Justin, excellent clarification. You are completely correct it depends
on if you look at it from the point of view of a "user" vs a
"programmer" (but then again some people that make spreadsheets think
they are "programming").
And you are correct, in that I too believe many coming to look at Java
3D for the first time are expecting something like Shockwave, VRML, etc
and that isn't what Java 3D is at all.
- John Wright
Starfire Research
Justin Couch wrote:
>
> 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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