Java 3D Jump Start (Java (Prentice Hall)) (Paperback)

The Web is headed towards 3D development -- and it's headed there faster than most developers realize! Java 3D Jump-Start delivers a concise, hands-on introduction to Java 3D that lets developers achieve powerful results with surprisingly little coding. Authored by a renowned Web 3D expert, Aaron Walsh, and a member of Sun's Java 3D Engineering Team, Doug Derringer, Java 3D Jump-Start thoroughly demystifies both 3D and the Java 3D API, which many believe will be the #1 solution for delivering 3D on the Web. Java 3D Jump-Start begins with a quick introduction to 3D concepts and terminology; then introduces the Java 3D API, its capabilities, requirements, and current limitations. The authors walk through installing Java 3D; using the API for both applet and application development; distributing Java 3D Web applets; and much more. For all Java developers and Web professionals who are new to Java 3D, or to 3D programming in general.

Get started with Java 3D—today!

• Master interactive 3D development for the desktop and the Web-now!
• Learn Java 3D's powerful scene graph programming model
• Covers every key component of the Java 3D API
• Cutting edge Java 3D case studies: e-commerce, entertainment, engineering, and more

Interactive 3D for the desktop and Web. It's not the future. It's here today. Java 3D Jump-Start is your concise introduction to the 3D technology that delivers the most power with the least coding. In this hands-on guide, a world-renowned Web3D expert and a member of Sun's Java 3D engineering team unveil the Java 3D API, providing insider's insights and real code.

Discover how Java 3D unleashes a new generation of 3D programs for the desktop and the World Wide Web—and master all the skills you need to start building spectacular Java 3D applications and applets right now!

• Real-world case studies: e-commerce, entertainment, data visualization, collaborative engineering, and beyond
• How Java 3D compares with other graphics options
• Java 3D's powerful scene graph programming model
• High-level constructs for creating, loading, and manipulating 3D geometry
• Appearances: describing color, texture, material reflection, and other characteristics of 3D objects
• Java 3D tools for transformation, viewing, and picking

With Java 3D Jump-Start, Java and Web professionals can harness the full power of 3D computer graphics to create fully interactive and immersive 3D programs for the desktop and the Web. Not "someday." Today.

Foreword by Kevin Rushforth, Sun Microsystems, Java 3D Technical Lead.

Every Jump-Start book is:

• AUTHORITATIVE, written by world-class experts personally involved with the design and development of that technology
• FOCUSED, providing exactly what you need to know to get started immediately with a minimum of effort
• PRACTICAL, teaching you the skills and techniques that you need to develop professional, real-world software applications