I keep reading assertions on this list that immediate mode or mixed mode is the preferred method when using Java3d for games.
Just to weigh in here on the mixed mode, immediate mode and retained mode debate. Our project runs in 100 percent retained mode. We don't make a single call to anything in the graphics3d context obtained from the Canvas3d. While we do use some behaviors to handle the intersection of the view platform with an objects activation bounds, the vast majority of the per-frame work is done downstream of a single bevahior with elapsed frames zero. >From this behavior we do the following: 1. Recalculate the transform3d of all moving objects. 2. Recalcuate the camera (view) transformation 3. recalcuate the position of the clouds, sun, moon and all other sky entities 4. make any "transactional" updates to the scene graph (like LOD changes, or terrain quadtree swaps) 5. Adjust the volumes for all non-spatial sounds based on various factors 6. Recalculate the position, size, color, etc, of all living particles. 7. Recalculate water vertices and texture coordinates 8. Recalculate a variety of "special" effects like morphing, melting, fading, shrinking and anything that needs vertex manipulation over time. 9. Recalculate all or some of the avatars skin and bones. Every calculation is based on a single frame "time" that is calculated using a high resolution timer, adjusted to match the server (which it synchronizes with upon connection to the server). Currently the frame calculation time is about 2.5 times faster than the frame rendering time. So for example on a 700 MHz PIII the average frame calculation time is about 10 ms while the frame rendering time is about 25 ms. The most intensive things are the avatars which take about 900 nanoseconds each to recalculate the skin, so we have to pick and choose which ones get updated per frame. So, for what it is worth, we have not found a need to use mixed or immediate mode at all. David Yazel Magicosm Development Team http://www.cosm-game.com =========================================================================== To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and include in the body of the message "signoff JAVA3D-INTEREST". For general help, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and include in the body of the message "help".
