View source for Java 3D

{{Short description|Java 3D graphics API}}
{{Infobox software
| name = Java 3D
| logo =
| screenshot =
| caption =
| developer = [[Sun Microsystems]] & [https://jogamp.org/ JogAmp Community]
| released =
| latest_release_version = 1.7.0
| latest_release_date = {{Start date and age|2020|01|25}}
| latest_preview_version = -
| latest_preview_date = -
| operating_system = [[Cross-platform]]
| genre = [[3D computer graphics software]] (library/API)
| license = [[GPL#Version 2|GPL version 2]]+[[GPL linking exception]]
| website = [http://forum.jogamp.org/java3d-f3728156.html JogAmp's Java3D Continuation forum]
}}

[[File:java3d.png|thumb|right|300px|Java 3D central hierarchies in [[Lepus3|LePUS3]]]]

'''Java 3D''' is a [[scene graph]]-based [[3D computer graphics|3D]] [[application programming interface]] (API) for the [[Java (software platform)|Java platform]]. It runs on top of either [[OpenGL]] or [[Direct3D]] until version 1.6.0, which runs on top of [[Java OpenGL]] (JOGL). Since version 1.2, Java 3D has been developed under the [[Java Community Process]]. A Java 3D scene graph is a [[directed acyclic graph]] (DAG).

Compared to other solutions, Java 3D is not only a [[Primitive wrapper class|wrapper]] around these graphics APIs, but an interface that encapsulates the graphics programming using a true [[object-oriented]] approach. Here a scene is constructed using a [[scene graph]] that is a representation of the objects that have to be shown. This scene graph is structured as a tree containing several elements that are necessary to display the objects. Additionally, Java 3D offers extensive [[3D audio effect|spatialized sound]] support.

Java 3D and its documentation are available for download separately. They are not part of the [[Java Development Kit]] (JDK).

==History==
[[Intel]], [[Silicon Graphics]], [[Apple Computer|Apple]], and [[Sun Microsystems|Sun]] all had [[retained mode]] [[scene graph]] APIs under development in 1996. Since they all wanted to make a Java version, they decided to collaborate in making it. That project became Java 3D. Development was underway already in 1997. A public beta version was released in March 1998. The first version was released in December 1998. From mid-2003 through summer 2004, the development of Java 3D was discontinued. In the summer of 2004, Java 3D was released as a community source project, and [[Sun Microsystems|Sun]] and volunteers have since been continuing its development.

On January 29, 2008, it was announced that improvements to Java 3D would be put on hold to produce a 3D scene graph for [[JavaFX]]<ref>{{cite web
| url= http://www.java.net/node/674071
| title= ANNOUNCEMENT: Java 3D plans
| publisher= [[Sun Microsystems]]
| date= 2008-01-29
| access-date= 2011-05-11
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120310231138/http://www.java.net/node/674071
| archive-date= 2012-03-10
| url-status= dead
}}</ref> JavaFX with 3D support was eventually released with Java 8.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/8-whats-new-2157071.html
| title= What's New in JDK 8
| publisher= [[Oracle Corporation]]
| date= 2014-03-18}}</ref> The JavaFX 3D graphics functionality has more or less come to supersede Java 3D.

Since February 28, 2008, the entire Java 3D source code is released under the [[GPL#Version 2|GPL version 2]] license with [[GPL linking exception]].<ref>{{cite web
| url= http://forums.java.net/jive/thread.jspa?messageID=261477&tstart=0#261477
| title= ANNOUNCE: GPL open source release
| publisher= [[Sun Microsystems]]
| date= 2008-02-28
| accessdate= 2008-02-29
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080324111722/http://forums.java.net/jive/thread.jspa?messageID=261477&tstart=0#261477
| archive-date= 2008-03-24
| url-status= dead
}}</ref>

Since February 10, 2012, Java 3D uses [[Java OpenGL|JOGL]] 2.0 for its hardware accelerated OpenGL rendering. The port was initiated by Julien Gouesse.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://forum.jogamp.org/Java3D-now-works-with-JOGL-2-0-td3732206.html
| title= Java3D now works with JOGL 2.0
| publisher= Julien Gouesse
| date= 2012-10-02
| accessdate= 2012-10-02}}</ref>

==Features==

[[File:Java3DStarSystemScreenShot.png|thumb|A screenshot of work drawn with Java 3D]]

