Thread: Talk to me about... Java 3D

I'm not really sure what you are asking. Are you wanting to learn to program so you can help expand on an opensource program? Or do you want to make your own from scratch?

But as far as Java3D, it is old, and not supported last I heard. Look at JavaOpenGL, or the other main one, Lightweight Java Game Library (LWJGL).

Figures, Megamek just added 3D boardview option using Java3D... I was thinking about messing with maptool 1.3... I have some programing classes and experience outside of the classes behind me (admittedly though, all with C++ and C# (more so with C++)).

On that note... I think I'll poke around CBT and MM's project page and see if there was a reason they didn't use one of the newer options.

Hummm, actually it looks like Java3D has been picked up again, and is open source community supported. It does have some advantages over lower level options like LWJGL or JOGL.


Picking up Java isn't all that hard, especially if you don't mind working in C#.

That's an interesting question. I've been contemplating switching over to a 3d engine for MT, starting off by rendering the current map onto a 3d plane, then add in models over time.

The engine that I was looking at is Java Monkey Engine (jme for short) It's more game oriented, but it abstracts a lot of the tricky parts. The demos are pretty easy to get up and running in eclipse.

One reason I'm hesitant to migrate to a 3d engine though is support for old laptops, which seem to be a common factor when getting a group together.

Would there be a way of running the standard 2D maps that are currently used in a 3D engine?

So for example, you have a lovely 3D environment that the GM runs and some players have the horsepower to keep up, but one does not. He gets sent a topdown shot of the map as a 2D map instead? That might well get around the old laptop issue.

Nice to see you over here trevor.

The megamek folks seem to have managed it. Here's an image of one instance of MM running 3d and hosting a game, and another instance on the same machine connected as a client without the 3d setup running. I was able to play just fine.

That 3d view looks like my September challenge entry:
September Entry: Newstyle hex

-Rob A>

Yeah, I'd thought that your style would have made a fairly nice CBT map at the time.