The Java 3D API and Virtual Reality

Java 3D proves a natural choice for any Java programmer wanting to write an interactive 3D graphics program. A programmer constructs a scene graph containing graphic objects, lights, sounds, environmental effects objects, and behaviour objects that handle interactions or modify other objects in the scene graph. The programmer then hands that scene graph to Java 3D for execution. Java 3D starts rendering objects and executing behaviours in the scene graph. Virtual reality applications go through an identical writing process. However, before a user can use such an application, Java 3D must additionally know about the user's physical characteristics (height, eye separation, and so forth) and physical environment (number of displays, their location, trackers, and so on). Not surprisingly, such information varies from installation to installation and from user to user. So Java 3D lets application developers separate their application's operation from the vagaries of the user's final display environment. The Java 3D application programmer's interface (API) provides a very flexible platform for building a broad range of graphics applications. Developers have already used Java 3D to build applications in a variety of domains including mechanical CAD, molecular visualization, scientific visualization, animation previews, geographic information systems, business graphics, 3D logos, and educational offerings. Virtual reality applications have included immersive workbench applications, headtracked shutter-glass-based desktop applications, and portals (a cave-like room with multiple back-projected walls)