Book Image

jMonkeyEngine 3.0 : Beginner's Guide

Book Image

jMonkeyEngine 3.0 : Beginner's Guide

Overview of this book

jMonkeyEngine 3.0 is a powerful set of free Java libraries that allows you to unlock your imagination, create 3D games and stunning graphics. Using jMonkeyEngine's library of time-tested methods, this book will allow you to unlock its potential and make the creation of beautiful interactive 3D environments a breeze."jMonkeyEngine 3.0 Beginner's Guide" teaches aspiring game developers how to build modern 3D games with Java. This primer on 3D programming is packed with best practices, tips and tricks and loads of example code. Progressing from elementary concepts to advanced effects, budding game developers will have their first game up and running by the end of this book.From basic concepts and project creation to building a complex 3D Game, you will learn to layout 3D scenes, make them interactive and add various multi-media effects.You will find answers to common questions including best practices and approaches, how game characters can act and interact, how to simulate solid walls and physical forces, how to take it online to play over a network and much more.From Zero to Hero, start your journey to make your game idea a reality.
Table of Contents (20 chapters)
jMonkeyEngine 3.0 Beginner's Guide
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

LEET skillz – learn from the pros


Using physics everywhere in a game sounds like a cool idea, but this feature is easily overused. Although physics controls are "put to sleep" while they don't move, the complexity of a world built solely out of dynamic physics controls exceeds your computer's capabilities quite fast.

But other game developers use physics all the time, so why can't you? Their physics simulation is so awesome that whole buildings break apart in real time! Actually, no. Don't let them fool you. Professional video games simply use a clever mix of physics, non-physical kinematics, and visual effects to give you the illusion of a fully physical world.

Unless players are walking around in it, a scene element has no collision shape at all. While an explosion effect obstructs your view, a static model is detached and replaced by (fast rendering, non-physical) debris models. The debris models fly on kinematic (pre-recorded, non-physical) paths before they hit the ground. After the dust...