Sun Issues Beta Version
of Java 3D Programming Tool
for Free Download, Testing
1000s of Developers Already Working with Alpha Code; Beta
Code Is Now Available to Everyone for Free Testing. PALO ALTO, Calif - September 22, 1998
- Sun
Microsystems, Inc. today announced that it has made
the beta version of its Java 3DTM application
programming interface (API) available on the SunTM
Website (sun.com/desktop/java3d) for free download
and evaluation to anyone interested in exploring the new
technology. The 3D development tool is based on open
standards and is easy to use, making it an ideal choice
for developers who want to create 3D content and
leverage it across multiple platforms without enduring
the steep learning curve of other 3D APIs.
The Java 3D API is a network-centric, scene
graph-based API which enables programmers utilizing
the JavaTM programming language to quickly and easily
add 3D content to their applets and applications. It is
also useful to 3D developers who want to take
advantage of the many benefits of applications
development using Java technology.
Sun announced the Java 3D API specification last year
at Siggraph 97 (August 5, 1997). Since then, thousands
of developers in a wide range of disciplines from games
and educational software to data visualization to
MCAD/MCAE and digital content creation (DCC) have
been working with the alpha version of the API. These
developers have provided their feedback to Sun, which
in turn has incorporated the most-requested features
into this beta version of the API.
"Sun is blazing new trails with this powerful, open 3D
graphics programming interface," said Ken Okin, vice
president and general manager of the Workstation
Products Group, Sun Microsystems, Inc. "Public review
of the early versions of this technology is critical to our
development process. Unlike another proposed new --
and proprietary -- 3D graphics API for which a
specification has not yet even been released, the Java
3D API has been in developers' hands for almost a year,
resulting in some very exciting work."
Nearlife, Inc., a design firm that develops entertaining,
interactive content using cutting-edge technology, used
an early version of the Java 3D API to create its recently
unveiled, high-profile Virtual FishTank exhibit at the
Boston Computer Museum.
"Sun worked closely with us throughout our Java 3D
implementation, tuning the API to help us do our work
more quickly and easily," said Tinsley Galyean, Director
of Nearlife, Inc. "Sun was very ambitious in the features
and capabilities it incorporated into the Java 3D API, and
even with its robustness, we found it to be quick to learn
and easy to use."
Because the Java 3D API is open, anyone can develop
and implement to it. Some of the developers who have
already demonstrated projects created with the Java 3D
API include:
DIVISION Inc. used the Java 3D API to provide
viewing tools for large CAD visualization. The Java
3D API provided rapid viewing and manipulation of
DIVISION's data.
Facet Decision Systems used the Java 3D API for
its Cause&Effect business intelligence software,
which provides complex decision support to
analysts in a range of markets such as forestry, oil
and gas, finance and environmental modeling.
Fakespace, Inc. used the Java 3D API to create a
virtual environment demonstration running on its
Immersive WorkBench Virtual Model Display. The
demonstration is an interactive visualization that
enables the user to manipulate virtual models as if
they are real objects on a tabletop or workbench.
The Java 3D API interacts with Fakespace's VLIB
software library to enable user interaction with
stereoscopic visualizations on any platform.
Out of the Blue Design (OBD) created an exciting
application utilizing Sun's Java 3D API which
teaches the English alphabet with humor and
drama. Users view a dancing 3D vowel that flips
and flops in virtual space while a soundtrack
makes various vowel sounds, which support the
learning message.
Java 3D API Eases
the 3D Development Process
The Java 3D API incorporates a high-level,
scene-graph
model that allows developers to focus on the objects
and the scene composition, freeing the programmer
from complex coding procedures to specify the scene
display. Software companies are no longer forced to
have a handful of graphics gurus dedicated to 3D
development work.
In addition, because the Java 3D API was built on the
network-centric Java platform, this 3D programming tool
allows users to do high-end 3D visualization over the
network, regardless of the target platform. This
network-centric design is increasingly important as
development environments are becoming more
collaborative.
To reduce the impact of potential bottlenecks caused by
this more collaborative work environment, the Java 3D
API incorporates geometry compression. This allows
very large 3D models to be rapidly downloaded over the
network for remote viewing and manipulation.
Pricing and Availability
The Java 3D API beta is available now
for free download
and evaluation. Sun does not recommend that users
build mission-critical applications utilizing the Java 3D
API as yet, since it is beta technology; users should be
aware that if and when Sun releases future versions of
the API, those future versions may contain
modifications and changes from this beta release.
Interested parties can download the Java 3D API from
this URL: sun.com/desktop/java3d
About Sun Microsystems
Since its inception in 1982, a singular
vision, "The
Network Is The ComputerTM", has propelled Sun
Microsystems, Inc., (NASDAQ: SUNW), to its position as
a leading provider of high-quality hardware, software
and services for establishing enterprise-wide intranets
and expanding the power of the Internet. With more than
$9.5 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in
more than 150 countries and on the WorldWide Web at http://sun.com. @Macarlo, Inc. @Macarlo's Shareware & Web OS/2 Java Lobby Member
Java Site Accredited