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Chapter 11, UI spaces and the scene graph | Chapter 17, Control basics
About the BookThis book provides an extensive conceptual framework for 3D user interface techniques, and an in-depth introduction to user interface support in the Java 3D API, such as picking, collision, drag-and-drop, and local-world coordinate conversion. Many of the techniques are demonstrated in a Java 3D software framework downloadable from the publisher, www.manning.com, including display- and world-relative object manipulation, view navigation, and feedback overlay. Besides offering examples of common and not so common uses of Java 3D, the framework provides developers with general-purpose building blocks for constructing their own user interfaces, and serves as a potential roadmap from Java 3D to "Swing 3D." About the ChaptersChapter 11, "UI spaces and the scene graph," introduces the reader to the backbone of the Java 3D architecture and API, which is the scene graph. The abstract UI spaces of world, view, and display presented in the first half of the book are here mapped to concrete Java 3D classes. Besides covering the mechanics of scene graph construction, practical consideration is given to topics such as spatial transforms, logical versus geometric grouping, node bounds, and capability bits. Chapter 17, "Control basics," introduces the reader to the core of the book's Java 3D UI framework. Paralleling UI concepts introduced earlier in the book, this chapter covers the basics of control implementation, starting with obtaining events from mouse and keyboard, processing them with enable, drag, and gesture filters, and ending with simple manipulation of object position, orientation, and color. The power and flexibility of the framework is demonstrated in examples that chain standard control modules to form custom controls for "relative planar translation" and "absolute circular rotation" of an object. This book is available from:
www.manning.com
About the AuthorJon Barrilleaux is currently working on a commercial massively multiplayer game engine based on J2EE. As a consultant he specializes in the application of 3D graphics, imaging, and virtual reality to solve real world problems. He has over 20 years experience in software development, R&D, and project management, including 14 years in 3D graphics, imaging, and information processing, and 6 years in virtual reality, augmented reality, and computer simulation. He has been involved in numerous projects to develop 2D and 3D user interfaces for research, training, electronic library, product configuration, ecommerce, and end-user applications. Barrilleaux has B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Rice University, Texas. Chapter 11, UI spaces and the scene graph | Chapter 17, Control basics Copyright 2001 Manning Publications Company. Reprinted with permission. | |||||
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