Hi.
It's been a while since I posted here but in light of the current
circumstances, I thought it would be a good idea to contribute to this
particular thread.
I've had only a brief chance, a few years back, to play with Java3D before I
got swamped working on other projects that didn't use it. However, I have
had experience working with OpenGL prior to that and looking at OpenInventor
(SGI's scenegraph API) and I had both APIs in mind when I reviewed Java3D.
My first impression was that overall, Java3D is a well designed API. It is
very balanced in its approach to constructing scenegraphs. The
implementation has had its problems, as others have noted, but considering
what its trying to do, that is understandable. It has progressively
improved and that is what counts. It would be bad for it to disappear and I
hope that either Sun releases it to open-source, someone licenses it to
continue development or Sun finds another group in the company to continue
development.
My personal wishlist for the API includes the following:
1. I think Java3D should be split up into a three levels:
a. low-level API for accessing OpenGL or DirectX features which could
server as a base abstraction layer for upper APIs (this is where I'm hoping
the new Sun / SGI API for OpenGL will position itself)
b. the bulk of the current scenegraph API can serve as a great mid-level
API
c. the formalization of the extra utility classes used for demos into a
formal high level API that makes it dirt simple to create various primitives
for those who need a simpler API. Some of the existing classes need to be
reworked a bit to make them better but that is true of anything.
d. an API optimized for game developers that fall somewhere between b
and c
Making it easier to deploy Java3D via Applets is a must (hopefully addressed
now with the Java Web Start) and hopefully getting it released for
additional platforms like OS X is certainly a must as well.
I think that if Java3D had all of these elements, it would be a very
comprehensive API, it would address virtually all of the needs expressed by
new and existing members of the Java3D community and it could be grown to
support an ever widening group of developers who would use various flavours
of the API to do what they need for their particular project.
I recently resumed working on a RenderMan-like renderer for Java. I'm
currently working on the bindings but I have to complete the rendering
framework by the end of October. The next phase or two involve working on
the guts of the renderer. I'll resume working with Java3D again at that
time.
I planned to use it to write a preview renderer and I will need to create an
upper level toolkit of sorts to deal with primitives like NURBS, trim
curves, subdivision surfaces and blobbies (for the preview render and later
for a 3D modeller). Last I checked, people keep asking for code to do these
types of primitives so I was considering making the toolkit available to the
community at some point. Would it make a good candidate for an upper level
toolkit? Probably if I don't make a mess of the design ... :-)
I hope my views of what the API could be are shared by the bulk of the
Java3D community. Hopefully, Sun can make some organizational changes to
resume development of the API via another group or can hand it over to
someone else to do it. If I had the time and the money, I would have
probably already called myself to get a license to develop implementations
by now to keep things rolling.
Sincerely,
Roberto Speranza
President, Dot Internet Solutions Inc.
mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.dotinc.net/
----- Original Message -----
From: "Justin Couch" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2003 3:11 AM
Subject: Re: [JAVA3D] What do you want/need from Java3D?
> So I should probably also put in a statement about what I would like to
> see, just for completeness. Although it is hard to separate Yumetech and
> me, I'll try to offer two opinions - one for each.
>
> Personal:
>
> I'd like to be able to access chunks of Java3D technology, but really
> couldn't care less about the whole thing - regardless of whether it is
> open sourced or not. There are several fundamental design flaws in the
> API that make it extremely difficult to create a real working
> application with that is correct (for example: transform updates to the
> viewpoint take 2 frames to propogate, but geometry only takes one making
> applications that are view-dependent, like terrain rendering, close to
> impossible to write with correct visuals). It is going to take a lot of
> work to do something useful with it. It would be better to start with a
> fresh look and pull the useful bits and lessons learned from Java3D. At
> this point, I think it has passed its used-by date.
>
> Company:
>
> Would prefer complete release of the source. As a (small) company who's
> business model is based around contracting and consulting services for
> open source software, it would be another thing that we could offer as
> services to clients (either new or existing). It would also mean that we
> could guarantee future stability to some of our existing customers. At
> this point they are _extremely_ nervous about what's happening and are
> actively seeking alternative strategies. Having source would give
> long-term guarantee that their existing investments will continue to be
> useful. It would also allow us to fix a number of existing issues that
> we have in our code that we cannot do anything about. Right now, we're
> hedging our bets. If we don't get source within then next 6 weeks, we'll
> be actively moving away from Java3D to our own, already existing, scene
> graph architecture. We can't afford to wait around for promises of stuff
> that never shows - like has been for the past 2 years.
>
> --
> Justin Couch http://www.vlc.com.au/~justin/
> Java Architect & Bit Twiddler 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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