The Java 3D API, an exciting new part of the JavaMedia suite of APIs, enables the creation of three-dimensional graphics applications and Internet-based 3D applets. It gives developers high-level constructs for creating and manipulating 3D geometry and for building the structures used in rendering that geometry. With Java 3D, developers can efficiently define and render very large virtual worlds. Moreover, in line with Java's "write once, run anywhere" vision, applications written using Java 3D can run on a wide range of platforms and systems and are adapted for use on the Internet. This book represents the definitive Java 3D API specification, providing authoritative and detailed descriptions of each element of the API. It offers an informative overview of Java 3D, comprehensive instructions for "scene graph" definition and construction, and a detailed description of the Java 3D View Model, an innovative model enabling applications to be displayed on a wide array of devices.

The book also covers: input devices, such as six-degrees-of-freedom trackers; picking mechanisms; behaviors and interpolators for animating objects; and audio capabilities. The Java 3D Execution and Rendering Model is described in depth, including the immediate, retained, and compiled-retained modes.

Comprehensive and definitive, this book is an essential reference for any Java programmer interested in entering the exciting world of three-dimensional Internet applications.

About the Author

Henry Sowizral, a Distinguished Engineer at Sun Microsystems, is the chief architect of the Java 3D API. He is an expert in virtual reality, large-model visualization, and distributed systems. He is co-inventor of the Time Warp simulation methodology.

Kevin Rushforth, a Senior Staff Engineer at Sun Microsystems, is a co-architect of the Java 3D API. He has worked extensively in graphics hardware simulation, microcode, and graphics pipeline software. He is expert in such APIs as PHIGS+, XGL, and OpenGL, and such hardware devices as the Ultra Creator3D.

Michael Deering is a Distinguished Engineer at Sun Microsystems, where he has led the company's 3D graphics technical strategy. He is a co-architect of the Java 3D API and was the chief architect for a number of Sun's 3D graphics hardware accelerators. He is an expert in virtual reality.

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