What Java 3D engine (if any) should I use? Not a game app.

Started by soea, December 28, 2011, 09:55:19 PM

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soea

What Java 3D engine (if any) should I use?

Hi,
I'm working on a project (my master thesis) where i have to create an app that can
1. load objects imported from MSC Nastran (cute app originally developed for NASA) [it should create them by parsing a text file, extracting points coordinations, creating polygons and finaly shapes]
2. displays those objects
3. let user view and manipulate them (rotation, translation etc.)
4. let user pick one of them (and its vertices)
5. do some operations using that object vertices (like creating new vertices and shapes).

Pretty much that's it. Piece of cake.
It's like an ultra mini version of 3Ds Max.

I've already done a little version of that app (so I could show something to my promoter xD).
I've started (week ago) by using Sun Java 3D, but I found today thats it's dead... (lol, I know) and I'm pretty sure I can do it in Sun Java 3D but I don't wan't to waste my time on learning something that is already dead and has no future.

And my question is what Java 3D engine (if any) should I use to create this application?
Should I stick with Sun's Java 3D?

If i choose an engine and my promoter ask me can this app be developed further by someone else and I'll be like "err JMonkey is pretty much beta and its for games and there's no assuring it's backward compatibile" or "jPCT is kind of neat but..." he will kill me. Please help.
additional info: I have 2 weeks deadline and some experience in java (like intermediate)


Below are some screens of my pre-alpha-test-to-delight-promoter version so You have an idea what I'm talking about.
There are only points and no quads yet.
http://i.imgur.com/1hPlX.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xKszK.jpg


The link to Code if You're interested. http://wklej.to/M93A4

EgonOlsen

Difficult to answer...judging from the screen shots, this is not something that jPCT is particular good at (drawing dots and lines and such...). jPCT works with polygons only...no lines, no dots. If you want arrows for example, you have to create them as 3d models. If you can live with that, you are welcome. If not, maybe sticking to Java3D is the better choice.

AGP

jpct is perfect if you're going to use the software renderer: you could use awt.Graphics for lines, arrows, and dots. For hardware, not so much.