3D on the Web - Java3D Applets
While there are more Pure Java applets on the web than those based on
Java3D, there are a growing number of Java3D applets, particularly
commercial products. Even though users are generally reluctant to download
the installation files to see a web site with Java3D, they are willing
to allow Java3D to be included in the installation of a new application
suite. This page provides information about Java3D applets, free and
commercial.
 Java3D Applets
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Java3D Applets
When I started this page I expected to see a large number of Java3D applets in
use throughout the web. I was surprised at how small the number is. The first
assumption to be made is that despite the hype, Java3D has been slow to catch on.
Once the Java3D classes are installed, as with pure Java applets,
all you have to do is direct your browser to the URL where the
applet is used. As part of displaying the page, your browser will download the Java applet
and use it within the HTML page to display the site 3D content. Files required by
the applet will also be downloaded automatically - including 3D object files.
From a programmer's viewpoint the advantage of Java3D is to be able to create
very complex scenes - very quickly and with minimal coding.
As compared to pure Java applet files, the Java3D files can be much smaller, offerring
faster download and display to site visitors. What might take a thousand lines of
code in pure Java may be done in only a hundred lines of Java3D code.
However, Java3D is not considered a simple set of APIs to learn. The time it takes to
become productive with Java3D can be much longer than the time it took to learn the
basics of pure Java.
All of the applets listed below are written in Java3D. I was surprised to find that none
of the available Java3D applets are commercial products. I did find several Java3D
standalone applications.
| # | Name | Author | Cost | Source Code | File Formats | Comments
|
|---|
| 1
| Java 3D Applet
| Vladimir Kiva
| free
| author has no download links
| not disclosed
| (5-6) without the source code, it's hard to tell how useful this one is.
|
| 1
| jReality
| Tim Hofffman
| free
| author has no download links
| not disclosed
| (7-8) the images look great, but the site has very little detail
|
| 1
| JVM
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| free
| no
| not disclosed
| (4-5) specific to molecule viewing
|
|
