism is dead. Animals think, feel; so do machines now.
Neither man nor woman is the measure of all things. Every organism
processes data according to its domain, its environment; you, with
all your brains, would be useless in a mouse's universe..."
- Greg Bear, Slant
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