*Multithreaded [[scene graph]] structure
*[[Cross-platform]]
*Generic [[real-time computer graphics|real-time]] API, usable for both visualization and gaming
*Support for [[retained mode|retained]], compiled-retained, and [[immediate mode (computer graphics)|immediate mode]] rendering
*Includes hardware-accelerated [[Java OpenGL|JOGL]], [[OpenGL]], and [[Direct3D]] renderers (depending on platform)
*Sophisticated virtual-reality-based view model with support for stereoscopic rendering and complex multi-display configurations
*Native support for [[head-mounted display]]
*[[Cave Automatic Virtual Environment|CAVE]] (multiple screen projectors)
*[[3D audio effect|3D spatial sound]]
*Programmable shaders, supporting both [[GLSL]] and [[Cg programming language|CG]]
*[[Stencil buffer]]
*Importers for most mainstream formats, like [[.3ds|3DS]], [[Wavefront .obj file|OBJ]], [[VRML]], [[X3D]], [[NWN (file format)|NWN]], and [[OpenFlight|FLT]]

==Competing technologies==
Java 3D is not the only high-level API option to render 3D in Java. In part due to the pause in development during 2003 and 2004, several competing Java scene graph technologies emerged:

'''General purpose:'''
*[[Ardor3D]]
*[[JavaFX]]

'''Gaming:'''
*[[jMonkeyEngine]]
*Espresso3D

'''Visualization:'''
*[http://www3.math.tu-berlin.de/jreality/jrealityStatic/index.php Jreality]

In addition to those, many other C or C++ scene graph APIs offer Java support through [[Java Native Interface|JNI]].

At a lower level, the [[Java OpenGL|JOGL]] (JSR 231) OpenGL bindings for Java are a popular alternative to scene graph APIs such as Java 3D. [[Lightweight Java Game Library|LWJGL]] is another such binding.

==See also==
{{Portal|Computer programming}}
*[[Project Looking Glass]] (Experimental 3D Desktop using Java 3D)
*[[Open Wonderland]] (Virtual workspace environment using Java 3D and Project Darkstar)

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3Id2VGR1Ik&t=307 Harvey presents the current state of Java3D "I’m not Dead!" at SIGGRAPH 2013]
*[https://gouessej.wordpress.com/2012/08/01/java-3d-est-de-retour-java-3d-is-back/ Java 3D est de retour (Java 3D is back): Java3D preview setup introduction]
*[https://jogamp.org/deployment/java3d/ Current releases (Java 3D 1.7)]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20121022074250/http://java3d.java.net/ Previous official site] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20130109170653/http://java3d.java.net/binary-builds.html releases]
*[http://www.jcp.org/en/jsr/detail?id=926 JSR 926] (Java 3D 1.5), [http://www.jcp.org/en/jsr/detail?id=912 JSR 912] (Java 3D 1.3)
*[http://forum.jogamp.org/java3d-f3728156.html Current forum (Java 3D 1.6)]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090611150009/http://forums.java.net/jive/forum.jspa?forumID=70 Previous forum] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20051215031051/http://wiki.java.net/bin/view/Javadesktop/Java3D Wiki] for Java 3D - Places for collaboration; includes lists of books and users, FAQ, and knowledge base
*[http://www.java3d.org/ java3d.org]. Tutorial, examples and information
*[https://opengl.j3d.org/tutorials/index.html OpenGL.J3D Java 3D Tutorials]
*[http://www.sdsc.edu/~nadeau/Courses/Siggraph99/ Lecture] - from Siggraph for beginners
*Game Programming [http://fivedots.coe.psu.ac.th/~ad/jg/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309004617/http://fivedots.coe.psu.ac.th/%7Ead/jg/ |date=2013-03-09 }}, [http://fivedots.coe.psu.ac.th/~ad/jg2/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609154457/http://fivedots.coe.psu.ac.th/~ad/jg2/ |date=2013-06-09 }} in Java 3D (chapters as pdf-files and sourcecode)
*[https://java3d-eclipse.sourceforge.net/ Plugin for Eclipse hosted by SourceForge]
*[http://www.navgen.com/ Example visualisation applets using Java 3D]
*[http://www.emouseatlas.org/emap/home.html EMAP, The e-Mouse Atlas Project] - A 3D anatomical structure explorer with embedded 2D section made by Guangjie Feng

{{Java (software platform)}}
{{Java desktop}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Java 3d}}
[[Category:3D graphics software]]
[[Category:3D scenegraph APIs]]
[[Category:Cross-platform software]]
[[Category:Java APIs]]
[[Category:Java specification requests|3D]]
[[Category:1998 software]]