3D graphics programming in Java: Part 2, Advanced Java 3D

Learn more about Java 3D performance, 3D content loaders, and the Java 3D VRML97 browser

By Bill Day, JavaWorld.com, 01/01/99

Last month we began our exploration of Java 3D with static content and small scenes. This month we'll conclude our introduction by delving into loaders for larger scene graphs and giving our worlds behaviors and interactivity. We'll also discuss the interplay between Java 3D and VRML, review the performance characteristics of Java 3D, and set the stage for next month's look at Java OpenGL bindings.

Java 3D transforms and placement

I received several reader questions about the placement of the 3D objects in last month's examples. One reader in particular asked why, when he modified the transform so the cube's z coordinate was positive, he could no longer see the cube. Let's reexamine the example code from last month's Example 3 to learn more about how things are situated in three dimensional space using Java 3D.

The critical line of code from this example is:

myTransform3D.setTranslation(new Vector3f(-0.5f,-0.5f,-2.3f));

The arguments in the Vector3D constructor are x, y, and z coordinates. The cube is placed by this transform at x = -0.5; y = -0.5; and z = -2.3 (in floating point values, hence the "f" suffixes).

It's critical to note that your viewing location can change. This is determined by the location of the associated ViewPlatform, which, in turn, is situated in the 3D world using the TransformGroup above it (actually, using a Transform3D node to transform the TransformGroup above it).

Also note that in Example 3, we don't move the ViewPlatform; we construct all of the view branch using the default constructors, which use an identity Transform3D node (more on identity later) in the TransformGroup above ViewPlatform. Thus, the ViewPlatform is located at x = 0.0; y = 0.0; and z = 0.0, the origin of the 3D coordinate system.

And finally, it's important to note that the coordinate system is aligned with your view into it. With the default view branch, the +x axis runs from left to right across the screen and the +y axis runs from bottom to top, which means, using the right-hand rule, that the +z axis runs out of the screen towards you. By default, your view into the world is looking in the -z direction.

Because you're "sitting" at the origin (the view platform is located at 0.0, 0.0, 0.0) looking in the negative-z direction, anything in the positive-z section of the 3D world is behind you and you can't see it. Don't you just love 3D! (See Resources for more information on Transform3D.)

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