Alternative to Java3D

Question

Colleagues of mine are using Java3D for visualizing results of finite element simulations. The problem is that Java3D seems to be somehow dead, and it is a pain on OSX. This is one of the reasons we are looking for alternatives. Quite a lot of work has gone into our current implementation based on Java3D, so the question is how much effort it would be to move away from Java3D. JOGL is one option, but looks like a lot of work.

Has anyone suggestions for alternatives? Any experiences with such a migration?

Answer 1

JOGL provides a direct access to OpenGL functions. These functions are mostly low level draw functions, and you have to deal with the 'state machine' nature of OpenGL while you are programming.

Java3D abstracts this state machine. It allows you to define a tree of graphic objects, placed in a virtual scene, and rendered by a camera. The manipulation of these graphic objects is easier with such a tree structure. Then, it's up to Java3D to walk through this tree and call the OpenGL drawing functions.

This kind of library is called a scenegraph. There are many scenegraph libraries in java, some are implemented on top of JOGL. I don't have a list, but this keyword will help you in your research.

In our project, we tried 3 or 4 different libraries, but no one filled all our requirements. We ended writing our own scenegraph library (on top of JOGL).

Answer 2

jMonkeyEngine, Ardor3D, jPCT or Xith3D are much better options these days.

Answer 3

JOGL is indeed a good option. However, it's simply a wrapper library for OpenGL. That means you'll still have to do a lot of the legwork yourself. If you're comfortable with that and it suits your needs, it's not actually all that difficult. But it might be a bit time consuming and not knowing your current code-base I don't know how easy the transfer is.

You could however go for an engine which might use JOGL. Something like JMonkey Engine to purely name an example. If you look, you'll surely find some others. Have a look at those, their ease of use and their functionality to see what best suits you. They probably won't take all the work away from you, but they might make it a bit easier.